Defending champion and full-time scholarship athlete, Yu Hiu Tung, defeated former Chinese Davis Cup player Lu Ling, 6-3, 6-4, to win back-to-back CRC Open men's singles titles, a feat not accomplished since Shane Barr in 1997.

Other players to have successfully defended the men's singles title at the CRC Open include Tau Luu (1976-77), Randall King (1980-82), Mark Bailey (1986-87), and Michael Walker (1988-1991). The win ensures Yu's name will be forever etched into the annals of local tennis history.

Having already secured the men's doubles title when he teamed up with Lu to defeat 2000 champion Andrew Town and Adrian Montesinos 7-5, 7-5 on Saturday, second-seeded Yu also became the first player since Melvin Tong in 1999 to achieve the 'double' here at the CRC Open by claiming both the men's singles and doubles titles in the same year.

Yu began slowly and conceded an early break to Lu to trail 0-2, but from there, the teenager won five games in a row with the loss of only four points to grab a quick-fire 5-2 lead. Although he had to save two break points in the ninth game, Yu finally held out for a 6-3 first set.

Lu mounted a stiffer challenge in the beginning of the second set when he took Yu to deuce three times in each of the teenager's first two service games. Each time, however, Yu held firm, conjuring blinding passing shots whenever Lu seemingly had the young protege in impossible positions.

After Lu held for a 3-2 lead, the first time he had led in the match, Yu again won three games on the trot to lead 5-3, breaking Lu in the seventh game with successive backhand crosscourt winners. Following a love game by Lu, the defending champion held out easily with two aces in the final game to take the second set 6-4.

When informed of several of the past champions who have won successive titles at the CRC Open, Yu said, "It is truly an honour to be mentioned in the same breadth with those tennis greats. But, hopefully, I can continue to improve and play even better tennis. I would love to come back next year and defend my title once again."

Yu will be departing the territory on Friday, together with fellow full-time junior athletes Jack Hui and Brian Hung, heading to New Delhi for the Asian Closed Junior Tennis Championships. The tournament will be Yu's final one as a junior as he has already reached the grand old age of eighteen.

The 18 year-old, who made his Davis Cup debut this year against Malaysia in April, is planning to test the professional circuit by entering Futures tournaments starting early next year.