On Sunday, TeamHK was defeated by No. 2 seed Ecuador 3-2 in the Davis Cup World Group II first round tie at Victoria Park Tennis Stadium. Coleman Wong beat opposing No. 1 Andres Andrade 6-4 6-2 to level the tie at 2-2 before Gonzalo Escobar defeated Roger Ng in the fifth and deciding rubber to clinch the win for the visitors. Captained by Yu Hiu Tung, the team is composed of Coleman Wong, Jack Cheng, Roger Ng, Kevin Wong, and Wong Tsz Fu.

Nominations for Ecuador – Andres Andrade, Emilio Gomez, Marcos Lee Chan Baratau, Gonzalo Escobar, Diego Hidalgo, Raul Viver (Captain).

“I’m disappointed that we lost but I’m proud of the way our players came together as a team and supported each other, and gave it their best. For some of our younger guys, this was their first big match in front of so many spectators. Their level of play will improve with more Davis Cup experience,” said Captain Yu Hiu Tung.

“I’m really proud of the way our players performed. This team is one of the youngest on record and we are investing in the future. We want to create a following of TeamHK and establish a more deep rooted connection with our tennis community at large. I want to thank everyone who came out to support us. There was a real Davis Cup spirit in the air and the crowd was fantastic, making the team feel that we have their backs. We look forward to the play-offs in February,” said Michael Cheng, President of the Hong Kong, China Tennis Association.

Oscar Chow, Manager of the Hong Kong, China Davis Cup Team, echoed similar sentiments, “The spirit among our players has been great to see. There was a real sense of camaraderie within the group, which included a pair of young debutantes. They were cheering for their teammates on every point. Our young team gave everything they had and put forth a commendable effort. In the end, the better team won.”

Earlier on Saturday, the opening singles saw the number one players from both sides defeat their opposing number twos to end the day even at 1-1. Andres Andrade gave the visitors a momentary lead by seeing off debutante Jack Cheng 6-1 6-1 before Coleman Wong defeated Marcos Lee Chan Baratau 6-3 3-6 6-1.

Sunday began with the crucial doubles and it was Ecuador’s Gonzalo Escobar and Diego Hidalgo, world-ranked 53rd and 76th respectively, who defeated Coleman Wong and Kevin Wong 7-6(4) 6-3 despite converting just 1 of 27 break point opportunities to give the visitors a 2-1 lead. Then, in the face-off between the top player from both sides, Coleman Wong beat Andres Andrade handily 6-4 6-2 with three service breaks to level the tie at 2-2. Gonzalo Escobar, who was once ranked as high as No. 281 in the world, managed to keep Roger Ng at bay for a significant part of the contest, as he converted 5 of 11 break points to strong-arm the fifth and deciding rubber 6-1 6-3 to clinch Ecuador’s 3-2 victory.

The reality is that even though Coleman Wong, at No. 137 in the world, is the highest-ranked player, it is a big ask for the home team to produce a win at No. 2 singles. The visitors could have fielded Emilio Gomez, who was ranked as high as No. 90 just eighteen months ago or Diego Hidalgo, who held a career-high singles ranking of No. 381. In the end, Ecuador chose Gonzalo Escobar, who peaked at No. 281. All three have captured multiple Futures titles in singles and have had ample experience representing their country in the Davis Cup and at the NCAA level.

Therefore, assuming that Coleman Wong can win both his singles, the balance of the tie likely depended on the crucial doubles. However, Escobar and Hidalgo are ATP top 80-ranked doubles specialists and unless Hong Kong, China’s young team can conjure a tour de force to overcome the ranking and experience discrepancy, it was always going to be an uphill battle.

Kevin Wong: “I think we played solid today. We never lost serve in the opening set and we had our chances to break and the ensuing tiebreak was close too, apoint here and there could have gone either way. There were no breaks until the eighth game of the second set when we were down 3-4 and I double faulted to concede the lone break. We did everything we could today, but came up just a bit short. They are in the top 100 for a reason.”

The Hong Kong, China Tennis Association extended invitations to many community groups to attend the matches and the atmosphere was rather uplifting. Despite the very hot weather warning over the two-day Davis Cup weekend, spectators turned out in droves, numbering some 3,165 on Sunday even though both days were affected by untimely rain delays.

Coleman Wong: “I’m happy that I won. Thank you to all the fans who came out, they always give me great energy. I play great in front of our home crowd when they cheer me on like that. I played much better today. It wasn’t easy but I got it done. I’ve always dreamed of winning in front of a big crowd like this. Kevin and I, we tried our best in the doubles but those guys are a very strong team.”

“Competing in my first Davis Cup tie in front of so many fans in the stadium, I was a bit nervous. I could have made a better start, but I wasn’t able to play my best today. Although my level improved near the end, my opponent is the highest-ranked player I have ever faced in my career, so I’ll just have to learn from this and keep working on my game,” said 15-year-old Jack Cheng, who was making his Davis Cup debut this past weekend.

Roger Ng: “I was excited to get the chance to play such an important match for Hong Kong, China, but at the same time quite nervous because I’ve not had any experience playing in a fifth rubber where the tie was on the line. He made a great start and I was forced to play catch up pretty much the whole way. I didn’t play my best tennis today, but this is what experience is. You learn from your wins and losses, back to the practice court, and get better.”

Hong Kong, China will now join Bolivia, China, Estonia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, Latvia, Mexico, Morocco, and Bulgaria or El Salvador in the World Group II Play-offs set for February 2025.

Results
Davis Cup World Group II 1st Round
Victoria Park Tennis Stadium
14-15 September 2024

Ecuador d. Hong Kong, China 3-2

R1 Andres Andrade (ECU) d. Jack Cheng (HKG) 6-1 6-1
R2 Coleman Wong (HKG) d. Marcus Lee Chan Baratau (ECU) 6-3 3-6 6-1
R3 Gonzalo Escobar/Diego Hidalgo (ECU) d. Coleman Wong/Kevin Wong (HKG) 7-6(4) 6-3
R4 Coleman Wong (HKG) d. Andres Andrade (ECU) 6-4 6-2
R5 Gonzalo Escobar (ECU) d. Roger Ng (HKG) 6-1 6-3