Nissin Hong Kong National Junior Tennis Championships 2020

The Nissin Hong Kong National Junior Tennis Championships 2020 concluded smoothly last weekend with Oscar Wai and Chloris Li capturing the boys’ and girls’ under-18 singles titles respectively.  Ophelia Tang is the only player to bag two age group singles, as she claimed the silverwares for both the under-14s as well as the under-16s on successive nights of finals.

Presiding over the official prize presentation ceremony were Ms Blanche Wong, General Manager, Public Relations Department of Nissin Foods HK Co., Ltd., Mr. Philip Mok, President of HKTA, and Mr. Clement Lee, Honorary Treasurer and Tournament Committee Chairman of HKTA.

In the under-18 boys’ singles final, fourth seed Oscar Wai, 17, broke Dasson Chan, 15, in the opening game and proceeded to save a pair of break points from 15-40 down to consolidate for a rapid-fire 2-0 advantage.  The unseeded Chan was unfazed, however, as he wasted no time in stringing together a four-game run of his own to jump out to a 4-2 lead.  Wai, with Junior Davis Cup World Finals experience from TeamHK’s 2019 campaign, returned the favour immediately to force a 4-4 impasse.  Servers then dominated until the tiebreak when Chan conceded three early mini-breaks to fall behind 5-1 before the No. 4 seed served it out to win 7-3.

After belting an ace to hold for 3-2 in the ensuing set, Wai then broke his opponent to love to move ahead 4-2 only to see Chan battle right back to restore a 4-4 stalemate.  Then after Wai held for 5-4, Chan was unable to convert a pair of game points at 40-15 but then fought gamely to save two match points before finally yielding his serve and the match, 7-6(3), 6-4.

In the under-18 girls’ singles final, No. 4 seed Chloris Li 15-year-old Chloris Li defeated last year’s under-16 champion Kaye Au-Yeung in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1, to lift the title.  Li managed to carve out a double-break 4-0 lead to open the first set, followed by a triple-break 5-0 advantage to begin the second, to exert a stranglehold on proceedings against the second-seeded Au-Yeung.

“I am so honoured to win the under-18 national junior title this year. It was such a great opportunity to compete against these tough opponents, who all showed great determination and resilience and I’m very thankful for the victory. I look forward to participating next year again!” said Chloris Li.

In the under-16 boys’ final, sixth-seeded Dasson Chan capitalised on a crucial late break to win three games in a row from 3-3 to take the first set against Ethan Leung.  He then broke the No. 1 seed in the opening game of the second and rolled with that edge until the tenth game when he served for the match with a 5-4 lead in hand.  However, Leung produced the saving break to stay in the match, and after they exchanged a mini-break to begin the tiebreaker, servers dominated the rest of the way.  That is until 8-7 when Chan produced the match-clinching mini-break right at the end to close it out in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6(7), to seal his maiden triumph here at the Hong Kong National Junior Tennis Championships.

“The event was certainly a great challenge to all the players and the organiser because of COVID-19.  I am grateful that the tournament ran so smoothly in the end and that we could complete it on time, as I competed in three events this year. But this B16 title is definitely one of the most memorable in my tennis career thus far!” said Chan.

In the girls’ under-16s, Ophelia Tang knocked out No. 1 seed Hannah Shen in the semis before she faced off with No. 2 seed Chloris Li in the final, a rematch of their under-14 final in 2019 that was won by the latter.  However, Tang, fresh off her triumph in the previous night’s under-14 final, beat this year’s under-18 champion, Li, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, in the finale to walk away with a second girls’ singles trophy.   “I’m very excited because the result was so unexpected.  I also think I was lucky in the final and we played for nearly 3 hours!” enthused Tang.

In the under-14 age group, boys’ fifth seed Aidan Lee battled No. 1 seed Eren Cheung for over three hours before he was able to post a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, victory, while Ophelia Tang defeated last year’s under-12 champion Yeung Tsz Lam, 7-5, 6-1, to lift the girls’ title.  

Since 2000, only six girls have managed to win two age group singles titles in the same year at the Hong Kong National Junior Tennis Championships:

G10 & G12:    Katherine Ip (2005)
G12 & G14:    Venise Chan (2001)

G14 & G16:   Claudia Ng (2014)
             Justine Leong (2015)
             Ophelia Tang (2020)
            
G16 & G18:    Joanne Cheung (2001 & 2002)

In the under-12s, top-seeded Walter Tam, who won three consecutive under-10 titles from 2017-2019, defeated 3rd seed Jacker Cheung, 7-5, 6-3, to capture this year’s boys’ singles.  He then partnered Nicholas Cheng to beat No. 1 seed Jacker Cheung and Chung Ho, 6-0, 6-3, in the doubles final to become the only player in the boys’ competition this year to scoop both singles and doubles in the same age group.

Meanwhile, second seed Rosalyn Chan, the under-10 champion two years ago, won the opening five games of the final against Fung Tak Sum, and then added the first 4 of the second set, en route to beating the No. 1 seed, 6-4, 6-1, to capture the under-12 girl’s singles crown.  She then teamed up with Fung Tak Sum to beat Jasdeep Kaur and Cameron Yeung, 6-2, 6-2, in the doubles final to become the only player in the girls’ competition this year to pocket both singles and doubles titles in the same age group.

Lastly, in the under-10s, Kyle Wan beat top-seeded Wong Cho Lam, 2-4, 4-2, 4-0, to capture the boys’ singles title, while the girls’ equivalent went to third seed Nina Wang, who dropped the second set before finishing strong with a 4-1, 2-4, 4-1, victory over No. 4 seed Lara Rauti.

The under-10s at the Hong Kong National Junior Tennis Championships has had a short history, as it only began a year after Y2K.  That said, only four players to date have been able to take home two or more singles titles in their careers in this age group:

Kevin Wong (2004 & 2005)
Katherine Ip (2004 & 2005)
Cody Wong (2011 & 2012)
Walter Tam (2017, 2018 & 2019)

Despite months of uncertainty and numerous lockdowns of public courts and facilities due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, we were able to serve our sport by successfully staging the Nissin Hong Kong National Junior Tennis Championships 2020.  Even though masks were required by those few in attendance, and that there was a constant reminder to maintain proper social distancing, we remained focus and vigilant in order to combat this invisible pandemic.  From the moment our doors were opened for staff, our partners, the athletes, and their support teams, we were guided by government protocols and scientific guidelines. 

As early as 27 July 2020, Hong Kong was already one of the 159 International Tennis Federation member nations to have standard procedures in place that permit the use of tennis facilities under a safe and manageable arrangement, such as following strict hygiene and social distancing measures.   We are grateful for the understanding and cooperation between LCSD, HKTA, and the tennis community at-large to make this year’s event even possible.

Results
Nissin Hong Kong National Junior Tennis Championships 2020
Victoria Park Tennis Courts
Oct 19-25 2020

SINGLES

B18
(4)Oscar Wai d. Dasson Chan 7-6(3) 6-4

B16
(6)Dasson Chan d. (1)Ethan Leung 6-3 7-6(7)

B14
(5)Aidan Lee d. (1)Eren Cheung 5-7 6-2 6-2

B12
(1)Walter Tam d. (3)Jacker Cheung 7-5 6-3

B10
(3)Kyle Wan d. (1)Wong Cho Lam 2-4 4-2 4-0

G18
(4)Chloris Li d. (2)Kaye Au-Yeung 6-1 6-1

G16
Ophelia Tang d. (2)Chloris Li 6-3 2-6 6-3

G14
(2)Ophelia Tang d. (3)Yeung Tsz Lam 7-5 6-1

G12
(2)Rosalyn Chan d. (1)Fung Tak Sum 6-4 6-1

G10
(3)Nina Wang d. (4)Lara Rauti 4-1 2-4 4-1

DOUBLES

B16
(2)Ethan Leung/Malhar Rajpal d. (4)Dasson Chan/Max Kwok 6-3 7-5

B14
(1)Eren Cheung/Leung Ka Chun d. Bob Chan/Lau Hong Kiu 6-2 6-7(5) 13-11

B12
(2)Walter Tam/Nicholas Cheng d. (1)Jacker Cheung/Chung Ho 6-0 6-3

G16
(1)Chloris Li/Erica Hagi d. (2)Ophelia Tang/Hannah Shen 6-4 6-3

G14
(1)Lai Ching Laam/Yeung Tsz Lam d. Jane Wong/Lee Tsz Lu 2-2 Retired

G12
(1)Rosalyn Chan/Fung Tak Sum d. Jasdeep Kaur/Cameron Yeung 6-2 6-2