A player ranked outside of the Top 400 and another stuck outside of the Top 200 have reached the quarterfinals at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open. And they’re both quite the story!

• Shang Juncheng and Michael Mmoh are already the comeback stories of the week, and they share all about it
• An insider peek at how the tournament ensures all these playing bellies are staying satisfied

SO… WHAT HAPPENED?

Shang Juncheng and Michael Mmoh Are Finding Their Way Again

Coming back from injuries when the game is so dense these days requires digging deep. And to keep believing. But when it all starts to click, you get the type of week Michael Mmoh and Shang Juncheng are having at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open! They’re both through to the quarterfinals after having both struggled to find their form back post-injuries.

The Chinese player will enjoy his third quarterfinal in Hong Kong, having reached the semifinals in 2024 and 2025. This time is special because he’s been struggling to return from a foot injury sustained last year. “Overall, the confidence is coming back a lot. And on the court, I’m playing more free, more relaxed. And I think that’s going in a good direction,” said the 20-year-old and former World 47 (now 406) after dominating Italian Lorenzo Sonego (6-3, 6-4). The powerful lefty really made an impression on that center court. “I think I’m close to getting back to my best level, definitely. (…) I like being at home and enjoying the atmosphere of the stadium and the atmosphere of the fans. Everyone can keep cheering for me; that’s going to make me play better and better. Of course, my goal is to get back to the Top 100 or even the Top 50, but if you play well, you will naturally get a good result. I’m the lowest-ranked here so far. But yeah, playing happy, playing positive. That’s what I like.”

Mmoh, a Top 100 (#81) just two years ago, who seemed to have what it takes to do some damage on the tour, has been going through many setbacks that have brought his ranking to 285. But on Thursday, you couldn’t have guessed any of it while watching him ruin Karen Khachanov’s singles week. Just as he ruined every opponent’s day that he has crossed so far this week, since day one of the qualifications. Let’s not forget he has now won four matches in a row, with wins over the first seed, Cristian Garin (3-6, 6-3, 7-5) and sixth seed, Patrick Kipson (6-2, 3-6, 6-4), of the qualifications, before beating Alejandro Tabilo (7-5, 6-4) and now Khachanov in the main draw. Talk about being on a roll!

The World No.17 lost in straight sets (7-6(2), 7-6(4) on Thursday despite coming back from 3-5 in the second set, and for sure got a tricky draw here for his first singles of the year against someone who was already perfectly locked in. “It’s a crazy sport! You just never know what can happen,” said Mmoh (27). “Like, we’ve seen that time and time again. At the end of last year, a couple of guys that you would have never thought would win big titles did it. And that just gives me belief, too. Watching someone I might have played Challengers with win a Masters 1000, as Valentin Vacherot did in Shanghai, just shows you that the sky is the limit. I put in a lot of work this preseason, and I felt really good about my game coming into the tournament. I was telling my coach and my wife, This is the best I’ve felt coming into a tournament in a very long time. So I just knew that at some point it was going to click for me. And I’m happy it was this week. I definitely had a lot of setbacks, injury-wise, and it was just tough to regain some of that momentum after the injuries. It took a lot of work, a lot of hard days spent on my game this winter, and in the end, that gave me a lot of confidence.”

On their comeback quest, both players have found solace in Hong Kong for very different reasons. For Shang, it’s logically the support he’s getting here that’s helping him to fly on the court. “In this city, every year is a dream. A lot of fans from Hong Kong are cheering for me. A lot of people on the mainland take the subway or take a taxi to cheer for me. This is very precious. Overall, it’s motivating because I can see today, although it’s a working day, in broad daylight, a lot of people came out to cheer for me. A lot of friends came to cheer for me, too. I like the feeling of being at home.”

For Mmoh, that’s the energy and good vibes he’s been enjoying in a city he had never been to before. “I love it. Huge fan of the city. Just the vibes out here are so cool. The people are so nice. The food’s unbelievable. I mean, this 250 could be the best 250 of the year. This is an unbelievable event. I think I’m going to play this every single year. The skyline… The skyscrapers, everywhere you look. It’s like New York City away from New York City and even almost more spectacular. Like, I haven’t seen too many cities with this type of skyline, but then at the same time, you have mountains, you have the water, and then the food is incredible.”

Whatever happens on Saturday, Michael Mmoh’s journey already feels rejuvenated by the week in Hong Kong. Sometimes, one week is just what you need. “I just beat Khachanov, who’s a guy that’s won many titles, and I feel I can even play better than I did today. It’s not like I played the best match of my life. So the fact that I get more gears to go is exciting. Already a massive win, really. Beating a Top 20 player is something I’ll never forget. Most importantly, the level I played at today is going to give me a lot of confidence moving forward.” As far as Shang Juncheng is concerned, the confidence also comes from the fact that his recovery is nearly complete. “Overall, I feel very good. My mobility is getting better. I am almost 100% now. I have reached a certain ranking before, and I believe I can do it again.”

Check out SINGLES DRAW results, DOUBLES DRAW results and ORDER OF PLAY on hkmenstennisopen.com

Food Matters: “Everything has to be fresh at all times. Nothing is impossible.”

There is one thing that is as important for players as the quality of the competition and training facilities: the restaurant. They need good food for fuel, and they also spend a lot of time there during the day, so it has to be comfy and fun. In Hong Kong, the bar has been set really high in order to make both an impression and a statement. Here, executive chef Jörn Henninger gives a glimpse at what it takes to manage the place with his nearly 100-person team at Cafe Deco Group.

What is the offer looking like regarding the players’ restaurant?

I would generally say players are looking for high-protein, fresh food, a little less seasoned. Players generally take their diet very seriously. We offer a wide range of proteins, including chicken, fish, and more. Besides that, we also have treats like a chocolate fountain, but I can tell you that the players are taking it so seriously that most of them don’t eat it.

We also have smoothies. We do have fresh coconut. We have a coffee bar. We do different kinds of theme nights (Spanish night, Korean night, etc.). Everything is a little bit balanced, so we do not over-season anything. So, the players do not feel in danger that something will go wrong during the match. Besides that, we players are from many different countries, so we need to give them options depending on what they eat or not. We also have a noodle station so they can create their own pasta, which is the most famous one among the players.

As we are in Hong Kong, which has such a culinary scene, are you trying to give them a taste of what it looks like?

We have a more international take on it, I would say. We do give a little taste of Hong Kong with dim sum and char siu bao, and so on, but our range is really from Middle Eastern food to South Asian food and European food. We are trying to cover everything, so everybody can find something.

What would you say is the pressure point for you?

It’s more about the ingredients, because everything has to be fresh at all times. So, the most challenging is that we can’t use any kind of frozen fish, chicken, or so on. Everything comes fresh. We do not just reheat food. And don’t forget we also cater for the media, the VIP area, and the public area. All of those fish, chicken, and so on are coming fresh and need to be scaled, filleted, etc. We have two major kitchens in the tournament to achieve that, and are working with a group of over 40 restaurants in Hong Kong. We’re basically pulling the best chefs from each restaurant to help during the tournament. So, we have chefs who mainly take care of Thai and Vietnamese restaurants in our group and will be here to provide exactly those kinds of dishes, so nothing goes wrong. The most challenging would basically be the supply chain.

The players’ dining is always such a crucial part of the tournament because reputations are also made by how happy the belly is!

We got very, very, very good feedback from the players, from the public, and from the VIPs. So, for us, the highest pressure point is right now to achieve that every single year. We also want to make a statement: no matter who tries to take that event, they will have to fill very big footsteps. So, we will make sure we are the ones staying in that tournament in the future.

Finding a way to be “fresh food only” for an event of that scale is really quite the performance…

It’s going even further. We have our own bakery. So, we have all of our bakery products being baked in our own factory. Beyond that, we have our own factory which provides meat products. Also, cold cuts, sausages are being homemade. And they are award-winning sausages, for example.

Can the players show up and have special demands?

Oh, we do have that. We also have a lot of birthdays during the tournament. So, we are providing specific birthday cakes for them. If someone is allergic to nuts, we can also handle it. Nothing is impossible. We also do the meal prep in case they really play very late and finish, so everybody still has a warm meal.

COME BACKSTAGE!

YOU HAVE TO SEE THAT!

Gabriel Diallo was holding absolutely no grudges against Coleman Wong, as both players joined forces in doubles again on Thursday. Already forgotten was that thriller lost by the Canadian on Wednesday as this first-time team clinched the win against Robin Haase and Constantin Frantzen (7-6(4), 6-7(5), 10-8) in the quarterfinals. And once again, they put on a show and tested the stress level of the crowd packing court 1, being up 6-2 in the super tie-break before having to pull off a great escape. Unfortunately for the show, they won’t be playing the semifinals as Diallo had to withdraw.

JOIN THE FUN!

(Kai Thompson meeting and signing for the fans today in Hong Kong)

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Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything for your reporting content during the tournament!