Miami Open: Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong ‘enjoying every minute’ of history-making run at ATP event
- Wong to take on Laslo Djere in main draw on Thursday after becoming first player from city to reach that stage of ATP Masters 1000 event
- Players from mainland China are challenging in men’s and women’s competitions, but focus is mainly on rising stars Zheng Qinwen, Yuan Yue
Coleman Wong Chak-lam said he was enjoying every minute of his history-making run at the Miami Open, and hailed the win that got him into the main draw as “one of my best matches”.
The Hongkonger takes on Serbia’s Laslo Djere in the first round of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament on Thursday, and his performance so far should lift him to world No 188, a career high, when the rankings are updated on Monday.
Wong’s appearance in the round of 128 is the first time a player from the city has reached the main draw of an ATP 1000 event, and the 19-year-old said he felt “so good, and so happy”.
“Although the weather in Miami is very hot, I can withstand it and hope to continue fighting in the next game without any regrets,” he added.
Wong was handed a wild-card spot for the tournament, and needed to come through two tough qualifiers, against Hugo Gaston and Sumit Nagal, both of whom are ranked inside the world top 100.
By climbing the world rankings, Wong also retains a slim chance of qualifying for the Paris Olympics this summer, and said his 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory over Nagal was “one of my best matches in recent months”.
