“For me, for Hong Kong”: Coleman Wong wins again at US Open, sets up Andrey Rublev clash

NEW YORK — No one is having more fun at the US Open than qualifier Coleman Wong, who is blazing a trail for Hong Kong during his breakthrough run in Queens.

The 21-year-old pulled off another major upset on Thursday, taking down Australia’s Adam Walton 7-6 (5), 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 on Court 10 to reach the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time.

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Afterward, Wong celebrated with tears of joy in front of a crowd filled with fans and Hong Kong supporters, reflecting the strong Chinese and Asian presence in Flushing Meadows.

“It’s literally something that I dreamed of—and I think for any tennis player—to keep going in a Slam,” Wong said, grinning in his post-match press conference. “It’s one of the biggest tournaments in the world.

“At the moment I’m still digesting, I still need to calm down. But right now I’m really happy.”

Wong had already made history at the start of the week, becoming the first Hong Kong man since 1988 to reach the main draw of a Grand Slam in singles.

His debut came with a guaranteed $110,000 paycheck. Now, after advancing to the third round, he’s secured a career-changing $237,000—nearly doubling his season’s total prize money of $280,050.

Wong has also embraced one of the smaller perks of being in the main draw:

“I always tell my coach, I really want to make it to main draw so I can take the car. I don’t want to take the bus!” he said, laughing, referring to how qualifiers ride the tournament shuttle while main-draw players get chauffeured in black cars — or even their own set of wheels.

”That’s the thing I always want. When I qualified for Cincinnati, I was like, ‘Hey coach! We can take the car now!’ He was like, ‘Is that what you’re looking for?’ I was like, totally. That’s it.”

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Momentum carried into the first round, where Wong defeated American Aleksandar Kovacevic in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (4). That victory made him the first player from Hong Kong in the Open era (since 1968) to win a Grand Slam singles match, and then Wong doubled the count with Thursday’s victory.

Next up: No. 15 seed Andrey Rublev, last year’s Hong Kong Open champion, on Saturday for a spot in the tournament’s second week. Wong insists he’ll keep swinging freely.

“I’m feeling good. This is my first main draw, first best-of-five, first… everything! For me, for Hong Kong, and yeah, for my team. Everything is very new, so no pressure.”

Wong trains at the Rafa Nadal Academy, alongside another Asian trailblazer, the Philippines’ Alex Eala, who also recorded her country’s best result with a second-round finish after toppling No. 14 seed Clara Tauson.

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He’s also the son of educators—his father Bruce is a primary school principal in Hong Kong, while his mother Dora is a teacher—and his quick learning shows.

”I was telling my coach, like, ‘I’m stressed, I’m worried. I’ve never played any best-of-five before.’ And so my coaches said, just don’t go all out in the first or second set, like you normally do… I said I would try.

“Yeah, it’s very new for me. It’s not easy, and I think I’m still adapting.”

Still, Wong feels at home in Flushing Meadows. He reached the boys’ singles semifinals here in 2022, a year after winning the boys’ doubles title with Max Westphal. That victory made him Hong Kong’s second-ever Grand Slam champion in any discipline, after Patricia Hy’s girls’ singles crown at Wimbledon in 1983.

“I just want to enjoy the time here and stay as long as I can,” Wong said. “This is tough! Everyone is so good, it’s so tough to hit through them.

“And now I play Rublev next. If you had told me before the tournament, I wouldn’t have believed it. So yes, this means a lot to me.”