Hong Kong star Coleman Wong Chak-lam beat Spain’s Pablo Lamaz Ruiz 7-6 (9/7), 6-0 yesterday to move within a win of reaching the main draw of the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Wong, 21, will take on Sweden’s Elias Ymer in the final round of qualifying this morning, with the winner joining defending champion Jannik Sinner of Italy, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and other established ATP Tour players in the Grand Slam tournament kicking off on Sunday.
Players need to win three rounds of qualifying matches to reach the main draw.
Wong outlasted Frenchman Ugo Blanchet 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) in the first round of qualifying on Tuesday.
Against Ruiz, Wong took the first-set tiebreak with a forehand volley and never looked back. He motored through the second set and clinched matchpoint with another forehand winner.
Ymer advanced by beating Denmark’s Elmer Moller 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.
Wong is riding the momentum of an outstanding display in front of home fans at last week’s Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open, where he reached the quarter-finals before his dream run was ended by Italian top seed Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-4.
He made history last year when – as a qualifier – he became the first Hong Kong player to reach the third round of the US Open.
