'Very special' triumph for Hong Kong star Eudice Chong

Eudice Chong battled her way to a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands to keep the Hong Kong flag flying at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open.

As heavy clouds hovered on Court One at the Victoria Park Tennis Centre, the 29-year-old Chong outhustled Lamens to complete the victory in one hour and 36 minutes and book a place in the round of 16 in the WTA 250 tournament.

“This is the first time I have beaten a top-100 player so I am delighted. I played more aggressively today than previously and I think that was a big factor in the win," said Chong, a wild-card entry who ended years of frustration in her home tournament. "The support of the fans, along with playing in front of family and friends, makes this very special.

"The momentum for tennis here is on the rise, with more fans coming along than ever before. The HKCTA has done a tremendous job of developing tournament tennis here providing an experience which has inspired me along with the many new up-and-coming young local players.”

Chong, currently ranked number 632 in the world, will now face Himeno Sakatsume for a place in the quarter-finals after the Japanese qualifier produced upset of the day so far, a 6-2, 6-1 win over American fourth seed Sofia Kenin.

"I just need to focus on myself," Chong said of her upcoming showdown against Sakatsume. "I've played her before so i know her playing style, I know what to do ... we have a pretty good head-to-head record against each other."

Chong's win came a day after Cody Wong Hong-yi, who also received a wild card for the WTA 250 tournament, kicked off Hong Kong's campaign with a 6-1, 6-0 loss to Viktoria Morvayova of Slovakia 6-1, 6-0.

In one of the earlier matches on Centre Court, Canadian third seed Victoria Mboko roared back from losing the first set to New Zealander Talia Gibson to pull out a 6-7 (2/7), 6-1, 6-4 win.

Second seed Leyla Fernandez, the 2023 champion, followed Mboko on Centre Court made it a double for Canadians with a 6-1, 6-4 win over China's Wang Xiyu.

Seventh-seeded Sorana Cirstea of Romania advanced with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Hungary's Dalma Galfi.