Chung Hyeon's comeback starts with doubles win

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Published: 28 Sep. 2022, 20:26 Updated: 28 Sep. 2022, 20:33

Chung Hyeon's comeback starts with doubles win

Chung Hyeon, left, and Kwon Soon-woo react after winning their round of 16 game against Hans Hach Verdugo and Treat Huey at the Korea Open on center court of the Olympic Park Tennis Center in southern Seoul on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Class is back in session, at least for now, as Chung "The Professor" Hyeon returned to the court for the first time in two years on Wednesday to win his opening doubles game at the Korea Open, partnering up with Korean No. 1 Kwon Soon-woo.

With the win, two Korean pairs are through to the doubles quarterfinals, with Chung and Kwon narrowly beating Hans Hach Verdugo of Mexico and Treat Conrad Huey of the Philippines in a tiebreaker in the round of 16 on Wednesday evening, a few hours after Nam Ji-sung and Song Min-kyu saw off Robert Galloway and Alex Lawson of the United States.

While No. 92 Verdugo and No. 103 Huey are both specialist doubles players, Kwon and Chung entered the doubles tournament as wildcards. Kwon is ranked at No. 288 in the world in doubles while Chung, having not played a game since October 2020, does not have a ranking at all.

The two Koreans looked confident in the first set but a lack of cohesive teamwork saw them quickly taken apart by the professional doubles pair, conceding the first set 6-2 in just 25 minutes.

But Kwon and Chung seemed to have found their grove in the second set, breaking their opponents' serve for the first time in the third game and going on to win the set 6-2.

With the score tied at one set each, the match was stretched to a 10-point tiebreaker. The two pairs exchanged points to 8-8, but the Koreans emerged victorious in the end.

Treat Huey, left, and Hans Hach Verdugo confer during a doubles match against Kwon Soon-woo and Chung Hyeon on center court at the Olympic Park Tennis Center in southern Seoul on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Chung Hyeon lunges for the ball during a doubles game with Kwon Soon-woo in the round of 16 at the Korea Open. The Korean pair were facing Hans Hach Verdugo and Treat Huey on center court at the Olympic Park Tennis Center in southern Seoul on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Wednesday's game was particularly notable because it marked the long-awaited return of Chung to the court. Chung is not only the former Korean No. 1, but was once one of the most promising players Korea have ever produced, famously beating Novak Djokovic in 2018 in an Australian Open campaign that saw him become the first Korean ever to reach a Grand Slam semifinal.

But injuries quickly derailed Chung's career, and he tumbled down the ranking over the following two years before finally hanging up his racket — at the time seemingly for good — at the end of 2020.

“I wasn’t at my best honestly because it’s been such a long time since I competed,” said Chung. “My perspective was too narrow and I know even better now after this match that I will need to spend much more time on the court to get back on form. I depended on Kwon very much for this one but I am really happy to have earned another chance to compete in front of such a great crowd.”

But while Kwon and Chung took the spotlight, Korean pair Nam and Song also earned their spot in the quarterfinals after beating Galloway and Lawson, also fighting through a tiebreaker that ended at 11-9, two points in the Koreans’ favor.

Nam and Song will next face second seed Nicolas Barrientos of Columbia and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela of Mexico in the quarterfinals.

Kwon and Chung will face fourth seed Andre Goransson of Sweden and Ben Mclachlan of Japan in the quarterfinals. Before that, Kwon will have to face eighth seed Jenson Brooksby of the United States on Thursday in his men’s singles round of 16 match.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]