The Hong Kong Tennis Open 2026 staged an exciting scene today (7th) at the Victoria Park tennis home court! Hong Kong’s “big brother” Coleman Wong fought fiercely for 2 hours and 29 minutes amidst the deafening cheers of the fans. He defeated his doubles partner, Canadian player Gabriel Diallo, 2:1 in a set. He made a historic breakthrough into the men’s singles quarterfinals of the ATP Tour and wrote a new chapter in Hong Kong tennis. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Law Shu-pui came to cheer him up, and music king Eason Chan even appeared for three consecutive days to support the 21-year-old Hong Kong “No. 1 Brother”. After the game, Huang Zelin said: “That’s what tennis is like. We inspire each other and challenge the limits. This creates a wonderful game for the audience tonight.” He also called on the fans to call all their friends to come to the court to cheer up.
Coleman, ranked 150th in the world, faced a slightly nervous start against his doubles partner Dialu, who was ranked 110 places higher than him. He lost three games in a row after the first set, and then lost the first set 1:6. However, in the second set, he regrouped and started a tug-of-war with his opponent. He withstood the pressure at the critical moment and won 7:5. The final set became fierce, with Huang Zelin once leading 5:2 and then being tied at 5:5. At this time, he showed his strong heart and broke serve in the 11th game of “Love Game”. In the final game, he reached the game point and scored 2 points in a row. Finally, he won another set 7:5 and achieved a comeback victory with a total score of 2:1.
Huang Zelin reached the quarterfinals of the ATP Tour for the first time: I hope everyone will gather all their friends to come to the stadium to cheer for the next game
Huang Zelin said frankly in an interview after the game: “It feels so unreal! I reached the quarterfinals of the ATP Tour for the first time, and I did it with the support of so many people at home. Because this is at home. I don’t want to lose the first ATP quarterfinals of my career elsewhere. Let’s continue to work hard and continue to chase our dreams. ”
Regarding defeating his doubles partner Dialou, he described the feeling as special: “We are very good friends, and we worked very well together in the first doubles match. That’s how tennis is, we inspire each other and challenge our limits, which resulted in a wonderful match for the audience tonight.” When asked how to overcome the ranking gap, Coleman emphasized the psychological barrier: “The coach has always encouraged me, saying that my level is exactly the same as theirs. All I have to do is believe that I can compete with them, and even beat them. Now that I have reached the quarterfinals, I know I can continue to charge forward!”
After advancing, Huang Zelin will challenge the top seed of the tournament and the Italian star Lorenzo Musetti, ranked 7th in the world. He said: “This will be an exciting match. I’m really excited. I hope I can play well and enjoy my first ATP quarter-finals.” He also appealed to the fans: “I hope everyone will gather all their friends to come to the stadium to cheer for the next match.”
Italian star Lorenzo Musetti, ranked 7th in the world. Photo by Liao Weiye
Reporter, Photographer: Liao Weiye
