Wong secures first tennis gold for Hong Kong, China

Wong Coleman of Hong Kong, China hits a return during the Men's Singles Gold Medal Match of Tennis between Wu Yibing of China and Wong Coleman of Hong Kong, China at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Oct. 3, 2026. (Xinhua/Chen Zeguo)

NAGOYA, Japan, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Coleman Wong won the first Asian Games tennis gold medal for Hong Kong, China after defeating China's Wu Yibing 6-2, 6-4 in the men's singles final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday.

The victory also secured Wong a qualification berth for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, while Wu claimed his second silver medal at the Asian Games after Jakarta 2018.

Wong took early control of the match, breaking Wu's serve in the fifth and seventh games to win the opening set 6-2. The second set remained deadlocked at 4-4 before Wong broke in the ninth game and then served out the match.

"Winning an Asian Games gold medal was my dream, and although I didn't achieve it today, it's alright. I gave it my absolute all and lost to a deeply respectable opponent," Wu said after the match. "A loss is a loss, no excuses. I hope I'll have the chance to compete in the next Asian Games."

The two players have played tight matches in recent years. At the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, Wu squandered five match points in a final-set tiebreak before falling to Wong in a two-hour, 48-minute round-of-16 thriller. Wu won their duel at China's 15th National Games in 2025, completing a comeback victory in the semifinals after two hours and 47 minutes.

Reflecting on his rivalry with Wong, Wu noted that their first encounter at the Hangzhou Asian Games left a lasting impression.

"Although he is younger than me, he is a very mature athlete and has made tremendous progress over the past few years. Every match against him gets harder. He executed better than I did today. I'm really glad players from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland can share the stage in an Asian Games final. Chinese tennis, as a whole, is moving forward step by step," said the 26-year-old Wu.

Wong also reflected fondly on their rivalry. "I still remember that National Games match. It was a match we both deeply enjoyed. I'm thrilled we met in the final this time rather than the semifinals, and that we could enjoy competing on Asia's biggest stage. I hope we'll have many more exciting battles ahead," he said.

Gold medalist Wong Coleman (2nd L) of China's Hong Kong, silver medalist Wu Yibing (1st L) of China and bronze medalists Khumoyun Sultanov (2nd R) of Uzbekistan and Matsuoka Hayato of Japan pose during the victory ceremony for the Men's Singles of Tennis at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Oct. 3, 2026. (Xinhua/Chen Zeguo)

Wu Yibing of China serves during the Men's Singles Gold Medal Match of Tennis between Wu Yibing of China and Wong Coleman of Hong Kong, China at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Oct. 3, 2026. (Xinhua/Chen Zeguo)

Wong Coleman (L) greets Wu Yibing after the Men's Singles Gold Medal Match of Tennis between Wu Yibing of China and Wong Coleman of Hong Kong, China at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, Oct. 3, 2026. (Xinhua/Chen Zeguo)