logo
Coleman Wong becomes first Hong Kong tennis player to win ATP Masters 1000 tournament match

Coleman Wong becomes first Hong Kong tennis player to win ATP Masters 1000 tournament match

Coleman Wong Chak-lam became the first Hongkonger to win an ATP Masters 1000 tournament match on Thursday, beating Daniel Altmaier 6-4, 6-3 in the first round of the Miami Open.
Advertisement
James Allemby, Wong's coach, hailed the victory and said his young charge had looked comfortable against the German world No 82.
Up next for Wong is American world No 14 Ben Shelton, who he faces on Saturday.
'What I liked about [the victory] was that it was so sustainable,' said Allemby, who guided Wong to a career-high ranking of 128 last year.
'There was never a feel of him redlining or really playing outside himself. It looked like a match that he could have won so many times in his career already, it looked like a Challenger match to him.'
The first set in the afternoon's match in Miami went with serve until Wong broke with some smart play. The 20-year-old moved Altmaier from corner to corner before rushing to the net to hit a volley his counterpart could return only into Wong's waiting drop shot.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

'Amazing' Alcaraz cruises into French Open last four
'Amazing' Alcaraz cruises into French Open last four

RTHK

time8 hours ago

  • RTHK

'Amazing' Alcaraz cruises into French Open last four

'Amazing' Alcaraz cruises into French Open last four Alcaraz's victory sets up a final four showdown with Lorenzo Musetti. Photo: AFP Reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz glided into the semi-finals of Roland Garros, blowing away American 12th seed Tommy Paul for the loss of just five games in the night session on Court Philippe Chatrier. The Spaniard needed just one hour 34 minutes to dismantle former world number nine Paul 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 and set up a last-four meeting with Italy's Lorenzo Musetti. Musetti, seeded eighth, earlier beat Paul's compatriot and 15th seed Frances Tiafoe in four sets. It will be the third time Alcaraz and Musetti meet this clay-court season. Alcaraz has dominated that series, beating the Italian in the final in Monte Carlo before also stopping him in the last four on his way to the Rome title. And the 22-year-old's blistering performance under the lights on centre court in Paris will have many backing him to make it three from three against Musetti as he seeks to defend his title. "It was, I could close my eyes and everything went in, my feeling today was amazing. Today was one of those matches where everything went in, I'm just pleased with everything," said Alcaraz. Alcaraz fired 40 winners on his way to victory over Paul for just 22 unforced errors as he emphatically put inconsistent displays in the previous rounds behind him. "This kind of match is never easy," he said. "I've played Tommy many times and he's beat me twice." Despite previous success against Alcaraz, it took the 28-year-old American eight games to get on the scoreboard as his opponent raced out of the blocks, mixing powerful groundstrokes with perfectly-weighted drop-shots and lobs. Paul put up determined resistance in the third set but couldn't deny Alcaraz, who broke in the ninth game before holding to love for victory. "I know you wanted to watch more tennis," an apologetic Alcaraz told the crowd on centre court. "I have to say sorry for that. But I had to do my work." Paul has now lost his last four meetings with Alcaraz, including at the same venue last year in the last eight of the Olympic Games. (AFP)

Knicks fire Thibodeau as coach after NBA playoff exit
Knicks fire Thibodeau as coach after NBA playoff exit

RTHK

time8 hours ago

  • RTHK

Knicks fire Thibodeau as coach after NBA playoff exit

Knicks fire Thibodeau as coach after NBA playoff exit Thibodeau spent five seasons as head coach of the Knicks. Photo: Reuters Tom Thibodeau was fired as coach of the New York Knicks, three days after his team was ousted from the NBA playoffs by the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks, who have not won the NBA title since 1973, fell to Indiana in six games in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals, falling short of reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 despite their best playoff run in 25 years. Thibodeau spent five seasons as coach of the Knicks, guiding New York into the playoffs four times, this being their deepest run after losing in the second round the past two seasons. New York dethroned NBA 2024 champion Boston in round two. The 67-year-old American, a former Chicago and Minnesota head coach, is 578-420 as an NBA coach and went 226-174 with the Knicks, who signed him to a three-year contract extension last year. "Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans," Knicks President Leon Rose said in a statement. "This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we've decided to move in another direction." "We can't thank Tom enough for pouring his heart and soul into each and every day of being the New York Knicks head coach," he added. "He led us not only with class and professionalism for the past five seasons, but also to tremendous success on the court with four playoff berths and four playoff series victories. "Ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward. Tom will always be a part of our Knicks family and we truly wish him nothing but the best in the future." Thibodeau was a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, with Chicago in 2011 and the Knicks in 2021, and was an assistant coach on the staff of the 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics. Among those who were Thibodeau supporters was actor and celebrity Knicks fan Ben Stiller, a familiar face in courtside seats during the playoffs. "I am a Tom Thibodeau fan," Stiller posted on X. "He brought this team back. I felt he gave every bit of himself and was always looking to improve." "I will always be grateful for how far he brought the Knicks. They are relevant again. They are championship contenders again. The Knicks became winners again with him," he added. (AFP)

Scheffler defends PGA Memorial crown
Scheffler defends PGA Memorial crown

RTHK

time2 days ago

  • RTHK

Scheffler defends PGA Memorial crown

Scheffler defends PGA Memorial crown Scheffler joins elite company as just the second player to defend titles at the Memorial tournament. Photo: Reuters World number one Scottie Scheffler captured his 16th career PGA Tour victory to join Tiger Woods as the only players to defend titles at the Memorial tournament. The 28-year-old American took his third triumph in a month, firing a two-under par 70 to finish 72 holes on 10-under 278 at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio. American Ben Griffin, coming off a victory last week at Colonial, was four strokes back in second on 282 after shooting 73 with Austrian Sepp Straka third on 283, one stroke better than Canada's Nick Taylor. "It's always a hard week to play this tournament," Scheffler said. "I battled really hard over the weekend and Ben made things interesting down the stretch." The triumph marked the ninth consecutive time Scheffler has turned a 54-hole lead into a victory, this one coming at the event hosted by 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus. "Overall it was a great week and definitely proud to be shaking Mr. Nicklaus's hand at the end of another good week," Scheffler said. Scheffler won last month's PGA Championship at Quail Hollow for his third major crown after taking the CJ Cup Byron Nelson two weeks earlier. By winning his first 16 PGA titles in just under 3.5 years, Scheffler became the fourth-fastest to go from his first to 16th tour wins after Sam Snead, Nicklaus and Woods, a 15-time major winner who took the Memorial from 1999 to 2001. The victory marked the first defended title among the nine crowns Scheffler won worldwide last year, having edged compatriot Collin Morikawa by a stroke at the 2024 Memorial. It also ensured Scheffler will be seen as the man to beat in two weeks at the US Open at Oakmont, where Scheffler seeks a fourth career major victory and second in a row. "This is definitely a golf course that's going to expose your weaknesses," Scheffler said of Muirfield Village. "I've got a few things I can practice on next week. Overall, it was a really solid week, did some really good battling." Scheffler sank a par putt from just inside 10 feet at the 14th hole and reached 10-under with a tap-in birdie at the par-five 15th. Griffin, however, reached the 15th green in two and sank a 12-foot eagle putt to pull within three strokes with three holes to play. Griffin then followed with a 27-foot birdie putt at the par-three 16th to pull within two of the lead. Scheffler responded by dropping his approach at 17 just inside 20 feet on the way to a routine par while Griffin needed four shots to reach the 17th green on his way to a double bogey, falling four adrift. Scheffler closed out matters with a seven-foot birdie putt at 18. Scheffler, who began the day with a one-stroke lead, birdied the first six holes to keep his one stroke lead while Griffin stayed on his heels by answering bogeys at the first and par-three fourth holes with birdies at the second and par-five fifth. Scheffler left his third shot at the par-five seventh within four feet of the hole and sank the birdie putt to reach nine-under. Scheffler curled in a par putt at the ninth from just inside nine feet to make the turn with a two-stroke lead, but missed a 12-footer for par at the 10th for a bogey that dropped his advantage to one shot once more. At the par-five 11th, Scheffler responded by blasting out of the rough to 14 feet and curling in the birdie putt to restore a two-stroke edge on nine-under. Griffin found a bunker on the way to a bogey at the par-three 12th and never found the fairway at 13 on the way to another bogey that left Scheffler ahead by four with five holes remaining. (AFP)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store