Hong Kong, Finland captains hold court before Davis Cup tie amid spectre of absent friends

As the captains for the Davis Cup clash between Hong Kong and Finland this weekend kept their tactical cards tight to their chests, the spectre of two men who will not be involved in the two-day tie hung over Victoria Park.

Steven Host, who last month quit as the city’s tennis figurehead citing a “disconnect” with his bosses, was not only formerly national coach for the Finnish Tennis Federation, he also spent three years as vice-director of Finland captain Jarkko Nieminen’s academy.

The South African had dinner with the Finland staff and players this week, but Nieminen said he resisted the chance to ask Host for the inside track on his opponents.

“It was nice to meet him, but we’ve not talked about scouting or players, more about coming to Hong Kong,” said former world No 13 Nieminen, who led Finland to the 2023 Davis Cup semi-finals.

“I tried to scout as well as much as possible myself. We only knew Coleman [Wong Chak-lam], but I’ve watched some of the youngsters’ matches. Whoever we play, we’re humble and don’t take anything for granted.”

The Hong Kong captain, Yu Hiu-tung, said Host’s exit had “changed nothing for me or my team”.

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