Kwon Soon-woo rises to 57th in world tennis rankings after first ATP Tour title

All News 14:40 September 27, 2021

SEOUL, Sept. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korean tennis player Kwon Soon-woo has achieved a career high in the latest men's world rankings after winning his first ATP Tour title this week.

Kwon moved up 25 spots to reach 57th from a week earlier in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) world rankings released Monday.

It beat his previous career high of No. 69 from March last year.

The on-week jump in the world rankings came as Kwon claimed his maiden ATP Tour title at the Astana Open on Sunday.

He defeated the 65th-ranked James Duckworth in the final of the tournament held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, becoming the first South Korean champion on the world's top tennis circuit since retired player Lee Hyung-taik in 2003.

Kwon is currently the second-highest-ranked Asian player in men's singles behind 52nd-ranked Japanese player Kei Nishikori. The highest-ranking position by a South Korean player was set by Chung Hyun, a surprise semifinalist at the 2018 Australian Open, who reached No. 19 that year.

Kwon will move to California to compete in the ATP Tour San Diego Open later this week.