Wong pledges to close gap to leading players after spirited defeat in Hong Kong Tennis Open
Home hero beaten by Lorenzo Musetti, Italian set for Andrey Rublev semi-final clash after ‘more settled’ Russian brushes aside Nuno Borges
Coleman Wong Chak-lam pledged to stay on the trail of the world’s leading players after he was dealt a salutary lesson by wily Lorenzo Musetti in his Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open quarter-final on Friday.
Hongkonger Wong lost 6-4, 6-4, as the challenge of overcoming Musetti proved one ask too many following two victories over top-100 players to reach this stage. He committed 30 unforced errors as he narrowed the margins in his bid to upset the metronomic precision of the world No 7.
Chasing his first ATP Tour title since 2022, Musetti, who said Wong had “grown up a lot” since the pair met in the same tournament two years ago, will face 2024 champion Andrey Rublev in his semi-final on Saturday.
“Lorenzo had all the answers against my tactics, so credit to him,” Wong said. “I think I learned a lot, and I’ll keep going. I’m heading in the right direction and I’m going to get closer and closer [to the elite performers].”
The first set slipped away from Wong after he was broken in the seventh game under a hot sun on Victoria Park Tennis Stadium. He seized on the only break point he created to lead 3-1 in the second, but Musetti broke straight back and Wong quickly and decisively dropped his serve again to fall 5-4 behind. Musetti served out to love to win in one hour and 15 minutes.