Hong Kong took a 2-0 lead in their Davis Cup World Group II play-off with Zimbabwe on Saturday, after Jack Wong Hong-kit stunned Benjamin Lock and Coleman Wong Chak-lam breezed past Courtney Lock at Victoria Park.
Afterwards, Jack Wong, who ranked almost 1,300 places below his opponent at No 1,643, said his teammates would have the tie wrapped up early on Sunday without needing him to play again. But he showed he could handle the occasion if called upon.
The 25-year-old fought back from a set down and 4-1 down in the decider to snatch victory 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 in two hours and 19 minutes.
“I was expecting a faster game,” Jack Wong said. “But perhaps my opponent was a bit nervous too. “There was a loss of rhythm and I played really badly. But I managed to make some adjustments from late in the first set, and held on for the win.
“I have absolute confidence in my teammates and I don’t think the team needs me to play again [on Sunday].”
While Jack Wong finished with a smile, he had to grit his teeth and fight at the beginning.
The Hongkonger was broken in his first service game, and despite his efforts in fending off a couple more break points, Benjamin Lock took the first set in little more than 30 minutes.
But Wong came out much stronger in the second set, breaking Lock in the fourth game before firing back-to-back aces to move 4-1 ahead. At 5-2, Lock won seven of the next nine points, but Wong held on to take it 6-3.
The start of the deciding set was a carbon copy of the first, with Lock breaking Wong at the earliest opportunity and establishing a commanding-looking 4-1 lead.
However, Wong reeled off the next three games to pull level, before going on to win the tiebreak and the match.
In the second rubber of the day, Coleman Wong needed less than an hour to dispatch Courtney Lock 6-2, 6-0.
The teenager fired down 10 aces in a one-sided contest, winning all his service games, while breaking his opponent five times.
Sunday could see Coleman Wong playing twice for the hosts. The 19-year-old will start with the doubles, alongside Wong Chun-hun, before taking on Benjamin Lock in the singles if the tie is still alive.
The 12 winning teams from the play-offs will avoid relegation from World Group II.
