It might be chilly in Hong Kong, but all we saw on Tuesday at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open was the city’s hope, Coleman Wong, heating things up on center court in front of a whole crowd pushing behind him.

• Coleman Wong gets the crowd going, will now face Diallo: read his words, a few thoughts from his coach, and what Diallo is getting ready for 
• Lorenzo Sonego says improving is mandatory every day on Tour as margins are thinner than thin
• Alexandre Müller intends to defend that title, thank you very much
• Michael Mmoh sends a warning to Karen Khachanov: He’s on a roll!

SO… WHAT HAPPENED?

Coleman Wong Learns As Fast As He Possibly Can

Coleman Wong is a quick learner, and that’s the best news for him, as on tour, he’s been rising fast enough that lessons have been coming his way every other day. In Hong Kong on Tuesday, he discovered what it meant to have to deliver in front of people entirely devoted to his success. After winning his doubles match, along with Gabriel Diallo, Coleman Wong said he wasn’t sure the crowd was there just for him, as people are great tennis fans here. Yet on Tuesday, he couldn’t have any more doubt: that center court was here for him. 

And gosh, they didn’t regret a single second of it as Wong, here thanks to a wild card, went on to win that first singles match against Mariano Navone (ARG, #72) in straight sets (6-3, 7-5). Already a splendid performance for the 21-year-old, whose face has been all over since he made history for Hong Kong by reaching the third round of the last US Open.

Always a smile on his face off the court, Wong couldn’t really hide the nerves on Tuesday as he kept having to learn very fast. Being a home crowd favorite isn’t something he’s used to, and it comes with an urge to play your best and win that can be overwhelming. “This win means a lot because, to be honest, it’s not easy to play in front of the home crowd. There’s always pressure playing at home, so I’m happy I can get through that first round. I think I did pretty well in terms of dealing with the pressure, dealing with nerves. It’s not often that I can play at home, and this is something I will never forget.”

His coach, James Allemby, was pretty satisfied with Wong’s attitude despite the stress he faced. “He has improved a lot in terms of patience on the court, even if today may not have been the best example, as he was very nervous. But also, it’s a fairly fast surface here, the balls are a bit hard, so it’s not that easy. It’s also the first singles match of the year, so I think the next match will be much better in terms of consistency. But still, we could see he has a lot more options in his game than he had a year or two ago. (…) He is always humble, and he always has a smile on his face, which is great, especially in a sport like tennis, where you have to play so many weeks a year. His other talent is to be able to learn.” 

And there’s no doubt that Wong will need to figure it all out quickly again when he faces Canadian Gabriel Diallo in the next round. Funny enough, both are playing doubles together here! “I’m going to keep playing my game, said Wong. I’m going to keep working hard in every match. It’s not very easy, because they’re pretty good out there. The opponents are very stable; they don’t just randomly give me opportunities, so I have to create them myself.” 

Diallo, one of the most improved players of last year, who’s still discovering the tour at 24 as he went to College in the US, knows what to expect against Coleman Wong. “It’s going to be a challenge because he plays super aggressively. Last year, he had a very nice year with some great performances, so, yes, he’s someone I’ve known since 2024, more or less. So, frankly, it’s a very nice progression on his part, and on my part too. I’m going to try to bring my best game, and anyway, I don’t have a choice because with the crowd behind him, playing at home at the beginning of the year, he’s really going to do everything he can to try to destabilize my game and then go get the victory. So, I’m going to do the same.” 

What does he feel are Wong’s best on-court qualities? “He’s very explosive. He has a good arm, especially having played in doubles with him, I could see that. He has a good serve, takes the ball early, plays very fast, goes to the net, and moves very well. He competes well, is solid on both sides. So, it’s going to be a good challenge to try to exploit any weaknesses. I’m looking forward to it.” The only sure thing in that match is that the crowd will bring it on.

Sonego Praises The Tour’s Depth 

Lorenzo Sonego (#39) barely had time to catch his breath between Italy winning the Davis Cup again and having to prepare for 2026, but he made the trip to Hong Kong still feeling like it looked like a new beginning. On Tuesday, he proved too solid (6-2, 7-6(4) for the Japanese teenager Rei Sakamoto (#200).

“It was a good end of the season last year, and I still tried to put in the work every day, even if there was not a lot of time to practice. We had one week off and then just three weeks for practice, and that’s tough to improve the game. With my coach, we still tried to improve and are focused on the practice. I’m grateful to be ready for competing in the first tournament of the year. I played well today, and I’m so happy for that. It’s the first week of the year, which gives me energy because I’m so happy to compete again.”

Being Italian on Tour these days seems to give an extra boost of confidence, no? Sonego laughed, but didn’t really deny it! “I think every player pushes the other to be the best, and yes, we have one of the best in the world, Jannik, and so the guys behind him now also want to achieve something special. I practice a lot with Lorenzo Musetti, and we have a good friendship, and we play doubles here: all this is a great opportunity to improve the game. It’s nice to have a lot of Italian players in the top 100, and that’s a really special moment for us.”

At 30, Sonego has all the experience in the world already, but he still feels the pressure to get better every day. He says the Tour doesn’t give you another choice anymore. Get better, or get out. “The level is really high, and every year it gets higher and higher. We need to improve the game, and we need to practice when we have time: That’s the key to staying at this level. It’s tough for everyone, and we need to spend a lot of time in the gym, on the court, and work, work, work.” This winter, Sonego decided to train at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Manacor for the third time, trying to get inspired by the Rafa spirit. “The structure there is really good, and there are a lot of great players to hit with, which is really nice. Also, I think Nadal is the best player ever in the world in terms of attitude, so I want to go there when I have time.” 

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

WAIT… WHAT DID THEY SAY? 

Defending champion Alexandre Müller (FRA), after beating Miomir Kecmanovic (7-5, 6-4): “I got to train with Jannik Sinner, which helped to raise the level”

Hong Kong remains a lucky charm for you! How does it feel to come back as the defending champion?

It’s always special to come back to a place where we played well, the place where I won my first ATP title, so I’m very happy to be back in Hong Kong. The conditions here are also very well-suited to my game.

Is it easy to deal with a new kind of pressure here? Does it change the feeling of being out there playing?

No, not really. You have to deal with other things, like there is a little more media, and sometimes you also think about all the points to defend, like what could happen if it doesn’t go very well. So there are a lot of little things that also come to mind, but it’s normal, and it’s better than coming back having only made first rounds last year. (He laughs)

How was the winter break after the great season you just had? What’s been the training’s target?

I had a bit more time this year to do the fitness preparation, but overall, it was more or less the same type of work that we did in Dubai. Also, we had a great event with the birth of my daughter, so that changed things a bit! But yes, I had a great 2025 season on and off the court, so we didn’t have to change many things. I also got to train with Jannik Sinner, which helped to raise the bar and the level a lot during my preparation. So I’m feeling good and ready to launch this new season.

YOU HAVE TO SEE THAT! 

Michael Mmoh has things to do and places to be, so please, step aside! That could be a good summary of the great run he’s having in Hong Kong. The US player, currently ranked 285 in the world and trying to get back to the Top 100 (#81 in 2023), has now won four matches in a row to gain the right to face Karen Khachanov in the second round. On his way, he beat the first seed of the qualifications draw, Cristian Garin (3-6, 6-3, 7-5), but also the 6th seed Patrick Kipson (6-2, 3-6, 6-4), and on Tuesday, Alejandro Tabilo in straight sets (7-5, 6-4). Khachanov better be ready to tango!

COME BACKSTAGE!

Fans in Hong Kong are coming prepared when it’s time to get their favorite players’ autographs. Here’s someone who had it all covered on Tuesday when it was Yibing Wu’s time on the signing booth!

JOIN THE FUN!

(Swedish player Elias Ymer at the Peak in Hong Kong.)

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