After loss in singles, S. Korean player turns focus to doubles at home ATP tournament

All News 16:22 September 29, 2022

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Sept. 29 (Yonhap) -- Having been eliminated in the singles at the ongoing ATP tournament on home court Thursday, South Korean player Kwon Soon-woo now has one last chance to play into the weekend, something he'd set out to do earlier in the week.

Jenson Brooksby of the United States defeated Kwon 6-3, 6-4, in the round of 16 in the singles at the Eugene Korea Open at Olympic Park Tennis Center in Seoul. Kwon, the top-ranked South Korean at No. 121, has not gone beyond the second round all year.

In this Associated Press photo, Kwon Soon-woo of South Korea returns a shot to Jenson Brooksby of the United States during their men's singles round of 16 match at the ATP Eugene Korea Open at Olympic Park Tennis Center in Seoul on Sept. 29, 2022. (Yonhap)

But Kwon is still alive in the tournament, as he is scheduled to play in the quarterfinals of the doubles with Chung Hyeon on Friday.

That match will be against Andre Goransson of Sweden and Ben McLachlan of Japan.

"I am obviously disappointed that I lost today, but this won't be my last match here," Kwon said. "I'll do my best in the next match, and hopefully I will have a better result tomorrow."

Chung is playing at an ATP tournament for the first time in two years, having finally put his nagging back injury behind him. The Chung-Kwon duo rallied past Hans Hach Verdugo of Mexico and Treat Huey of the Philippines for a three-set victory Wednesday, and Kwon said he and his partner are ready to take the next step as Chung regains his feel on the court.

"We didn't have any particular strategy last night, and we just wanted to hit whatever shots we wanted," Kwon said. "Rather than plan things ahead, we will just keep winging it on the court. We'll have more fun that way, and that will lead to good results."

This is the first ATP tournament in Seoul since 1996, and with no South Korean left in the singles, Kwon said he wants to stay in the doubles as long as he can. The finals for both the doubles and the singles are Sunday.

"Since we're playing at home, we want our fans to be able to see Korean players in action as long as possible," Kwon said. "To do that, we have to play on the weekend. Since we got the first win out of the way, I think we will only get better from here."