Hong Kong, China's tennis prospect Kai Thompson saw his Australian Open junior run come to an end in the quarter-finals on Friday, falling to eighth-seed Zangar Nurlanuly of Kazakhstan in a gritty three-set battle.

Making his Grand Slam debut, the 17-year-old started strongly, taking the first set against the World Junior No. 12 Kazakhstani.

Despite his opponent appearing to struggle with cramps, Thompson ultimately succumbed 6-3, 6-7, 4-6 after two hours and fifty minutes in Melbourne.

The SAR teenager had advanced to the final eight without dropping a set, scoring wins over opponents from Greece, Australia and Romania.

In his quarter-final clash, he fired 21 winners and six aces, but was hampered by 62 unforced errors.

Reflecting on his performance, Thompson said reaching the quarter-finals was a positive result and a valuable learning experience.

"I think obviously he had cramps, but in the points he was still fighting and playing to 100 percent," he noted.

"I think that I didn't really miss any chances. I was fighting myself as well, and I think it just comes down to experience."

He added that competing at this level helped him understand more about his own game, physical abilities and mental approach.

"When you see your opponent having cramps or having any injury, it can weigh on you mentally and it can change your perspective a bit," he said.

"And I think that comes down to experience being able to handle that and just being able to focus on myself."

Thompson, a National Games bronze medallist, acknowledged the inspiration he gets from watching Hong Kong’s top tennis star Coleman Wong, but emphasised his desire to carve his own path.

"I'll just try and achieve what I can and do what I can to the best of my ability," he said.

His attention now turns to representing the city in the Davis Cup World Group playoffs against Finland at Victoria Park from February 7 to 8, where he will be among teammates including Coleman Wong, James Wong and Nicholas Cheng.

"I think [the experience in Australia] will help me be a bit more relaxed on court next week at the Davis Cup, help me manage my nerves a bit because obviously this experience is new to me," Thompson said.

"All these matches that I've played will help me into performing my best."

Looking ahead, Thompson aims to compete in all four junior Grand Slams this year and gain more exposure in men’s and professional tournaments to improve his ATP ranking.

While he has signed with the University of Central Florida and plans to begin his studies in August, he also remains focused on developing his tennis career.