With proceedings tantalizingly balanced at 1-1, Coleman Wong and Kevin Wong teamed up to beat Connor van Schalkwyk and Jean Erasmus 7-6(6) 7-5 to stake TeamHK to a momentous 2-1 advantage. Coleman Wong, world-ranked No. 165, then delivered the tie-clinching point when he defeated opposing No. 1 Connor van Schalkwyk 7-6(2) 7-6(8) to secure an unassailable 3-1 lead for the team.
In the opening singles on Saturday, Kevin Wong took advantage of a shaky Connor van Schalkwyk and broke his opponent in the third game, while saving all four break points he faced to take the opening set 6-4. To his credit, van Schalkwyk managed to weather the storm and once he battled back to break Wong twice in the ensuing set, his confidence grew and he eventually ran away in the third against a fatiguing Wong to win 4-6 6-4 6-1.
Namibia leads Hong Kong, China 1-0.
Against opposing No. 2 Codie van Schalkwyk, Coleman Wong let slip early leads in both sets but managed to focus more on control and placement when it mattered most towards the business end, sealing the 7-5 7-5 win with late breaks to even the tie at 1-1.
In the all-important doubles, Wong and Wong had chances to break early but were unable to convert, going 0-7 heading into the first set tiebreak. Jean Erasmus, who last held an ATP doubles ranking in 2011, then made some incredible serves to give Namibia a seemingly infallible 6-4 lead. Unfazed, the TeamHK duo dug deep to win the next four points, saving two set points along the way, to grab the opener 7-6(6).
In the second set, the boys from Hong Kong finally converted their first break point after the umpteenth attempt in the eleventh game to jump out to a monumental 6-5 lead. Kevin Wong then produced two blinding forehands before sealing the win with a first serve winner.
Game, set, and match, Hong Kong, China, 7-6(6) 7-5. Hong Kong, China leads 2-1.
In the reverse singles, neither player was able to string together enough meaningful points to break serve, sending proceedings inadvertently to a tiebreak. From 2-2, however, Wong knuckled down to win five points on the trot to snatch the first set 7-6(2).
The second set was another tightly contested affair with no breaks of serve. Moreover, both players continued to struggle with the conditions. Since the air pressure is lower at higher altitudes, the ball is bouncing decidedly higher and flying through the air more than it would at sea level, and thus greatly disrupted timing and shot selection.
To his credit, Wong stuck to his guns and was never discouraged. He also served extremely well throughout and tallied 18 aces against only 3 double faults. In the end, van Schalkwyk sent an overhead smash long and wide on match point to end the contest after great side to side defense by the Hong Kong ace.
Game, set, and match, Hong Kong, China, 7-6(2) 7-6(8).
In the dead rubber singles, Wong Tsz Fu, in his Davis Cup debut, was defeated by Codie van Schalkwyk 7-6(2) 6-4.
Hong Kong, China will face either China(a), Ireland, Morocco, Estonia, Paraguay, Cyprus, Benin(h), New Zealand, South Africa, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Slovenia, Pakistan, Monaco, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Barbados, Mexico, Lebanon(h), Ukraine, Uruguay, Romania, Togo, Egypt, Lithuania or Georgia in the World Group II first round in September.
Among these teams, Hong Kong, China has only competed against China, Lebanon, Benin, and Pakistan in the Davis Cup before, with the most recent outings being:
2022: World Group II playoff HKG d. BEN 3-1 in Benin
2018: A/O Zone Group II semifinal LBN d. HKG 3-1 in Lebanon
1986: Eastern Zone quarterfinal CHN d. HKG 3-0 in Hong Kong
The 2025 World Group II ties will be played on either 12-13 or 13-14 September, with the host nation making the decision on dates. The winning nations will compete in the 2026 World Group I Playoffs, while the losing nations will compete in a World Group II Playoff in 2026.
Results
Davis Cup World Group II Playoff
Central Tennis Club, Windhoek
1-2 Feb 2025
Hong Kong, China defeated Namibia 3-2
R1 Connor van Schalkwyk (NAM) d. Kevin Wong (HKG) 4-6 6-4 6-1
R2 Coleman Wong (HKG) d. Codie van Schalkwyk (NAM) 7-5 7-5
R3 Coleman Wong/Kevin Wong (HKG) d. Connor van Schalkwyk/Jean Erasmus (NAM) 7-6(6) 7-5
R4 Coleman Wong (HKG) d. Connor van Schalkwyk (NAM) 7-6(2) 7-6(8)
R5 Codie van Schalkwyk (NAM) d. Wong Tsz Fu (HKG) 7-6(2) 6-4