HONG KONG, January 6, 2026 (Media Release)

Hong Kong, China no. 1 Coleman Wong Chak-lam showed off the improvements in his game over the past 12 months with a clinical display against world no. 75 Mariano Navone in the first round of the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open (‘BOCHKTO’) 2026. The 21-year-old maintained his composure and kept the pressure on the Argentine throughout the match to clinch an impressive 6-3, 7-5victory.

Since his last outing at BOCHKTO a year ago, Wong has scored a win over top ten player Ben Shelton, reached the third round of the US Open, and ended the season with a Bronze medal at the 15th National Games Men’s Singles. The world no. 150 showed no sign of rust and ruthlessly disposed of the seasoned professional who has been as high as 29th in the world rankings.

Wong said: “I think I did pretty well today in terms of dealing with the nerves. Sometimes, it can be tricky to play in front of a home crowd because there is pressure but I am happy to go through today. Playing in the afternoon means a lot of people are still at work, but there were so many people here supporting me, which means a lot to me.”

Jerry Shang Juncheng, who reached the semifinals at the last two BOCHKTO, sent a strong message to his rivals that he is back playing his best tennis. A foot injury sidelined him for most of last season, but a runner-up finish at the 15th National Games Men’s Singles signalled the return of one of the most talented youngsters in world tennis.

On his 6-4, 6-4 win over Francisco Comesana, Shang commented:

“I am in the process of returning full time to the tour after injury, and I am very happy to be playing completely injury-free. I played well during this match, but it is very cold today, which I don’t particularly enjoy very much. However, everytime I come to Hong Kong, I feel great mentally and physically, and with so many mainland and Hong Kong fans cheering me on, I always feel wonderful playing here, and my game naturally falls into place.”

Shang’s win means all three wildcards offered this year – Wong, Shang, and Wu Yibing – have all navigated their way through their first round this year.

Defending Champion Alexandre Muller opened proceedings today on Centre Court against Miomir Kecmanovic. The pair met a year ago, with the Frenchman winning in three tight sets on his way to the title. This time,  Muller saw off the Serbian in two close sets, 7-5, 6-4.

Pals Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov made their first appearance at BOCHKTO 2026 today when they took on Czechia duo Petr Nouza and Patrik Rikl in a doubles first round encounter. Last year’s runners up saved one match point in the Super tie-break to come through 6-7 (5), 6-3, (11-9).

In an action-packed day tomorrow at Victoria Park Tennis Centre Court, top seed Lorenzo Musetti will open against Tomas Martin Etcheverry who beat Frenchman Valentin Royer 6-4, 7-5. Wong returns for singles in a second round encounter against his doubles partner Gabriel Diallo. The evening session will see a mouth-watering encounter between Rublev and 15th National Games Champion Wu Yibing who impressed in his opening round win over Fabian Marozsan.

#BOCHKTO2026 | 7th Jan Order of Play
✨ Entry to the stadium and Tournament Village begins at 12:30 PM.

Check out the full match schedule above ☝#BOCHKTO #BOCHK#ATP #HKCTA #HKTS#ItAllAddsUp #DiscoverHongKong#MMarkEvents #MajorSportsEventsCommittee #MSEC #CSTB pic.twitter.com/GeE7p8fyXY

— Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open (@Hkto_mens) January 6, 2026