Over the weekend, top-seeded defending champion Wayne Wong defeated Brian Hung, 6-3, 6-4, to capture his fourth career CRC Open men's singles title, while No. 2 seed Wu Ho Ching came from a set down to beat top seed Katherine Ip, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, to claim her maiden silverware in the ladies' equivalent.

[Roll of Honour] (1948 - 2009)

The opening set of the men's singles final turned out to be a break-serve fest, to put it mildly. In all, Wayne Wong was broken twice, while Brian Hung lost his serve three times. From the early going, Brian Hung found that his first serves that were yielding him mucho free points in the earlier rounds, were now, in fact, being returned with interest.

This, when coupled with his inability to get an accurate read on the No. 1 seed's serve, quickly manifested into a strain that put Brian Hung under even more pressure on his own service games.

Trailing 4-1, the former Michigan standout finally held his serve for the first time and then breaking the defending champion to peg the score momentarily back to 4-3.

The top seed, who has been gaining in control of the rallies as the match wore on, was also beginning to find the lines with his serves now that the set is nearing the business end. The response from Wayne Wong was lethal as he strung together eight straight points to bag the last two games at love to strong-arm the opening set, 6-3.

The second set then began arduously for Brian Hung, as he was made to fight off a break point before he held serve after a trio of deuces. However, after another solid hold by the defending champion, he pounced again with some deft return of serves to break Brian Hung at 15.

After Wayne Wong consolidated with ease, both players held serve to take proceedings to 4-2 when Brian Hung wrestled four successive points from 15-40 down to hold serve.

That seemed to have spurred him on, as even though Wayne Wong managed to save a pair of break points to force deuce, the former Michigan Captain managed to conjure a breakthrough to reinstate a 4-4 stalemate.

Yet the response from the top seed was again swift and decisive, as he warded off a game point to break back immediately to lead 5-4 before holding one last service game without much hullabaloo to complete a 6-3, 6-4 victory at the very club where he took his first tennis lessons as a seven year-old novice.

The win on Sunday gave Wayne Wong (2004-05, 2008-09) title #4, which puts him alongside Michael Walker (1988-91), Randall King (1980-82, 1985), Tau Luu (1970-77), To Kwun Kau (1949-50, 1953, 1956, 1961), and Ip Koon Hung (1948, 1951-52, 1954, 1957-60, 1962-64) as players to possess four or more CRC Open men's singles titles.

In the ladies' open singles final that was played earlier on Saturday, it featured the same pair of teenagers who had contested the past three local majors in Hong Kong.

Their streak began with last year's HK Nationals where a 17-year-old Wu Ho Ching beat a 13-year-old Katherine Ip, 7-5, 6-3, to win her maiden local major championship.

Then at the SCAA Open 2009 earlier last month, Wu Ho Ching again defeated Katherine Ip, only this time in a three-setter, 6-3, 0-6, 7-5, to claim her second major.

Last Saturday, nevertheless, it was the younger of the two, Katherine Ip, who made a strong start during the CRC Open 2009 final.

After breaking Wu Ho Ching to lead 3-2, Katherine Ip then squandered six game points before finally consolidating for a 4-2 advantage.

Both players then held their next serve to make it 5-3 before the number one seed took advantage of successive double faults by her opponent to break again to seal the opening set, 6-3.

In the second set, with the score tied at 2-2, Wu Ho Ching managed to produce back-to-back service breaks to catapult to an unexpected 5-2 lead.

Although Katherine Ip managed to recoup one of those lost breaks, not to mention saving 2 set points in the ninth game along the way, it was not enough to prevent Wu Ho Ching from serving out the se, 6-4, to draw even at a set apiece.

The final set saw the players exchange a service break in the opening two games before Wu Ho Ching again broke through her opponent's defense in the third game.

Only this time, she was able to consolidate the good work for a 3-1 advantage.

Servers then dominated rather convincingly until 4-3 when Wu Ho Ching fended off a break point when trailing 30-40 before holding on for 5-3.

Needing to hold serve to stay in the match, Katherine Ip was unable to convert two game points in succession, first at 40-30, and again on the ensuing deuce. Wu Ho Ching then took advantage of her first match point on the next deuce and duly converted it to end the two-hour-and-four-minute contest, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

The ladies' doubles crown went to No. 1 seeds Tong Ka Po and Rika Hiraki, who combined to beat second-seeded Wu Ho Ching and Katherine Ip, 6-0, 6-3.

With the win, Tong Ka Po (1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2006) has now captured a record-breaking sixth ladies' doubles title at the CRC Open since the event was first contested in 1977, bettering the previous record of five she had shared with Jacklyn Fu (1991, 1993, 1995, 2001, 2003) and Lam Po Kuen (2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007).

As expected, the men's doubles title went to No. 2 seeds Brian Hung and Jonathan Chu, who saw off veterans Jason Lijewski and Sean Cooper in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.

Having collaborated with Jack Hui to win the past two majors, i.e. the 2008 HK Nationals and the 2009 SCAA Open title, as well as capturing the Hong Kong Tennis Champions Cup together with Jonathan Chu, Brian Hung is now in the unique position of being the concurrent holder of the four most significant doubles titles contested in Hong Kong.

Moreover, without pointing to the obvious, since Wayne Wong and Wu Ho Ching have claimed the first two local majors already this season, they are now both a live chance to complete the Triple Crown, even though the HK Nationals have been moved back a month or so due to the staging of the 5th East Asian Games starting this coming weekend.

Results
61st CRC Open Hardcourt Tennis Championships
Chinese Recreation Club, Hong Kong
October 31-November 29, 2009

MEN'S OPEN SINGLES FINAL
(1)Wayne Wong d. (5-8)Brian Hung 6-3 6-4

LADIES' OPEN SINGLES FINAL
(2)Wu Ho Ching d. (1)Katherine Ip 3-6 6-4 6-3

MEN'S OPEN DOUBLES FINAL
(2)Brian Hung/Jonathan Chu d. (1)Jason Lijewski/Sean Cooper 6-4 6-4

LADIES' OPEN DOUBLES FINAL
(1)Tong Ka Po/Rika Hiraki d. (2)Wu Ho Ching/Katherine Ip 6-0 6-3