Local Star Coleman Wong Chak-Lam to Partner Gabriel Diallo at Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open 2026

The local star Coleman Wong will feature in both the singles and doubles draw at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open (‘BOCHKTO’) 2026. Taking place from 4 – 11 January at the iconic Victoria Park Tennis Centre Court, the Hong Kong, China number one will partner Canadian Gabriel Diallo in the 16-pair draw at the ATP season opener.

While doubles has taken a bit of a back seat for the rising star Wong over the past couple of seasons, the 21-year-old has an outstanding doubles record as a junior with back-to-back Grand Slam Boys' Doubles wins at the 2021 US Open and the 2022 Australian Open.

Coleman Wong (Photo by Patrick Leung / HKCTA)

He also won the vital doubles rubber match in the recent Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan with Kevin Wong.

Gabriel Diallo (Photo by Him Lam / HKCTA)

Diallo, his partner at BOCHKTO 26, has won a Challenger event in doubles in Winnipeg back in August 2023. These two have never paired together before, but faced each other once in singles at a Challenger event in North Carolina ahead of Wong's historic run to the last 32 at the 2025 US Open.

As for their partnership, Wong said: “Gabriel and I are delighted to be offered a wildcard into the doubles main draw. I am looking forward to playing both singles and doubles at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open 2026. I enjoy doubles and did pretty well as a junior. I want to express my thanks to Gabriel for agreeing to partner with me. I am sure we will have a lot of fun on a doubles court together, and hopefully we will win some matches!”

Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov (Photo by @mikefreyphotos / HKCTA)

Last year's doubles runners-up, Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov, will return to try and go one better this year. Crowd favourites and best of friends, Rublev and Khachanov often team up on the ATP Tour. They beat Wong and his partner Jisung Nam in the first round of BOCHKTO a year ago, before narrowly losing to Sander Arends and Luke Johnson in the final.

Sander Arends (Photo by CHAN KWUN YUEN / HKCTA)

Arends will also be back, but with a different partner this time, in the form of Romain Arneodo. Both players are doubles specialists and each boasts an ATP doubles ranking inside the top 50.

With total prize money exceeding USD 730,000, the BOCHKTO 2026 singles draw features four of the top 20 – Lorenzo Musetti, Alexander Bublik, Rublev, and Khachanov. Asia's top stars as the men's singles champion and runner-up at the 15th National Games - Wu Yibing and Jerry Shang Juncheng respectively, and Hong Kong number one Coleman Wong Chak-lam, who became the first men's player from the city to reach the third round of a Grand Slam have also confirmed their entries.

In addition to Diallo, other notable names in the singles draw include Italian Lorenzo Sonego (39), French duo Arthur Fils (40) and BOCHKTO defending champion Alexander Muller, as well as world number 47 Nuno Borges.

The Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open 2026 is proud of being an "M" Mark event that helps enhance the image of Hong Kong as Asia's sports event capital. The "M" Mark status is awarded by the Major Sports Events Committee symbolizing intense, spectacular and signature events in the territory sports calendar.

Tickets are on sale via Ticketflap website with prices ranging from HK$370 to HK$1,610.

Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz is parting ways with his longtime coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, the man who guided him to the pinnacle of men’s tennis during a remarkably successful seven-year partnership.

Alcaraz announced the decision to end their collaboration on Wednesday in a message on his social networks. Ferrero, in a separate statement, thanked his protege and said he wished he “could have continued.”

With Ferrero, who coached the Spaniard since he was 15 years old, Alcaraz claimed six Grand Slams: two French Open titles, two Wimbledon crowns and two US Opens. He amassed 24 tour-level titles, including eight Masters 1000 trophies.

“After more than seven years together, Juanki and I have decided to bring our chapter together as coach and player to an end,” the 22-year-old Alcaraz wrote. “Thank you for turning childhood dreams into reality. We started this journey when I was barely a kid, and throughout all this time you’ve accompanied me on an incredible journey, on and off the court. I’ve enjoyed every single step with you immensely.”

With Ferrero, Alcaraz became the youngest player to reach No. 1 in the ATP rankings after winning the U.S. Open in 2022 at 19.

“Today is a difficult day,” Ferrero said. “One of those when it’s hard to find the right words. Saying goodbye is never easy, especially when there are so many shared experiences behind it. We have worked hard, grown together, and shared unforgettable moments.”

Alcaraz did not say whether he would hire a new coach as a replacement. Last year, Alcaraz hired Samuel Lopez to work alongside Ferrero.

Earlier this month, Ferrero and Lopez were named coaches of the year in the ATP awards after helping Alcazar reclaim the No. 1 spot. In yet another prolific season, Alcazar won a career-best and season-leading 71 matches wins and finished with eight titles, including trophies at Roland-Garros and the US Open.

“We have been an incredible team despite the difficulties, and I am sure you will continue to achieve great success,” Ferrero said. "I wish I could have continued. I am convinced that good memories and good people always find a way to cross paths again. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

FILE - Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, right, poses with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero after winning the final match of the French Tennis Open against Italy's Jannik Sinner at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

Carlos Alcaraz reacts after winning the first set against Joao Fonseca during the Miami Tennis Invitational tournament, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)