Hong Kong tennis star Coleman Wong falls just short of Australian Open main draw

Hong Kong's top-ranked tennis player, Coleman Wong, currently world No. 132, came agonizingly close to qualifying for the Australian Open main draw but lost in the final round of qualifying on Thursday.

In front of a packed and vocal crowd at Melbourne's larger ANZ Court, the 21-year-old battled Sweden's Elias Ymer (world No. 175) for two hours and 18 minutes. 

Wong fought back after dropping the first set in a tiebreak but ultimately fell 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 3-6.

The match turned in the decisive third set when Wong called a medical timeout at the start to receive on-court treatment and painkillers for his right forearm. 

Despite the issue, he still managed to fire six aces in that set, adding to his tournament total of 21 aces across three qualifying matches.

Wong had earlier powered through the first two rounds with straight-set victories, serving 14 aces against France's Ugo Blanchet and 12 against Spain's Pablo Llamas Ruiz.

The Hong Kong player arrived in Melbourne following a strong showing at last week's Hong Kong Open, where he reached the singles quarter-finals and doubles semi-finals.