Teen tennis star Wong books Grand Slam milestone for HK

Michael Shum

Hong Kong's rising tennis star, Coleman Wong Chak-lam, has achieved an impressive milestone by securing a place in a Grand Slam match before his 20th birthday.

This accomplishment makes him the first Hong Kong tennis player to compete in one of the most prestigious tournaments in tennis.

Wong, 19, qualified for the French Open, which is one of the four major tournaments within the Grand Slam - along with the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. His exceptional performance on the court earned him enough points to rank 180th in the world, securing his spot in the tournament.

Currently, Wong is in Paris, France, where he is preparing for his first qualifiers match, scheduled to take place on Monday at the French Open.

Excited about his achievement, Wong shared a short video of the Eiffel Tower outside his airplane window on Instagram, announcing "[I] made it to Roland-Garros [the French Open]."

Wong's journey in the world of tennis has been marked by constant and significant improvement. Since joining the ATP Challenger Tour - the second-highest tier of professional tennis championships - last October, he has reached the finals three times in just four months. Although he fell short in all three finals, his runner-up positions provided him with valuable world ranking points. As a result, his ranking skyrocketed from 477 in October to 192 last month.

In a recent Challenger Tour event in Busan, South Korea, Wong performed admirably, reaching the quarterfinals before exiting the tournament. The points earned from this performance propelled him to the 180th spot.

Wong will be among the 128 players participating in the tournament, all vying for the 16 available spots in the main draw. To secure a place in the Grand Slam tournament, each player must navigate a series of qualifying rounds and win three matches.

At the beginning of the year, Wong shared his goals for 2024.

"My primary objectives were to participate in all the Grand Slam tournaments and compete for qualification for the Paris Olympic Games," he said. While he missed out on the Australian Open due to his ranking of 253 at the time, Wong persisted to earn a place in the French Open.

The Olympic qualification deadline falls one day after the conclusion of the French Open, making this tournament Wong's final opportunity to achieve his second goal.

michael.shum@singtaonewscorp.com