Five things to look for at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open

                                             Credit: South China Morning Post

This weekend the Bank of China Hong Kong Open (中銀香港網球公開賽) will get under way. The tournament will run from January 4th to January 11th. To check out the tournament's official website to see the draws and more information, click here. What I want to do in this blog post is provide my list of five things to look for in the tournament and also share information about Save Cantonese, an organization dedicated to the preservation of the Cantonese language and culture. Ok, let's get after it! 

#1. Will Lorenzo Musetti go the distance as the top seed? Lorenzo Musetti comes in as the top seed in the tournament, ranked No. 8 in the world. He won his two career ATP titles in 2022, so it's been a while since he's lifted a trophy. I'm sure he's hoping to use the Hong Kong Open as a chance to get a third career title and build some good momentum ahead of the Australian Open. It'll be interesting to see if he can handle the pressure of being the top seed. 

#2. Can Marin Cilic make a run? Marin Cilic is the only guy in the draw who has won a grand slam singles title (2014 US Open). That was a while ago and after not playing in a grand slam in 2023 and only one grand slam in 2024 (1st round Australian Open), Cilic made a comeback of sorts by playing in all four grand slams in 2025, reaching the 4th round at Wimbledon. Cilic is currently ranked No. 73 in the world and eager to make some noise at the Australian Open. It would be cool if he made a deep run in Hong Kong. That would certainly grab a lot of headlines. 

#3. Will Alexander Bublik win a 9th career title? World No. 11 Alexander Bublik is the number two seed in the tournament and is gunning for his 9th career title. Bublik is a guy who could really benefit from winning this tournament given his struggles at the Australian Open (he's never gotten past the 2nd round). If he is able to go all the way, I'll be curious to see if he can follow that up with a breakthrough run in Melbourne. 

#4. Will Andrey Rublev's experience make the difference? World No. 16 Andrey Rublev comes in having won 17 career titles as the number three seed in the tournament. Given he's won more titles than Musetti and Bublik combined, Rublev is definitely the favorite to win this tournament. He is much more comfortable winning when he's in the final of a tournament. It'll be fun to see if he can pick up an 18th career title in Hong Kong. 

#5. Can Hong Kong's Coleman Wong make some noise? The lone Hong Kong native in the tournament is Coleman Wong. At just 21 years of age, he is coming off a season in which he reached the 3rd round at the US Open. Wong became the first Hong Kong man to reach the 3rd round at a grand slam in the Open Era and the first Hong Kong player to do it since Paulette Moreno at the 1988 Australian Open. Wong is ranked No. 150 in the world, but he's number one in the hearts of all the Hong Kong tennis fans. It would be awesome if he made some noise and threatened to go the distance. 

Save Cantonese: Cantonese is the lingua franca of Hong Kong and is incredibly important to the identity of the city as well as the Guangdong Province of China. Cantonese gets its name from being the lingua franca of Guangdong, previously anglicized as Canton. Cantonese culture is famous for giving us cuisine like Dim Sum, music like Cantonese Opera and Cantopop, and a hard working spirit and energy that has become the backbone of Chinatowns around the world. 

With Mandarin becoming the dominant spoken form of the Chinese language, Cantonese and other varieties of spoken Chinese are in danger of fading away. Each of these varieties of Chinese have their own unique cultures that deserve to be preserved and carried on into future generations. Save Cantonese is an organization that is dedicated to preserving and protecting both the Cantonese language and culture. Their website is SaveCantonese.org. 

 Their mission statement is below: 

Save Cantonese is an international movement that sustains and celebrates Cantonese language and culture. Through grassroots advocacy, we protect and promote local language programs, while strengthening connections across the global Cantonese diaspora. We ensure that present and future generations benefit from a vibrant, thriving Cantonese-speaking and learning community.
 
Save Cantonese 係一項國際性嘅運動，旨在傳承同頌揚粵語同廣東文化。我哋透過基層宣傳，保護同宣傳本地語言活動，同時加強同散居全球嘅粵語僑民聯繫。我哋確保從今以後每一代都能受惠於充滿活力、蓬勃發展嘅粵語同學習社區。 

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10 things to take away from the 2022 French Open

                                              (Credit: SportsKeeda.com) 

Before I dive into my Wimbledon preview, I do want to write my takeaways from the two weeks that were at Roland Garros. Like every grand slam, it was an exciting two weeks with lots to discuss! 

#1. Rafael Nadal continues to make his case for GOAT: Rafael Nadal defeated Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in the final to win his 14th French Open title and his 22nd Grand Slam, both of which are all-time records. No one in the men's game has won anything close to that number of French Open titles and he also has the most Grand Slam titles of anyone in the men's game. A lot of people like to resist calling him the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) because so many of his Grand Slam titles have come on the clay, but at some point, you just gotta admit it doesn't matter how he gets to the number that he has. It's simply phenomenal. 

#2. Iga Świątek is the best female on clay: While Rafael Nadal is the undisputed King of Clay, the best clay player in the women's game is definitely Iga Świątek. Świątek now has won two French Open titles (2020 & 2022), defeating Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-3 in this year's women's final. She's really figured things out on the clay and now it's just a matter of her figuring things out on the other surfaces. If she can do that, there's no telling how many Grand Slam titles she'll have. 

#3. Casper Rudd has arrived: Even though he didn't win it all, Casper Ruud had his best performance in a Grand Slam by reaching the final. It was the best performance he's had at Grand Slam by a mile as his previous best performance was reaching the 4th round at the 2021 Australian Open. The big thing will of course be for him to build on this and consistently make deep run in the majors, but boy is this a great start for him. At just 23 years of age, he should have plenty of deep runs ahead. 

#4. Clay is actually Coco Gauff's best surface: While she first turned heads by reaching the 4th round at the 2019 Wimbledon, it turns out clay is the surface that Coco Gauff plays her best tennis on. Which is unusual for an American.  Before reaching this year's final, she reached the quarterfinals of the French Open back in 2021, her second-best performance at a Grand Slam. It'll be interesting to see if she'll be able to dethrone Świątek in coming French Opens and also if she'll be able to make similar strides on the other surfaces. 

#5. Novak Djokovic has a Rafael Nadal problem: Rafael Nadal won the 2022 Australian Open and also defeated Novak Djokovic 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 in the quarterfinals of this year's French Open. With 20 Grand Slam titles, everybody assumes that Djokovic is going to eventually win more Grand Slams than anyone in the men's game and become the GOAT, but right now, he's two titles back of Nadal who (A) won his favorite event in Australia this year and (B) knocked him out of the French Open again this year. Nadal is not going down without a fight and Djokovic better step up his game if he wants to solidify the GOAT debate in his favor. 

#6. Sloane Stephens had a bit of a bounce back: Sloane Stephens has been pretty quiet lately in Grand Slams, but had a bit of a bounce back in this year's French Open by reaching the quarterfinals before falling to Gauff. That was the best performance she's had at a major since the 2019 French Open, where she also reached the quarterfinals. Stephens is one of the bigger names in tennis, especially American tennis, and yet she hasn't won any majors since the 2017 US Open. It would be fun to have her contending in majors in the future. 

#7. Alexander Zverev keeps knocking on the door: Alexander Zverev was unable to complete his semifinal match against Nadal as he tore three lateral ligaments in his right ankle and underwent surgery afterwards. He is out indefinitely and will miss Wimbledon. It's not all doom and gloom for Zverev, though. As a result of reaching the semifinals, he achieved a number two world ranking, the highest of his career. It feels like it's only a matter of time before Zverev will win a major. 

#8. Daria Kasatkina made a deep run: Daria Kasatkina reached the semifinals before getting knocked out by Świątek. It was the furthest run she's had at a major since her back-to-back quarterfinal appearances at the French Open and Wimbledon in 2018. It'll be interesting to see if she can build on this in the rest of 2022 and beyond. 

#9. Marin Cilic turns back the clock: Marin Cilic reached the semifinals before getting knocked out by Ruud. This was the best performance Cilic has had at a Grand Slam since the 2015 US Open in which he reached the semifinals one year after his 2014 US Open title. Whether or not this was an aberration for Cilic or a possible sign of things to come remains to be seen. But for while it lasted, it was fun to see him back in the mix at a major. 

#10. Naomi Osaka needs to figure out how to win away from the hard court: Naomi Osaka lost in the first round and will not be playing Wimbledon due to an Achilles injury. While she has won the US Open and Australian Open twice for four total Grand Slam titles, she hasn't gotten past the 3rd round at the French Open or Wimbledon. This year's French Open was just another reminder that Osaka needs to figure out how to win on surfaces other than hard court. That's really the next step for her in her career. 

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10 things to take away from the 2018 Australian Open

The Australian Open concluded a month ago, so I’m long overdue for my recap of the first grand slam of the year. Roger Federer won the men’s singles title, the 20^th of his career while Caroline Wozniacki won the women’s single title, the first of her career. Below is my list of 10 things to take away from the two weeks that were down under.

#1. Roger Federer continues to solidify himself as the GOAT: With 20 grand slam titles now under Roger Federer’s belt, there’s little question of as to who the greatest tennis player of all-time is. Federer’s longevity and ability to continue to win grand slams is utterly remarkable. Federer played really well over the course of these two weeks and looks like a guy who could play until he’s 40.

#2. Caroline Wozniacki has entered another stratosphere: Before the 2018 Australian Open, Caroline Wozniacki was arguably the greatest female tennis player to never win a grand slam. After defeating Simona Halep in an emotional three set final, Wozniacki was able to take that monkey off of her back and instead be remembered as one who won a grand slam title. Wozniacki played great during the entire two weeks and stepped up in the clutch, something that she hasn’t been able to do at past grand slams. Regardless of whether or not she wins another grand slam, Wozniacki has this one under her belt, which redefines her legacy.

#3. Hyeon Chung has arrived: You probably didn’t know who Hyeon Chung was before the Australian Open, but you should know who he is after. Chung defeated Novak Djokovic 7-6, 7-5, 7-6 in the 4^th round and advanced all the way to the semifinals before retiring against Roger Federer. Chung came in ranked outside the top-50 and left ranked inside the top-30. Chung had the run of his life and looks to build on the success he had in Australia.

#4. Simona Halep’s time is coming: Simona Halep lost to Caroline Wozniacki in the final 6-7, 6-3, 4-6, so this was truly a heartbreaking loss for her. However, she played much better than she has in previous grand slam finals and convinced me that her time is coming. I don’t know when exactly, but I’m convinced that Halep will win at least one grand slam title and probably more.

#5. Novak Djokovic is in some trouble: After he went down in the 4^th round, it was revealed that Novak Djokovic’s elbow was still bothering him and that he needed to undergo a minor operation. I don’t want to say this is the beginning of the end of Nole’s career, but the optics are definitely not good. If Nole wants to be a contender at future grand slams, he has his work cut out for him. That’s for sure. 

#6. Madison Keys is not there yet: I thought Madison Keys might win the Australian Open, but she didn’t come all that close to doing so, getting drubbed by Angelique Kerber in the quarterfinals. I still expect Keys to win a grand slam down the line, but it looks like she’s going to have to take a few more lumps before doing so.

#7. Marin Cilic is still a contender: Despite his lone grand slam title coming at the 2014 US Open, Marin Cilic showed he could still contend for grand slam titles, taking Roger Federer to a fifth set in the final. With Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic both hampered by injury and not at full strength, there’s an opportunity for Cilic to continue to make a run at future grand slams. It’ll be interesting to see if he does.

#8. Maria Sharapova has a ways to go: Maria Sharapova fell to Angelique Kerber in the 3^rd round, which was perhaps better than some expected, but still not where she wanted to end up. The good news for Sharapova is she’s back and capable of winning matches at grand slams. That’s definitely progress, but she still has a ways to go to get back to the level that she wants to be at. What happens at Roland Garros will be interesting since she’s had a lot of success over there in recent years.

#9. Grigor Dimitrov continues to disappoint: Despite coming in as the 3^rd seed, Grigor Dimitrov fell to Kyle Edmund in the quarterfinals. Dimitrov was expected by many to win a few grand slams in his career, but he continues to fall short of his own lofty expectations. He still has time to turn the corner but so far isn’t blossoming into the player that everyone expected him to be. Considering the draw that he had, he should have reached the semifinals with little difficulty.

#10. The American women were a bust: Madison Keys was actually the top performing American woman in this event. However, Venus Williams and Sloane Stephens both lost in the first round and everyone else lost somewhere before the 4^th round. The American women were hoping to make a lot more noise down under and they failed to make much of a splash. The American men were also pretty quiet, though Tennys Sandgren reaching the quarterfinals was nice to see.

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10 things to take away from the 2017 Wimbledon Championships

Before I preview the 2017 US Open, I need to give my list of 10 things to take away from the two weeks that were at Wimbledon.

#1. Roger Federer reminded us that he's the GOAT: Roger Federer defeated Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 to win his 19th grand slam title. By adding on to his record for most grand slam titles of all-time, Federer reminded the tennis world that he is the greatest to ever play the sport. I know there are those who will want to argue a case for Rafael Nadal or possibly Novak Djokovic, but make no mistake, Federer is the greatest of all-time and will be so long as he holds the record. I picked Roger to win the event and he delivered just as I thought he would.

#2. Garbiñe Muguruza is the real deal: Garbiñe Muguruza defeated Venus Williams 7-5, 6-0 to win her second grand slam title. With both a Wimbledon and French Open (2016) title under her belt, Muguruza is half way to a career slam, which is no small feat. In a sport that is very unpredictable, Muguruza is starting to maintain a fairly consistent presence at the grand slams.

#3. Marin Cilic is back to being a contender: After winning the 2014 US Open, many of us expected Marin Cilic to be a more consistent threat to win grand slams. Unfortunately for him, he has not been able to be the type of threat that we were all expecting. By getting back to a grand slam final, perhaps Cilic will finally find his groove and be able to make these kind of deep runs on a more regular basis.

#4. Venus Williams is still a threat: I've been saying for the last couple of years not to sleep on Venus Williams in a grand slam and especially at Wimbledon. Venus backed up my claims by reaching the final. While she came up short, she has to feel good about the tournament that she had. Especially when you consider that she is 37 years old.

#5. Sam Querrey was a pleasant surprise: Nobody would have predicted that Sam Querrey would have been a threat, but he proved the doubters wrong by making it to the semifinals. Whether or not Querrey has turned the corner or not remains to be seen, but it was nice to see him make such a deep run. He's a very beloved and well respected guy on the tour.

#6. Johanna Konta played well under the pressure: It's not easy to play at Wimbledon as a Brit when you consider all the pressure that they have to play under. This pressure didn't seem to faze Johanna Konta, who made a run to the semifinals. I picked her to win the whole thing, so I was disappointed to not see my prediction come to fruition. At the same time, it was also nice to see her make as deep of a run as she did.

#7. Rafael Nadal should feel good about he played: I know that a 4th round exit isn't what Rafael Nadal was hoping for, but when you consider all the early exits he's had at Wimbledon over the past few years, reaching the 4th round was much better than he had done in quite a while. Nadal is still playing elite tennis. It's just that grass isn't really his thing.

#8. Magdalena Rybarikova was the big surprise: Coming into the tournament as the #33 ranked player in the world, nobody saw Magdalena Rybarikova making a run to the semifinals. The WTA is where anything can happen and Rybarikova certainly proved that to be true. It will be interesting to see what kind of momentum Rybarikova can carry over to the US Open after such an impressive run.

#9. How much trouble is Novak Djokovic in? Novak Djokovic lost in the quarterfinals to Tomas Berdych and has since been ruled out for the rest of the season due to an elbow injury. Djokovic is not living up to his standards and expectations, making us wonder whether or not we'll ever see the best of him again. 2017 is the most disappointing season Djokovic has had to date, putting a lot of pressure on him to right the ship in his 2018 campaign.

#10. Angelique Kerber had a disappointing outing: Angelique Kerber came into Wimbledon as the #1 ranked player in the world, but lost that ranking after losing in the 4th round to the eventual champion Garbiñe Muguruza. After winning two grand slams in 2016, Kerber is yet to win one in 2017. It appears as though the #1 ranking got to her head and put a lot of pressure on her.  It will be interesting to see if she plays better without the top ranking hanging over her.

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2015 US Open preview: 10 things to look for

     The 2015 US Open begins Monday, August 31. What I would like to do is preview the event by listing 10 things to look for over the course of the best fortnight in tennis. Enjoy! 

#1. How will Marin Cilic do defending his title? The 2014 US Open was unique in that the men's champion wasn't somebody named Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, or Murray. The winner was Marin Cilic, who currently is seeded #9 in the men's main draw. It'll definitely be interesting to see how Cilic plays knowing that he has a grand slam title to defend. 

#2. How will the absence of Maria Sharapova affect the women's draw? Maria Sharapova withdrew from the US Open earlier today, making Serena Williams' half of the draw a little bit easier. It will be interesting to see if anybody takes advantage of Sharapova's absence and makes a deep run to the semifinals.  #7 seeded Ana Ivanovic is projected to do so at the moment. 

#3. Kei Nishikori has a nice draw: Kei Nishikori, currently seeded #4 in the men's singles draw, is projected to face #7 seeded David Ferrer in the quarterfinals and #1 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. Facing Djokovic isn't the nice part of the draw, but having David Ferrer in his quarter of the draw is very nice. Look for Kei Nishikori to once again threaten at Flushing. 

#4. Can Eugenie Bouchard get something going? Eugenie Bouchard has had a terrible season so far, losing in the first round of both the French Open and Wimbledon. She needs to finish 2015 on some sort of a positive note. What helps her out is that Maria Sharapova was going to be in her section, so perhaps she'll be the one to benefit from Maria' absence. 

#5. Will Andy Murray carry over positive momentum from Montreal? Andy Murray snapped an eight-match losing skid to Novak Djokovic in the final of Montreal.  Will this mini breakthrough for Murray will carry over into the US Open? 

#6. How will Serena Williams handle the pressure? The biggest story of the 2015 US Open without question is Serena Williams' quest for a calendar grand slam. It'll be interesting to see how she handles the pressure and the media over the course of the event. Especially early on in the tournament. 

#7. Will Rafael Nadal get anything going? Rafael Nadal is currently seeded #8 in the US Open men's draw and is having the worst season he's had since he reached the world #1 ranking. It'll be interesting to see if he can survive into the second week and be a threat. 

#8. Will Sloane Stephens get a boost from the American crowd? Sloane Stephens is another young player in the women's draw who is having a down year. Perhaps she'll make a deep run and thrive on the home crowd. 

#9. Look for Novak Djokovic to win the men's singles title: I don't expect the winner of the men's title to be somebody surprising. I think Novak Djokovic will get his groove together and win the US Open for the second time. 

#10. Look for Serena Williams to capture the calendar slam: I got my money on world #1 Serena Williams to deliver the goods and capture her fourth grand slam of the year. It's her world right now and I don't see anybody stopping her. 

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @atp_guy to keep up with tennis! 

For a printable bracket of the men's draw, click here 

For a printable bracket of the women's draw, click here