Coleman Wong of Hong Kong plays a lot of tennis. Don't bother looking at his career ATP win-loss record, though. He is only 20 years old, and his time at ATP-sanctioned events is limited. He still plays nearly every week, trying to make his way and earn valuable experience on the Challenger circuit. He is not consistently successful there, either.
But one might wonder why after watching his match in the second round of the Miami Open against Ben Shelton. The American, with a huge serve and bombastic forehand, could have simply powered Wong off the court, but he didn't. The approach to entering the match was likely quite different.
Shelton still needs to win a Masters 1000 and a Grand Slam to show he can consistently contend for major titles, but he has the tools. He has also won some tournaments and made inroads at Grand Slams. What he needs to work on is his touch, especially against younger players who have not developed a well-rounded game, and knowing that he has done enough on the ATP tour to simply walk into any match and dominate.
Coleman Wong earns biggest win of his career with victory against Ben Shelton at the Miami Open
He was by far the more accomplished player than the 182nd-ranked Wong, but that meant little in Miami. Wong managed to take the first set after it went to a tie-break, and Shelton held a 3-love lead. Wong reeled off six straight points and the eventual earning of set one.
In set two, reality seemed to set in, and Shelton broke Wong twice and evened the match easily at 6-2. The third set would seemingly belong to Shelton as well, but not quite so fast in that assumption.
Wong played well enough to lead 5-2 in the third, but Shelton got the final set to a tie-break even though he was challenged by Wong when the American was serving at 5-6. The player from Hong Kong twice held a break and match point. Shelton's serve saved him both times, keeping Wong off balance.
In the tie-break, Wong got an early break point but Shelton got it right back. The match was far from a classic, as the players were mostly working off pure power, but it was still played at a high level. Wong also refused to back down, leaving some to wonder how much he learned from playing Shelton, and how much confidence he gained moving forward in his career.
Shelton should have learned as well. He needs to not take matches against the seemingly less successful for granted. In the end, Wong took the tie-break (and earned the biggest win of his short career) 7-5, and won the match.