Rising Asian-American tennis star Learner Tien, who finished runner-up at the recent Next Gen ATP Finals, will bring some of his new-found confidence to Hong Kong when he joins the field of the season-opening Bank of China Hong Kong Open on Sunday.
The 19-year-old Tien, who is ranked outside the top 100 male players, beat world No 20 Frenchman Arthur Fils on his way to finishing second at the Next Gen event for up-and-coming players in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The California-raised player of Vietnamese descent also beat 41st-ranked Alex Michelsen, who was seeded second, in the semi-final before he narrowly lost to Joao Fonseca of Brazil in a tight four-set final.
The Open, which will be played at Victoria Park Tennis Centre, is headlined by Russian defending champion and world No 8 Andrey Rublev, and three other players inside the world’s top 20.
Besides Fils, the other two are No 17 Lorenzo Musetti and No 19 Karen Khachanov – all are returning to Hong Kong for a second straight year.
The tournament will also feature Top-40 players Nuno Borges of Portugal and Brandon Nakashima of the US.
Borges is one of only five players to have beaten Rafael Nadal in a clay court final, while 23-year-old Nakashima is former Next Gen Finals champion, claiming the crown in 2022.
Among the players from Asia taking part are Japanese veteran and former US Open finalist Kei Nishikori; Chinese duo Jerry Shang Juncheng and Bu Yunchaokete; and Hong Kong No 1 Coleman Wong Chak-lam.
Hong Kong’s tennis chief said the city has the potential to become a tennis hub for not just the Greater Bay Area but also of Asia.
Michael Cheng Ming-git, president of the Hong Kong, China Tennis Association, also hinted that more players would come to Hong Kong to train ahead of, or amid, tournaments around the region, in the wake of China’s No 1 men’s player Zhang Zhizhen just wrapping up a week-long practice stint at Victoria Park on Sunday.
“Zhang’s visit was a test case for us – Hong Kong is shaping up to be a tennis hub for the GBA,” he said. “With the same court, surface and balls used, and arguably similar weather and with professional training infrastructure, we have all the natural ingredients to be an ATP training facility and recovery centre.
“Having top players coming to the city for preseason training shows we are getting the infrastructure and training facilities right, and hence we are attracting top talent to Hong Kong; we are building a brand to be a boutique tennis hub in Asia.”
Cheng added that the period leading up to the Australian Open – the first grand slam of a season – as well as the China Swing from September to November are the two periods when players are most likely to come through.
“We offer the same playing conditions as the Australian Open; we are perfectly located for players on their way down to Australia,” he said. “It also gives the players a unique chance to experience Hong Kong on their way down to Melbourne.
Cheng added that the idea of a preseason in Hong Kong is gaining traction among the players, and more have expressed interest in coming through to the city.
“Imagine using Hong Kong as a temporary stop – we have flights to every nearby major city, and one could be only a few hours of flight away from some of the cities in China,” he said. “There are more than a dozen tour events in China, and Hong Kong is a perfect gateway and transit point.
Victoria Park as a training location is much preferred, being in the middle of town, and the culture and hospitality make it hard to resist. We aim to offer all this and cater for more of these players in future years.”
From the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis 125 and Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open in October and November, to the upcoming Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open next week, this year marked the first time Hong Kong is staging three professional men’s and women’s tournaments in a season, and Cheng hailed the impact of the creation of the Hong Kong Tennis Season.
“More and more players are recognising Hong Kong as a tennis hub; players are coming because they are starting to see this city as a serious tennis destination.”
