Coleman Wong defeated Brandon Nakashima, 6-4, 7-6, to book his place in the Delray Beach Open quarterfinals.
The Rafael Nadal academy graduate has enjoyed a great week in Florida, coming through qualifying to reach the last eight.
Wong has beaten Yoshihito Nishioka, Tristan Schoolkate, Nuno Borges, and Nakashima so far in Delray Beach.
During his latest post-match interview, the HongKonger gave credit to Spain’s Rafael Nadal.
Coleman Wong learned a lot at the Rafael Nadal Academy
“I was thinking to go in a different route, then Rafa’s, they invited me to go over and try out the facilities, and to be in a group of juniors, top juniors,” he said.
“I learned a lot during those years.
“I went through a lot for a few months, so to be able to do well here, I really want to keep going.”
Wong moved to Spain at 17, to train at the Rafael Nadal Academy.
Making the brave decision, Wong was able to train with the best players in his age group in world-class facilities.
The decision paid off, as he is now up to 124 in the live rankings and three wins away from a maiden tour-level title.
Can Coleman Wong win the Delray Beach Open?
Wong isn’t exactly the favorite to win the title…
The top-five seeds: Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Flavio Cobolli, Learner Tien, and Tommy Paul, are all still alive in Delray Beach.
In fact, Wong will need to play a top-five seed, Cobolli [3] in the quarterfinals.
The pair have never met before on the ATP Tour, but as they are separated by 117 places in the world rankings, it’s fair to say the Italian is the favorite.
But should Wong pull off the upset, he’d meet either Ruud or Sebastian Korda in the semis.
Then, Wong could play a number of different players in the final.
The most dangerous of which is, of course, Fritz.
Fritz is a two-time Delray Beach champion, winning titles in 2023 and 2024.
He’s also the top seed and world number eight.
Wong will be up against it if he wants to win the title in Florida, but if he can keep playing as well as he has so far this week, who knows what could happen.
First, Wong will play Cobolli in the quarterfinals on Friday, February 20.
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