Hong Kong takes 1-0 lead

Pacific Oceania’s Michael Leong of the Solomon Islands played hard but was unable to get past Wing-Luen “Wayne” Wong of Hong Kong in the first of two opening singles matches played by the two teams in their Davis Cup Asia Oceania Zone Group II tie yesterday.

Playing at the 3,800-capacity Victoria Park Tennis Centre in the former British colony, Leong matched Wong point for point in the first two sets, losing the first 4-6 before leveling the count with an inspiring 6-4 win in the second.

Wong, however, drew strength from the pro-Hong Kong crowd and beat Leong handily in the third set 6-2. Fighting for his life, Leong gave Wong a lot of problems in the fourth but ultimately yielded the set and the match to Wong in a final score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Results of the second opening singles match pitting West Nott of Marshall Islands against Hiu-Tung Yu was still unavailable as of press time.

Pacific Oceania team captain Jeff Race stuck to his starting lineup from the islanders’ tie against South Korea last July and fielded Leong and Nott in the opening singles versus Hong Kong.

Race will then then be playing the experienced pair of Juan Langton of Western Samoa and Brett Baudinet of Cook Islands for the doubles match against Hong Kong’s Xiao-Peng Lai and Martin Sayer.

Leong and Nott would then exchange opening day opponents tomorrow with Leong taking on Yu and Nott testing Wong.

Before the tie, Oceania Tennis Federation executive officer Patrick O’Rourke admitted that Race and his players have their work cut out for them squaring off against the former Crown Colony. He, however, is confident of the team’s ability and likened their challenge to that of their successful campaign against Lebanon a year ago.

“Pacific Oceania is the underdog for the tie as Hong Kong has three players with ATP rankings but [are] in the same situation this time last year, when they trumped Lebanon. Go Pacific Oceania!” said O’Rourke.

Yu is ranked 934th in singles and 1,312 in doubles, while Wong and Sayer are ranked 1,489 in singles and 1,351 in doubles, respectively. Lai is the only player among the four to have no ATP rankings. Derek Ling will be coaching 57th-ranked Hong Kong.

In March 2005, Pacific Oceania went up against seeded Lebanon in Lautoka, Fiji in its first Davis Cup Group II tie in years.

Race, serving as full-time playing captain for the first time, recruited Cyril Jacobe of Vanuatu to solidify a rotation that already had Leong, Langton, and Baudinet.

With the Middle East powerhouse underestimating the team, the islanders raced to a 2-0 lead by sweeping the opening singles. Although, Lebanon took the doubles, Leong finished the job by winning the first of two reverse singles to allow Pacific Oceania to advance to the semis of Group II.