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Thousands of spectators once again visited the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open (BOCHKTO) at the iconic Victoria Park Tennis Centre Court last week, capping an incredible year for the game in Hong Kong on and off the court. 

Reconfirming its’ position as amongst the most active and innovative sporting communities in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong, China Tennis Association (HKCTA) celebrated another milestone in the development of the innovative Hong Kong Tennis Season (HKTS) this year.

HKTS ties the long-running women’s WTA250 tournament staged here since 2017, with the thrilling annual HKTS finale: the men’s BOCHKTO. Together these bookend events draw thousands of visitors to Victoria Park to celebrate tennis, our community and our city – while also generating a significant contribution to Hong Kong’s burgeoning mega events economy.  

This year’s HKTS included another ground-breaking event after HKCTA staged its first indoor event at Kai Tak in October, bringing the innovative sports entertainment concept Ultimate Tennis Showdown to Asia for the first time. That moment of sporting history further bolstered the unique capabilities of tennis in Hong Kong with the city joining global centres like the United Kingdom, United States and France as sports hubs capable of hosting both indoor and outdoor tennis tournaments. 

Under tireless chief and Association President, Michael Cheng, HKCTA are not slowing down in their race to establish Hong Kong as a global and regional tennis hub.

“Ultimate Tennis Showdown is a great product and created a good buzz for Hong Kong as it was held in Kai Tak for the first time, but it belongs to someone else. I want to create a unique tennis brand that Hong Kong can own,” said Cheng.

“We look at a lot of factors when deciding what to feature in HKTS: where does it fit in the calendar; how does it suit our tennis infrastructure and environmental factors; and whether the event can help boost Hong Kong’s events economy,” added Cheng, now in his third year as HKCTA President.

This year’s HKTS exemplifies how strategically planned tournaments add value to the city’s active events calendar. The WTA tournament was the perfect lead-in to the co-hosting of the 15th National Games, while BOCHKTO shared its opening weekend with the Hong Kong Brand and Products Expo – also in Victoria Park – drawing literally millions of visitors to the environs of Causeway Bay and helping local businesses start the year with an economic boost.  

Cheng has promised to maintain the Association’s efforts to affirm Hong Kong’s place on the global tennis map, saying, “We will continue to strengthen the content of Hong Kong Tennis Season, continue to innovate and hopefully keep bringing fans surprises. The most important thing is to leverage tennis to promote Hong Kong’s mega events economy and tourism, while further developing the Association’s professionalism and expertise. 

“We can achieve all of this while entertaining fans, encouraging aspiring Hong Kong tennis athletes, and inspiring healthy and active lifestyles – it’s the ultimate win-win situation.” 
“We regularly assess the impact of our tournaments. It’s not just about bringing the same events back year after year, but on how we continue to innovate, break new ground, and bring new tennis and entertainment concepts to Hong Kong. 

“Even though I’ve been in office for two years, I feel like every day is my first day as there is always something new to learn. I’m excited to see where tennis is heading and I feel my contribution, which isn’t yet complete, is to grow these tournaments. It takes 10 years for a tournament to become established, and coincidentally it also takes 10 years to develop an elite player like Hong Kong, China No. 1 Coleman Wong. 

“The Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open offers wildcards for upcoming players, and through this, local players get this unique opportunity to compete against some of the world’s best in the world as they continue to develop their game, and be cheered on by a passionate home crowd. 

Our approach is about having a sustainable strategy and a long-term vision to keep moving forward. Stability and sustainability are the keys, and HKCTA are rapidly approaching that point. 

“Our guiding philosophy will always be to remain groundbreaking and innovative. This will not change,” Cheng added.

That is good news for the thousands upon thousands of fans enjoying HKTS events live and in person, and the countless more watching the rise of Hong Kong tennis around the world.