Coleman Wong leads Asian surge at US Open

Tennis rising star Coleman Wong carried Hong Kong into uncharted territory at the U.S. Open on Thursday, defeating Australia’s Adam Walton to become the first man from the city to reach the third round of a Grand Slam in the Open Era. His four-set victory came in a tournament that has already seen Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu return to form and Alexandra Eala and Janice Tjen deliver landmark wins for the Philippines and Indonesia before bowing out.

The 21-year-old held off Walton 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to secure his place in the last 32, following up the straight-sets win over Aleksandar Kovacevic that had already made him Hong Kong’s first male Grand Slam singles winner. Wong, who trains at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain, said afterward that the moment was “a big one for me and also my family, Hong Kong people here and back at home.” He will face No. 15 seed Andrey Rublev in the third round on Friday.

Two former champions also reminded New York on Thursday of their pedigree. Osaka, seeded 23rd, overpowered American Hailey Baptiste 6-3, 6-1, mixing 13 winners with four aces in a sharp performance that backed up her opening victory over Greet Minnen. It marked her deepest run at Flushing Meadows since her 2021 triumph. She will next face either Daria Kasatkina or Kamilla Rakhimova.

Raducanu was just as commanding, defeating Tjen 6-2, 6-1 in 59 minutes. The 2021 champion, who had started with a straight-sets win over Ena Shibahara, said she was “particularly happy” with her serve as she booked her first third-round spot in New York since lifting the trophy. Her next challenge will come against ninth seed Elena Rybakina.

The first week also brought milestones for Southeast Asia. Eala, 20, stunned 14th seed Clara Tauson to give the Philippines its first Grand Slam singles victory. Although she fell 6-4, 6-3 to Spain’s Cristina Bucsa in her next match, Eala’s run marked a turning point for Philippine tennis.

Tjen, 23, achieved a similar breakthrough for Indonesia, toppling 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova in her Grand Slam debut. The win made her the first Indonesian woman since 2003 to advance at a major. Though Raducanu ended her run in the second round, Tjen reestablished Indonesia on the Grand Slam stage after more than two decades.