Davis Cup
Chinese Recreation Club, Friday 10-Sunday 12
Hong Kong’s Davis Cup team squares off against Oman this fortnight, and captain Derek Ling knows it’s his job to come up with a game plan. But despite ten years at the helm, the tennis guru says preparation won’t be easy. “We hardly know anything about Oman,” Ling admits. “We know they have two brothers that are pretty good.”
We also know that Oman, a sultanate on the Arabian Sea, sits at the other end of Asia, the region to which both tennis teams belong. Davis Cup is the largest annually held professional team competition in sport.
The format follows a best-of-five formula: two singles matches the first day, a doubles match the middle day, and dual reverse singles the last day. Hong Kong and Oman play in Group Two, two levels below the World Group, home to the 16 best national teams on the planet. With relegation to Group Three awaiting Hong Kong if it loses, pride is on the line, and Ling encourages vocal turnout. “The crowd always helps. Our team perform better when the crowd is supportive.”
Following Davis Cup tradition, Ling won’t reveal his line-up until just before the competition. Among those under consideration are Martin Sayer, Brian Hung, Yiu Hiu-tung, and Michael Lai, all participants in the thrilling showdown against the Philippines in March, which we lost 4-1. Jack Hui and Dino Dell’Orto complete the shortlist. Come on Hong Kong, it’s time to make some noise.
Bong Miquiabas
Admission is free. For more information, see www.tennishk.org.
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