Hong Kong, China tennis star Coleman Wong on Tuesday was sent tumbling out in the opening round of the US Clay Court Championships in Houston, Texas, falling to seventh-seeded Alex Michelsen in straight sets.

The SAR's top-ranked player lost 4-6, 2-6 in one hour and 25 minutes at the ATP 250 event, despite a spirited effort in a tightly-contested first set at the River Oaks Country Club where both players had saved multiple break points.

The result marks a second straight opening round defeat for Wong following last week's loss at the Morelia Open in Mexico, a competition currently part of the ATP Challenger Tour 125.

It was a moment to savour for World No. 35 Michelsen, however, who ended a year-long wait for a tour-level clay-court victory with his triumph over Wong.

The southern California native hadn’t won on the surface since last year's edition of the Houston event, where he became the youngest American quarter-finalist at the tournament since Taylor Fritz in 2018.


Edited by Tony Sabine