This year’s blue riband events went to Kevin Wong and Maggie Ng, the top seeds for the men’s and ladies’ singles respectively. Wong, who suffered an unexpected early round of sixteen loss twelve months ago, made amends this time round by defeating Rihards Emulins 6-4 6-0 in the final to claim his third career title. On the women’s side, Ng saw off wildcard Jane Wong in straight sets 6-0 6-2 to capture her third consecutive, and fourth overall, singles crown.

“Since January 2024, the HKCTA has embarked on a transformational activation strategy in a bid to make tennis more accessible to all. We wish to engage people from all walks of life to foster a passion for the sport. Therefore, it is extremely encouraging to report that the number of entries for this year’s Hong Kong National Tennis Championships totalled a record-setting 1,569,” noted HKCTA President, Michael Cheng.

“Our duty as an NSA is to activate the sport at every opportunity and to facilitate an environment that can help the community channel that passion. We are building an ecosystem by developing a national participation and education strategy but at the same time, we want to expand the tennis-playing base and reinforce the foundation of the game, and that a robust tournament structure needs to be in place that promotes competition,” he added.

In the men’s singles final, servers dominated proceedings until 5-4 when Emulins found himself staring at a 0-40 deficit. Wong broke at 15, bagged the opener, and ran away with the match on a six-game run to win 6-4 6-0 with his opponent managing just two points on serve in the second set. Jack Wong (2017-18, 2022-24), HKCTA Hall of Fame Class of 2022 inductee Colin Grant (1984-86, 1990), and Kevin Wong (2019, 2021, 2025) are the only players to win three or more men’s singles titles here at Victoria Park.

A semifinalist in ladies’ singles last year, 18-year-old Jane Wong, who had to retire in the ITF J30 final against Rosalyn Chan earlier in the week, fought on well despite not being 100% but she was unable to slow down the two-time defending champion’s onslaught, as she conceded the opening nine games before eventually succumbing to Maggie Ng 6-0 6-2.

“I would like to thank HKCTA for the opportunity. I was given a wildcard to the maindraw, for which I am deeply grateful. Since the Nationals has always been considered a local major, I wanted to be part of it if possible. Thank you to the tournament team for their good and efficient organization. Shout out to the physios who have provided me with much-needed recovery, support, and treatment. Hope to be back next year!” said Jane Wong.

With the win, Ng joins HKCTA Hall of Fame Class of 2022 inductee Paulette Moreno (1982-84, 1989-90), Polly Lam (1999-2000, 2002-03, 2005), and Tiffany Wu (2008-09, 2013-14) as the only players to claim four or more singles titles. Remarkably, Moreno finished runner-up to HKCTA Hall of Fame Class of 2003 inductee Ling Tsui Yuen Yuen in 1980 and 1981 before she won her maiden title at age 12 in 1982.

In men’s doubles, top-seeded Kevin Wong and Lee Hsin-Han started the final with a double break to jump out to a 4-0 lead before cantering to a 6-2 first set. In the second, they wasted no time in securing a break right off the bat by breaking Alan Wang and held on to that advantage until 4-2 when they added an insurance break against Adrian Yao before Lee served out the 6-2 6-2 victory. Previously, Lee won the men’s doubles title twice with Brian Yeung in 2019 and 2021, while Wong was a former five-time winner together with Jack Wong in 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024. Thus, Kevin Wong’s tally in career doubles title this year puts him on a par with HKCTA Hall of Fame Class of 2019 inductee, Randall King, who won six straight from 1980-85.

The Hong Kong National Tennis Championships, formerly the Hong Kong Closed Hardcourt Championships, began in 1978 with a pair of former Davis Cuppers facing off against one another in the inaugural final that saw New Zealand’s Richard Hawkes defeat South Vietnam’s Tau Luu to win the men’s singles title, while 13-year-old Patricia Hy, an HKCTA Hall of Fame Class of 2016 inductee, overcame Anne Tait to capture the ladies’ crown.

Tau Luu captured a silver medal in men’s doubles at the 5th Asian Games, and was a two-time doubles gold medalist at the SEA Games in 1965 and 1967, in addition to being a singles bronze medalist in 1965. He dominated the tennis scene in Hong Kong upon arrival, winning the CRC Open men’s singles title a record eight consecutive times from 1970-1977. He won the last edition of the Hong Kong Grass Court Championships in 1976 and added the SCAA and CRC Opens that same year to complete the Triple Crown. He was inducted into HKCTA’s Hall of Fame in 2016.

Over the years, the Hong Kong National Tennis Championships have witnessed many memorable matches. One that stood out on the men’s side was the 1983 final between 19-year-old Kelvin Inge and Chris Romney, who played for the University of Washington in NCAA Division I from 1978-1980 and had been dabbling on tour prior to his arrival in Hong Kong. Romney entered the final by chalking up good wins against John Holsinger in the quarters and 1981 champion Randall King in the semis.

However, back for the Christmas break from his medical studies at Cambridge and to prepare for the upcoming January Davis Cup tie against Chinese Taipei, Inge was thirsting for wins to get under his belt. He double-bageled his American opponent in under 38 minutes with a barrage of winning passes, yielding no more than 17 points in the surgical butchery. At King’s Park the following week, Inge beat King 3-6 7-6(4) 6-4 in the SCAA Open final and then ended up winning the fifth and deciding rubber in Taipei a couple of weeks later to cement Hong Kong, China’s maiden victory in the Davis Cup. Kelvin Inge was inducted into the HKCTA Hall of Fame in 2016.

Another impressive performance occurred in 2002 when a 12-year-old Venise Chan beat Jenny Lin 3-6 6-1 6-1 in the first round, Cindy Lee in the quarterfinal 3-6 6-4 6-4, and top seed Joanne Cheung in the semis 6-3 6-4. Although she fell to Polly Lam in the final, Chan nevertheless became the youngest finalist since Paulette Moreno, who won the 1982 title at the same age. Joanne Cheung and Jenny Lin, together with Tong Ka Po and Polly Lam, were the Fed Cup setup that got Hong Kong, China back to Group I in 2001. In 2002, the team managed to beat Thailand and Philippines to remain in Group I. In 2003, Cindy Lee was added to the Fed Cup roster. Chan returned in 2004 as a 14-year-old to beat Cindy Lee to capture the Hong Kong National Tennis Championships ladies’ singles title for the first time.

Results
Bank of China Hong Kong National Tennis Championships 2025
Victoria Park Tennis Courts, Causeway Bay
3 March-30 April

Men’s Singles Final
(1)Kevin Wong d. (5)Rihards Emulins 6-4 6-0

Ladies’ Singles Final
(1)Maggie Ng d. (WC)Jane Wong 6-0 6-2

Men’s Doubles Final
(1)Lee Hsin-Han/Kevin Wong d. Alan Wang/Adrian Yao 6-2 6-2

Ladies’ Doubles Final
Ki Yan Tung/Sviatlana Pirazhenka d. (4)Luk Kei Yuen/Marinel Rudas 7-6(6) 6-3

Mixed Doubles Final
(2)Raul Guardia/Maggie Ng d. Rihards Emulins/Sviatlana Pirazhenka 6-3 7-5

President Cup

Men’s Singles Final
(q)Selwyn Wong d. (q)Arthur Chau 6-7(4) 6-3 6-1

Ladies’ Singles Final
(q)Sze Lok Ching d. (3)Alexis Chung 6-4 3-6 6-2

Men’s Doubles Final
Philip Mok/Wang Wei d. (4)Chan Chun Hiu/Li Shing Chit 6-4 7-6(4)

Ladies’ Doubles Final
Fung Sum Hin/Hayden Wong d. Haelyn Chu/Wu Yuman 6-2 6-3

See Full Results.