Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong wins first ATP Challenger title, downs Walton to claim Jiangxi Open

Hong Kong tennis star Coleman Wong Chak-lam finally got the monkey off his back on Sunday, winning his first ATP Challenger Tour title at the sixth time of asking.

Facing Adam Walton in the Jiangxi Open, Wong relied on his trademark service game as he edged past his Australian opponent, sealing a deserved 7-5, 7-6 win in one hour and 51 minutes.

In a rematch of the pair’s US Open second-round clash last August, which Wong won in four sets, both players broke each other twice in the opening eight games.

Having managed to hold his serve for the next two games, Wong, ranked No 122 in the world, took a crucial break in the 12th game to seize the lead.

There was no separating the two players in the second set as both held their respective service games throughout, but Wong showed a glimpse of his form firing aces at Walton.

His seventh and eighth of the match sent Wong to within one game of his first Challenger title, and although Walton managed to push the set into tiebreak, there was nothing much the Australian could do facing the Hongkonger’s power from the baseline.

Click here to read article