Australia Open qualifiers: Hong Kong’s Eudice Chong falls at first hurdle, but tennis boss says best is yet to come
- Chong reaches grand slam qualifiers for first time in Melbourne, but loses in 2 sets to Canadian Carol Zhao
- Hong Kong to host 4 ITF World Tennis Tour events over summer, reveals local official Philip Mok
Eudice Chong got her first taste of a grand slam on Monday at the Australian Open qualifiers in Melbourne, as local officials revealed four ITF World Tennis Tour events would be held in Hong Kong this summer.
Making her first attempt to qualify for a major tournament was an achievement in itself for the 26-year-old, who became the first player from Hong Kong to do so since Zhang Ling in 2015.
Philip Mok Kwan-yat, president of the Hong Kong Tennis Association, said he was “very proud of her” and predicted bigger things to come.
“We are very confident that we can expect even better things to come from her in the new year,” he said.
The optimism came despite the 26-year-old’s debut ending in defeat, with Canadian Carol Zhao, who is ranked 175 in the world, winning in two sets, 6-3, 6-2 in one hour 19 minutes.
Chong said she had had an “incredible few days” surrounded by some of the best players in the world.
“I am very proud to be representing Hong Kong at the Australian Open this year, and I’m hoping there will be more in the future,” she said. “Unfortunately, today didn’t go my way, but I have learned so much from this experience and will keep working to improve. I’m so thankful for all the support I’ve received from everyone in Hong Kong, and hopefully they will keep believing in me.”
It took eight years for Hong Kong to have a player back on the slam stage and Mok said Chong’s “perseverance and hard work paid off”.
