Hong Kong tennis player Coleman Wong Chak-lam battled hard in the men’s singles semi-finals of the 15th National Games on Wednesday, but was edged out by Wu Yibing from Zhejiang in a tough three-set match, losing 1–2 and missing out on the final.
As there was no bronze medal play-off, Wong was awarded the bronze medal — marking Hong Kong’s first-ever tennis medal at the National Games.
As the No. 2 seed, the 21-year-old star was broken twice in the first set but managed to fight back fiercely both times to level the score at 6–6. In the tiebreak, he came from three points down to win 8–6 and take the opening set.
Both players held serve throughout the second set, which once again forced a tiebreak. Wong trailed 2–6 but clawed back to 6–6 before Wu held his nerve to win 9–7.
In the deciding third set, Wong was broken early and again later in the set, eventually losing 4–6 after an intense 2 hours and 47 minutes of play.
After the match, Wong admitted the result was disappointing but said he had “given his best and had no regrets.”
“It was really close—both of us played very well, and I enjoyed the match a lot,” Wong said. He added that he would continue to work hard in future competitions, aiming for silver or gold next time.
Wong will also receive HK$150,000 cash award under the Jockey Club Athlete Incentive Awards Scheme.
