No one is having more fun at the US Open right now than 21-year-old qualifier Coleman Wong, whose breakthrough run is turning heads—and breaking barriers—for Hong Kong tennis.
On Thursday, Wong pulled off yet another upset, defeating 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 very first time. Overcome with emotion, he celebrated with tears in front of a vocal crowd that included plenty of Hong Kong fans, reflecting the strong Asian presence in nearby Flushing.
“It’s literally something I dreamed of,” Wong said with a wide smile during his post-match press conference. “This is one of the biggest tournaments in the world. I still need to calm down, but right now, I’m really happy.”
Wong had already made history earlier in the week by becoming the first Hong Kong man since 1988 to reach the main draw of a Grand Slam singles event. His debut alone earned him a guaranteed $110,000. Now, with two wins under his belt, he’s locked in $237,000 in prize money, nearly doubling his season total of $280,050.
But the perks go beyond the money.
“I always told my coach, ‘I want to make it to the main draw so I can take the car. I don’t want to take the bus!’” Wong joked, referring to the difference in transportation between qualifiers and main-draw players. “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 forward to?’ I was like, totally.”
His momentum started in the first round, where he beat American Aleksandar Kovacevic in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (4), becoming the first player from Hong Kong in the Open Era (since 1968) to win a Grand Slam singles match. His win over Walton on Thursday made it two.
Next Up: Andrey Rublev
Wong will now face No. 15 seed Andrey Rublev—the reigning Hong Kong Open champion—on Saturday for a spot in the second week of the tournament. Despite the tough challenge ahead, Wong is embracing the moment.
“This is my first main draw, first best-of-five, first… everything! For me, for Hong Kong, and for my team. Everything is new, so no pressure.”
Wong, who trains at the Rafa Nadal Academy, has been developing alongside other promising Asian talents, including the Philippines’ Alex Eala, who also made headlines by reaching the second round after defeating No. 14 seed Clara Tauson.
Coming from a family of educators—his father is a school principal and his mother a teacher—Wong has shown a strong learning curve in adjusting to the best-of-five format.
“I told my coach I was stressed, I’d never played best-of-five before,” he admitted. “They told me not to go all out in the first couple of sets like I usually do… I said I’d try.”
Despite the nerves, Wong is no stranger to Flushing Meadows. He reached the boys’ singles semifinals in 2022 and won the 2021 boys’ doubles title with France’s Max Westphal, becoming only the second player from Hong Kong to win a Grand Slam title in any discipline—following Patricia Hy’s girls’ singles title at Wimbledon in 1983.
“I just want to enjoy my time here and stay as long as I can,” Wong said. “Everyone here is so good—it’s tough to hit through them. And now I play Rublev. If you told me that before the tournament, I wouldn’t have believed you. So yes, this means a lot.”
