“What we would like to hear from the government before our event starts is that they remove the maximum capacity of 85 per cent so we can push tickets out to those who weren’t able to get them before.”
The big draw for local fans will be Hong Kong ace and two-time junior grand slam winner Coleman Wong Chak-lam who takes on world No 14 Cameron Norrie in his first big test against a top-20 opponent.
Wong made history in January by following up his victory at the US Open 2021 boys’ double with a second grand slam title at the Australian Open, becoming the city’s first two-time grand slam winner.
“A lot of tennis fans want to watch Coleman live in action,” Mok said. “They’ve heard a lot about him, but he mostly competes overseas. This time he’ll be competing in Hong Kong against top players from around the world – I think that’s a great attraction.”
The two top-seeds Fritz and Hurkacz will receive byes into the semi-finals, while China’s Wu Yibing takes on Swiss gun Stan Wawrinka. Losers in both quarter-final and semi-final matches will battle it out for fifth and third place finishes, with the grand final taking place on December 25.
The HKTA also announced a partnership with the Hong Kong Jockey Club to host a free wheelchair tennis match on the opening day of the event. All matches will air on TVB’s J2 channel and stream on Facebook Live.
Mok said he hoped the success of the event will lead to more tournaments in 2023, including the return of the women’s WTA Hong Kong Open in October.
“At the same time we’re looking at opportunities for an ATP men’s tournament or more high-level exhibition events like this one,” he said.
“We’ve looked at the policy address from the government and sports, culture and tourism are the three elements they really want to combine together to promote Hong Kong as a destination and tennis being such a popular global sport, we can definitely play a role in that.”
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
