Hong Kong, China’s top tennis star Coleman Wong saw his thrilling run at the Hong Kong Tennis Open end in the quarter-finals on Friday, after a hard-fought defeat to world number seven Lorenzo Musetti of Italy.

In front of a home crowd at Victoria Park, Wong fell in straight sets, 4-6, 4-6, bringing his bid for a hometown title to a close.

The match began with both players trading solid games, but the top-seeded Musetti managed to secure two crucial breaks of serve to claim the opening set.

Wong responded strongly at the start of the second, breaking Musetti to surge ahead 3-1.

However, the experienced Italian steadily worked his way back, reclaiming the break and eventually closing out the match to advance to the semi-finals.

This marks the second time Musetti has defeated Wong in straight sets at Victoria Park, following a similar result in 2024 where he lost 4-6, 5-7.

Despite the loss, Wong remained upbeat in his post-match interview, expressing confidence gained from competing against a top-10 opponent in his first ATP quarter-final of 2026 at home.

“Lorenzo had all the answers against my tactics, so credits to him. He's a really great player," he said.

"He's number seven in the world. But hey, I'm playing against him in the quarters of ATP at home. Nothing to be scared of next time.

"I'll come back stronger and I think I can get even closer or even get the win next time. I think I'm there."

Reflecting on the match, Wong acknowledged Musetti’s resilience and praised him for his composure.

"I'm quite happy with my performance. Just a little unlucky in the second set. He did some unbelievable defence," Wong said.

"Obviously he needs to play many players below him, so he's so used to it and I think that's how I need to learn from these players how they are so calm, how do they react [and] how they tackle all these problems."

Looking ahead, Wong now turns his attention to the Australian Open, which begins later this month.

He believes his performances in Hong Kong have prepared him well for the Grand Slam stage.

"I'm so pumped and I think I'm ready after these few matches against top players like them and getting the wins," he said.

"It gives me a lot of confidence going into Australian Open. Let's see what happens. I think I can keep pushing.

"I think even though best of five, best of three, yeah, I think I can be there, and I'm there to stay."