Every time he steps on a court, Coleman Wong makes history for Hong Kong. That’s the beauty and the pressure of being the first. At just 21 years old, he’s been the first-ever Hong Kong native to play in the main draw of a Masters 1000 event (in Miami last year, where he defeated Ben Shelton and reached the third round). He then became the first to break into the top 200, and then the first since Paulette Moreno in 1988 to qualify for the main draw of a Grand Slam—the US Open last year, where he was also the first male Hong Konger to reach the third round at a major, in the process reaching his best ranking so far, at 128 in the world.

Wong shows that you can climb the pro tennis ranks even when coming from a place with no clear path. This week at home, he made history again by becoming the first man representing Hong Kong to reach a tour-level quarterfinal in the Open Era, thanks to his win over Gabriel Diallo. “A lot of people watch my matches, kids or adults, and I hope it can motivate them,” he told me. “For someone coming from here, it’s not easy to be an athlete because there aren’t many players in the past who have been able to compete internationally and play against top players. I hope now it will inspire them.” Against Lorenzo Musetti in the quarters, Wong looked able to pull off another upset when he broke for 3–1 in the second set, but then his lack of experience caught up with him.

The Hong Kong Open has been very well attended, with each of Wong’s matches being especially well subscribed. Locals have embraced the city’s efforts to bring the tournament back to Victoria Park, nestled amid the city’s iconic skyline. Nobody has forgotten that from 1973 to 2002, Hong Kong was once an important stop for the world’s best players. In 2024, men’s tennis returned, and then last year, women’s tennis also came down to Victoria Park for an autumn WTA tournament. The message is clear: Hong Kong wants in again.

“Hong Kong has 40 tennis clubs, and on top of that, there are [many] local sport associations,” explained Michael Cheng, president of the Hong Kong China Tennis Federation and tournament director. “There’s a very strong community spirit, league spirit, but traditionally, Hong Kong is a very conservative society where they focus more on academics. There’s not a strong professional sports culture, but that’s changing as people are starting to believe there is a path to shaping the sporting industry in Hong Kong, and also shaping Hong Kong to be a major sporting event hub.”

One can wonder how Coleman Wong found a way. His coach, James Allemby from the Rafael Nadal Academy, where Wong trains, insists on the role luck played and on Wong’s entourage. “He got into tennis by chance, because his parents, who are teachers, wanted him to get in shape. They are not from sports, so they never put pressure on him; they really listened to the coaches. He loves playing tennis and traveling, and doesn’t worry too much about other things. He likes to feel he’s constantly improving, but he doesn’t complicate things too much. He is living his dream out there.” 

Gabriel Diallo, who also played doubles with Wong here, praised his progress. “He’s very explosive. He has a good arm, a good serve, takes the ball early, plays very fast, goes to the net, and moves very well. He competes well, is solid on both sides…. He’s really improving fast.”

Wong could feel overwhelmed by it all, but Allemby doesn’t worry about it. “He knows he can only control his attitude and daily effort, that bad matches still can happen, and that his average level is still not high enough.” Still, facing the reality and responsibility of his fame on home soil was a shock for Wong. “I don’t have many chances to play at home and receive so much support, so getting some wins meant a lot. But it’s not easy to play in front of the home crowd. There’s always pressure, so I’m happy I did pretty well at handling these nerves. This is something I will never forget.” If he had to reach his first ATP quarterfinal, there was no better moment. “I don’t want to do it somewhere else! I keep believing in myself, in the work I’ve put in. I’m at the same level as these players, so it’s all about whether I can believe that I can do it. It’s been very important for my game, but also for my team, to know that I belong here.”

For Allemby, Wong’s main strength is his work ethic. “He’s in constant progression, because his daily effort is very high. His patience on court has also improved, and he has more options than a year or two ago, including at the net. We focus a lot on his evolution, on the small steps that need to be taken, and don’t worry too much about the results. He’s humble, always with a smile on his face, which is a great power in a sport like tennis. He loves to learn, doesn’t set limits, and sees the bigger picture. He’ll go back to the gym and add hours on the court after a tough loss. He also realizes that he has a lot of chances to do that, and that it’s a very short career, so he needs to make the most out of it.”

Overall, Wong enjoys being the “first-ever,” but he’d love some company. How could others join? “I’ll tell them to make sure to go out and start playing matches outside of Hong Kong and start exploring, because Hong Kong is such a small place, and you need to go out and start playing against all the different players, maybe in Europe, maybe in the U.S.,” he said. 

The Coleman Wong index is trading at a high in Hong Kong, potentially offering a foot in the door for many. “To get tennis to the right place here, you need a good national participation strategy, so it’s the training pace, then you aspire to having the right event. And here, it’s a tennis garden right in the middle of the town, which is the uniqueness of Hong Kong,” said Michael Cheng. “But to make it even more impactful, having a local hero really helps. And what Coleman does is groundbreaking. He’s really ramping up the tennis in Hong Kong, within the tennis community and beyond.” 

As an echo, Wong has repeated this all week: “Now let’s keep going, let’s keep dreaming.” Then on Thursday he added: “I’m here to stay.” Hong Kong has a plan.