Michael Chang reveals what Coleman Wong – and Hong Kong – can do to join tennis elite
Three-time Hong Kong Open winner says city can lure ‘more and better players’ but Victoria Park not good enough for top-level events
Michael Chang has told Hong Kong’s leading tennis hope Coleman Wong Chak-lam to get the “right coaching and guidance” to grow as both a player and a person.
Wong launched his 2025 campaign at the past week’s Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open, where he fought gamely in a first-round loss to Chinese world No 50 Jerry Shang Juncheng.
After his 7-6, 6-4 defeat, Wong, who is ranked No 170, said he felt “ready to break into the top 100” this year. The 20-year-old is also targeting a debut appearance in the main draw of a grand slam tournament in the coming 12 months.
Former French Open champion Chang, who won a record three Hong Kong Open titles, said he had detected Wong’s excitement over playing his home event at Victoria Park Tennis Centre. “He looked like a kid in a candy store, which was wonderful,” Chang said.
“To get to where he is, ranking-wise, you have to be able to play very, very well. Getting the right coaching and guidance play an important role [in developing further], because then you don’t need to guess what you have to do.”
Currently coached by a Briton, James Allemby, Wong beat former world No 17 Cristian Garin in last year’s US Open qualifying, but lost at the second stage. He was beaten in the opening qualifying rounds for the French Open and Wimbledon.
