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Korean tennis player Chung Hyeon beats world 34th ranking player

Korean tennis player Chung Hyeon beats world 34th ranking player

Posted February. 11, 2016 07:38,   

Updated February. 11, 2016 07:45

한국어
Ranked 69th in the world, South Korean teenager Chung Hyeon met 34th ranked Guillermo García López (Spain) at the men's singles first round at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where he made a come-from-behind victory with 2-1 (5-7, 6-4, 6-4) during the tight fight that lasted for two hours and 43 minutes. López is the highest ranking player Chung has ever won. He had beat then 41st ranking Benoît Paire (France) at the second round in the Winston-Salem Open in August last year.

Chung's latest victory marks a significant meaning. Having ended last year at world's 51st ranking, Chung lost three straight tournaments and his ranking fell to near 70th. This is because the points he earned last year in the lower Challenger class competitions disappeared after a year. If he wants to join the Rio de Janeiro Olympics by his own efforts, Chung needs to retain ranking at around 60th until early June.

By passing on to the round 16, Chung now has 45 points in ranking and has earned 21,470 points for around 21,470 euros (24,200 U.S. dollars) in award. He said, "I'm happy to have grabbed by first win in indoor court. I tried to make rival player who is rally-focused become exhausted and that was effective." Coach Yoon Yong-il said, "Chung made it through with strong mentality. He gained confidence after playing with Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open."



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