Hong Kong tennis teen Andrew Li loses first pro match, but learns he has what it takes
For 92 minutes, teenager Andrew Li Hei-yin lived the dream, his first taste of the world of professional tennis leaving him hungry for more.
"My self-belief has been boosted," said Li after he pushed Japanese opponent Tasuma Ito all the way in a 6-4, 7-5 defeat in the opening round of the Hong Kong ATP Challenger at Victoria Park yesterday.
Ito is ranked 89th in the world and is the second seed in the tournament, while Li does not have any ATP ranking points and was playing in his first major professional tournament after receiving a wild card into the main draw by the Hong Kong Tennis Association.
But the 17-year-old showed signs he could survive in the dog-eat-dog world of professional tennis as he twice broke Ito, before succumbing to pressure exerted by the 26-year-old Tokyo native who was once as high as 60 in the world.
"I broke him early and led 4-2 in the first set. I should have seized my chance then but couldn't hang on to my service game.
"One important thing I learned today was that I have to work on my serve and I have to toughen up mentally," said Li.
"It was encouraging to break him twice, more so considering that he is in the top 100. It showed that if I put in a lot of hard work, I'm not really that far away.
"I played aggressively today and went for my shots. I'm happy with the way I played and this will do my confidence a world of good," Li added.
Having represented Hong Kong in the Davis Cup for the past two years, Li is at the crossroads of his career.
In September he will leave for the United States to take up a tennis scholarship at Georgia Tech where he hopes to do a business degree.
Once that is out of the way - in four years - Li will look at becoming a full-time professional.
Ito will meet Indonesian qualifier Christopher Rungkat.
Hong Kong's return to the world of ATP Challenger has not been lucky for the seeded players with five being knocked out already, including top seed Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania, ranked 85th in the world.
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Li takes pro defeat in his stride
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