Hong Kong eyes Davis Cup Group I with home crowd boost

Hong Kong, China is aiming for another good showing in front of home fans at Victoria Park Centre Court when the team takes on No. 5 seed Uzbekistan in the first round of the Davis Cup 2025 World Group II over the weekend of 13-14 September. The winner of this tie will advance to the 2026 World Group I Play-offs next February, while the losing nation will have to contend the World Group II Play-offs to avoid relegation.

Nominations for Hong Kong, China are Coleman Wong, Nicolas Cheng, Wong Tsz Fu, Kevin Wong, Kai Thompson, and Yu Hiu Tung (Captain).

Nominations for Uzbekistan are Khumoyun Sultanov, Sergey Fomin, Maksim Shin, Amir Milushev, Damir Abdusamadov, Abdulaziz Usmonjonov and Denis Istomin (Captain).

Yu Hiu Tung, who is captaining the side for the 13th time, said: "On paper, we have the highest-ranked player in Coleman, but we have three young guys, who are inexperienced. Uzbekistan has a more balanced team with better depth. They are the seeded side, so we have nothing to lose. But we have home court, and the crowd can give our players great energy, so we'll see. We have great team spirit but, ultimately, it will come down to who can perform better on match day."

HKCTA President Michael Cheng: "If we really have aspirations to compete against the big boys in Asia/Oceania, we need to start benchmarking ourselves against the Group I nations, such as Korea, Chinese Taipei, India, etc. While we managed to win a number of relegation playoffs in the past to stay afloat, we have remained in Group II for far too long now. We last gained promotion to Group I in 1991. That's where we need to be aiming at in order to advance tennis development and benchmark against next tier."

In singles, Khumoyun Sultanov is ranked No. 331 but his best result so far in 2025 was reaching the semifinals of the Pune Challenger back in February. He has won nine career Futures titles in singles. In doubles, he is ranked No. 545 and owns nine Futures doubles titles.

Sergey Fomin is currently ranked No. 483 and he has won one Challenger and five Futures titles in singles. In doubles, he is ranked No. 440 at present and he has captured one Challenger and nine Futures titles, both none with Sultanov.

Sultanov made his Davis Cup debut in 2019 and he is 5-6 in singles and 1-2 in doubles. Fomin made his Davis Cup debut in 2022 and he is 2-7 in singles and 2-4 in doubles.

Earlier in February, Uzbekistan hosted Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Group I Play-offs at home but lost 3-1. Uzbekistan has reached the World Group play-offs on ten occasions, in 1998-2001, 2009, 2012, 2014-2016 and 2018. Prior to 1992, players from Uzbekistan represented the Soviet Union.

Coleman Wong, of Hong Kong, reacts to a point against Andrey Rublev, of Russia, during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Since the tie against Ecuador at Victoria Park last September, Coleman Wong has reached a career-high ATP ranking No. 128 in singles. At the Masters 1000 Miami Open 2025, he notched his best win to date with a three-set victory against world No. 14 Ben Shelton to reach the third round. At the Masters 1000 Cincinnati Open, he defeated the big-serving world No. 42 Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. At this year's US Open, he became the first player from Hong Kong to reach the men's singles third round at a Grand Slam after coming through qualifying.

Kevin Wong, who made his Davis Cup debut in 2014, will be competing in his 13th career tie. He is currently 8-3 in doubles and this puts him second all-time behind only Mark Bailey's all-time 12-3 record.

Nineteen-year-old Wong Tsz Fu is nominated for the second time after making an appearance in the reverse dead rubber singles against Namibia earlier this year. He also holds an ATP ranking of No. 1514 in doubles.

The Hong Kong No. 1 junior at present, Nicholas Cheng, recorded his first ATP ranking point by reaching the second round of the M25 Hong Kong last September and is currently ranked No. 1801 in singles. Another 17-year-old first-time nomination is Kai Thompson, currently the No. 2 junior in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong, China's best spell in the Davis Cup occurred between 1988-1992 when the team reached the Group II Final four times, defeating Pakistan in 1988 and Thailand in 1992 to gain promotion to Group I. The team's most recent run to the Group II Final came in 2003 with the team of Wayne Wong, Yu Hiu Tung, John Hui, and Brian Hung.

Registration and Souvenirs

To watch the thrilling matches and cheer on Team Hong Kong, China, the public are required to register at www.daviscuphongkong.com starts from 8 September, 10am, and wear in red to support our players on the Opening Ceremony and both match days. Souvenirs will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, stay tuned with HKCTA social media platforms for more details.

Start times:

Opening Ceremony: Saturday 13th September @ 10:40 hrs. local (2:40 AM GMT)

Day 1: Saturday 13th September @ 11:00 hrs. local (3:00 AM GMT)

Day 2: Sunday 14th September @ 11:00 hrs. local (3:00 AM GMT)

Seven persons arrested during anti-illegal worker operation

The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted an anti-illegal worker operation codenamed "Contribute" today (January 15).During the operation, ImmD Task Force officers raided premises under renovation in a newly built public housing estate in Sheung Shui district.A total of six suspected illegal workers and one suspected employer were arrested. Thearrested suspected illegal workers comprise six men, aged 22 to 41. Furthermore, one man, aged 45, suspected of employing the illegal workers, was also arrested. An investigation into the suspected employers is ongoing, and the possibility of further arrests is not ruled out.

Apart from mounting the enforcement operation, ImmD officers and a promotional vehicle have been deployed to distribute "Don't Employ Illegal Workers" leaflets and convey the message in the estate.

An ImmD spokesman said, "Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him or her shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years' imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties."

The spokesman stressed that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years' imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years' imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences. The director, manager, secretary, partner, etc, of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.

According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee's identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker's valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and to imprisonment for one year. In that connection, the spokesman would like to remind all employers not to defy the law by employing illegal workers. The ImmD will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences.

Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct an initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) and/or forced labour victims. When any TIP and/or forced labour indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the ImmD officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP and/or forced labour elements. Identified TIP and/or forced labour victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter or temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP and/or forced labour victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately.

For reporting illegal employment activities, please call the dedicated hotline 3861 5000, by fax at 2824 1166, email to anti_crime@immd.gov.hk, or submit "Online Reporting of Immigration Offences" form at www.immd.gov.hk.

Seven persons arrested during anti-illegal worker operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Seven persons arrested during anti-illegal worker operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases