|
Background
 The inaugural Davis Cup (called the International Lawn Tennis Challenge before 1945) began in 1900 primarily as an annual challenge between the United States and Great Britain. However, since a Harvard undergrad by the name of Dwight F. Davis captained the US team to a 3-0 victory over the visiting British Isles team at the Longwood Cricket Club in Boston that summer, the number of nations competing in the annual competition had grown to almost 140 by the end of 2007.
With over a century of tradition behind it, the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is the premier team competition in the world. It has also evolved into a recognized institution in tennis and was seen as instrumental, at least in part, in fuelling the growth of tennis from 1900 until the present day.
The pinnacle of the Davis Cup is to win the World Group, which is contested by the top 16 nations annually. Unlike traditional powerhouses such as USA, France, Spain, and Australia, less developed nations such as Hong Kong have to contend with Zonal qualification each year in an attempt to gain promotion to higher company the following year (See Davis Cup structure).
In 1970, Hong Kong was a participating nation in the Davis Cup for the first time when the team of Kenneth Tsui, Ling Fong, and Winston Wei, not to mention with Mr. L. Cyril Kotewall as non-playing Captain, took on Japan.
Hong Kong's best Davis Cup performance to date was reaching the first round in Asia/Oceania Group I in 1989, and from 1993-95. The last time the territory managed to reach the final in Asia/Oceania Group II was in 2003 when the quartet of John Hui, Brian Hung, Wayne Wong, and Yu Hiu Tung was defeated in Kaohsiung by a Taiwanese contingent led by the one-two of Lu Yen-Hsun and Wang Yeu-Tzuoo.
Davis Cup Media Guide 2010
See also:
Hong Kong Davis Cup All Time Records (1970 - 2011)
Hong Kong Davis Cup Results (1970 - 2011)
Hong Kong Davis Cup Team Statistics
Past Davis Cup Programs
|