SINGAPORE – Despite trailing 3-0 in the deciding game of the Leapmotor Singapore Open men’s singles final on July 26, Hong Kong’s pickleball ace Wong Hong Kit found a way to win – thanks to some timely advice from training partner Marco Leung.
Leung, who had lost to Wong in the semi-finals of the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour Asia 500 event a day earlier, had told him to go for his opponent’s backhand.
That tweak worked a treat as the world No. 14 reeled off 11 consecutive points to storm back and beat 19th-ranked American Adam Harvey 6-11, 11-7, 11-3 at The Sports Arina @ Expo, becoming the first player to win three consecutive men’s singles titles on the Tour after his triumphs in the Beijing and Tokyo tournaments.
Wong, who collapsed to the floor after his win, said Leung’s advice was the turning point for him.
“Marco and Kim Eung-gwon (his men’s doubles partner), they’re my best supporters,” he said.
“They are always by my side, watching my previous singles finals, and they probably saw some stuff that I wasn’t paying attention to when I was playing. I’m just really grateful that they helped me.
“He (Leung) was just repeating what we were talking about during the planning for this game.”
Wong, a former tennis player who reached a career-high ATP ranking of No. 653, will next compete at the Ho Chi Minh City Open from Aug 6 to 9 and hopes to win a gold with Kim there.
He said: “We stopped at the semis every time, and now we’ve got like five bronzes this year…
“I think focusing on the men’s doubles is my priority, but I’ll always want to win the singles (category), no one wants to lose.”
In the women’s singles final, China’s world No. 15 Long Yufei came from 4-3 down in the first game to beat compatriot and 74th-ranked Anni Xie 11-4, 11-0 to clinch the gold.
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