The Davis Cup 2025 World Group II tie between Hong Kong, China, and Uzbekistan held over the weekend of 13-14 September ended in a morale-boosting 3-1 victory for the host. At the iconic Victoria Park Centre Court. HK No. 1 Coleman Wong, world-ranked 149th, won both his singles and teamed up with Kevin Wong to secure the crucial doubles, to send the stadium crowd into a frenzy. Never was there ever a turnout this big and this passionate.
Captain Yu Hiu Tung, who played for Hong Kong, China for over ten years from 2002-2012 and having received the Davis Cup Commitment Award from the ITF for demonstrating enduring dedication to representing their country in this prestigious competition, commented: “We were quietly confident heading into the weekend, given that we do possess the highest-ranked player with the superior recent form. But it was the fantastic crowd support that really gave us the lift. It was hard not to get pumped up. Credit goes to the HKCTA for all the behind-the-scenes work in getting so many spectators to the court. The whole weekend at Victoria Park was incredible.”
On Saturday, the pair of singles rubbers seemed a formality, with Uzbek No. 2 Sergey Fomin not expecting to win against the 149th-ranked Coleman Wong. Likewise, Khumoyun Sultanov was not likely to fall against a No. 2159-ranked Wong Tsz Fu, who was making his debut in a live rubber. Despite a slow start, Wong ran away with a 6-3 6-2 win against the 495th-ranked Fomin. Nineteen-year-old Wong Tsz Fu, on the other hand, surprised a few by taking a 5-2 lead in the first set before the No. 403rd-ranked Uzbek restored order with a 7-6(4) 6-3 decision.
The crucial doubles on Sunday did not begin well for the Hong Kong, China duo of Coleman Wong and Kevin Wong, as they yielded their opening service game to quickly fall behind 1-0. Still trailing Sultanov and Fomin by a break and 3-1, the HK duo had to fight off three break points to hold for 3-2. Then, serving with a 4-3 lead in hand, Sultanov and Fomin conceded four points in a row from 40-15 up to lose serve. Leading 6-5, Wong and Wong came up with the set-clinching break to snatch the opener 7-5.
In the ensuing set, it was the HK pair who produced the early break to lead 2-0 only to see Sultanov and Fomin break back to level at 3-3. There were no break point opportunities for either side, as proceedings headed towards an inevitable tiebreak.
Wong and Wong yielded a mini-break first, as the Uzbek pair jumped out to a solid 5-2 lead. However, the HK duo strong-armed the next four points in a row to arrive at their first match point, 6-5, which they failed to convert. They then arrived at their second match point, 7-6, which they also failed to convert. Then, with their third mini-break, Wong and Wong arrived at their third match point, 8-7, which they finally converted to end the contest 7-5 7-6(7) to give TeamHK the all-important 2-1 advantage.
Kevin Wong, who made his Davis Cup debut at age 18 in 2014, commented: “I wanted to contribute more because Coleman only had a short rest before his singles, so I focused on covering the court more and staying active to help save his energy.”
As a Davis Cup pair, Wong and Wong are 3-2, with wins coming against Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Uzbekistan. Their two losses had been extremely close, going down 7-6(4) 6-3 in September 2024 against Ecuador’s Gonzalo Escobar and Diego Hidalgo, world-ranked 53rd and 76th respectively at the time. An earlier setback in September 2022 against Chinese Taipei’s world No. 158 Hsu Yu Hsiou, who has eight M25 titles that year alone, and 22-year-old lefty Ray Ho, who has won three times on the pro circuit in the past. 2022. Wong and Wong carved out six match points, but just could not get over the hump that day, resulting in a 3-6 7-6(1) 7-6(5) loss.
Individually, Kevin Wong is 10-3 in Davis Cup doubles, which puts him only two wins behind Mark Bailey’s all-time mark of 12-3. Wong and Bailey are the only players in Hong Kong, China Davis Cup history to reach double-digit wins in doubles.
Now, with the tie on the line, the match-up between the two side’s number ones—Coleman Wong and Khumoyun Sultanov—unfortunately did not materialise into a contest for the ages simply because it never got close. A break in the fifth and seventh games of the first set, followed by further breaks in the first and fifth games of the second, took proceedings to 6-2 5-1 in favour of Wong.
Sultanov, who captured five titles and six M25 runner-up finishes in singles on the Futures Circuit in 2024, would not go down so easily. Serving to stay in the match trailing 30-40, the Uzbek dodged a match point to get back to deuce. After another decisive strike by Wong, it was match point No. 2. Not, only did Sultanov manage to save it again, he won the next two points to hold for 5-2.
A murmur of discontent from the Centre Court crowd, but that was as far as it got. A love hold by the local star polished off what was another dominant outing in singles. Wong commented: “The crowd’s support and the team’s belief pushed me through every match. Playing in front of a passionate home crowd made all the difference. Their support gave us confidence and strength when it mattered most.”
Now, with a 15-3 win-loss record in Davis Cup singles, it is only a matter of time before the 21-year-old equals the long-standing Davis Cup record of 17 victories in singles held by Mark Bailey and Colin Grant.
Hong Kong, China will next play either Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Egypt, Finland, Greece, Israel, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, New Zealand, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkiye, or Ukraine in the 2026 World Group I Playoffs.
This victory means Hong Kong, China advances to the 2026 World Group I Play-offs, a significant achievement, as it marks progress toward competing at a higher level. The home crowd support at Victoria Park played a big role in energizing the home team. The younger Hong Kong squad showed great spirit and performance against the fifth-seeded Uzbekistan side, which had more depth and experience.
Uzbekistan arrived with a well-earned reputation, having been in Group I or higher since winning promotion from Group II in 1996 until 2024. Part of that excellence is of course due to the inspired play of their Captain, Denis Istomin, who was ranked as high as No. 33 in the world. A winner of two ATP Tour titles, a gold medallist at the 2018 Asian Games, and a multiple winner of the Asian Championships, he certainly brought much knowledge and experience.
Thank you to Mr. YEUNG Tak Keung, Head of the National Games Coordination Office, and Mr. Tony Choi MH, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Sports Institute, who presided over the official coin toss ceremony of the opening singles. Meanwhile, Miss CHUI Hiu Lo, Winnie, JP, Deputy Director of Leisure Cultural Services Department, and Hon. Vincent CHENG Wing-shun, MH, JP, Vice Chairman of the Major Sports Events Committee, presided over the official coin toss ceremony of the second singles between Wong Tsz Fu (HKG) and Khumoyun Sultanov (UZB). Special thanks to Mr. George, TSOI Kin Pan JP, Commissioner for Sports from the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau, for officiating the coin toss ceremony of the doubles on Sunday.
HKCTA President Michael Cheng: “We knew the level of talent and hard work Uzbekistan brings to the court, and we were under no illusions about the challenge that awaited us. We knew they brought a competitive spirit that is of the highest order, and it was exactly this level of competition that inspired our young team.”
Hong Kong, China last competed in Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group I in 1995.
Nominations
Hong Kong, China—Coleman Wong, Wong Tsz Fu, Nicholas Cheng, Kevin Wong, Kai Thompson, Yu Hiu Tung (Captain)
Uzbekistan—Khumoyun Sultanov, Sergey Fomin, Maxim Shin, Amir Milushev, Damir Abdusamadov, Denis Istomin (Captain)
Special thanks to
#Asics
#DBSChineseDrumEnsemble
@DiocesanBoysSchoolMusicDepartment
Results
Davis Cup World Group II
Victoria Park Centre Court
13-14 September 2025
Hong Kong, China defeated (5)Uzbekistan 3-1
R1 Coleman Wong (HKG) d. Sergey Fomin (UZB) 6-3 6-2
R2 Khumoyun Sultanov (UZB) d. Wong Tsz Fu (HKG) 7-6(4) 6-3
R3 Coleman Wong/Kevin Wong (HKG) d. Khumoyun Sultanov/Sergey Fomin (UZB) 7-5 7-6(7)
R4 Coleman Wong (HKG) d. Khumoyun Sultanov (UZB) 6-2 6-2
R5 Not Played