Australian Open: Hyeon becomes 1st South Korean to reach 3rd round

Melbourne  :  Chung Hyeon on Thursday became the first South Korean tennis player to reach the third round at the Australian Open tennis tournament.

The 21-year-old defeated Daniil Medvedev of Russia in straight sets 7-6 (4), 6-1, 6-1 in the season's first Grand Slam tournament, reports Yonhap news agency.

This is Chung's second career appearance in the third round of a major. The 58th-ranked player will take on world No. 4 Alexander Zverev of Germany. He is the younger brother of Mischa Zverev, whom Chung defeated in the first round earlier this week.

Chung beat Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-4 at last year's Barcelona Open, their only meeting as seniors. The German got the better of the South Korean in two meetings as juniors.

In this AFP photo, Chung Hyeon of South Korea hits a shot against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during the men's singles second round of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on Jan. 18, 2018. (Yonhap) In this AFP photo, Chung Hyeon of South Korea hits a shot against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during the men's singles second round of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on Jan. 18, 2018. (Yonhap)

No South Korean man has gone beyond the fourth round at a Grand Slam event. Lee Hyung-taik reached the last 16 in the men's singles at the 2000 U.S. Open and matched that seven years later.

Against Medvedev, Chung needed a tiebreak to take the first set, but it was a smooth sail from there. In the second set, Chung opened a quick 3-0 lead with an array of down-the-line and cross-court shots. Up 4-1, Chung broke Medvedev and took firm control of the match.

At 1-1 in the third set, Chung broke Medvedev on the Russian's double fault and soon went ahead 3-1. Medvedev took himself out of the match with a series of unforced errors.

Chung had 39 winners to Medvedev's 25.

Chung said later he wasn't aware that he'd become the first South Korean to go this deep at the Australian Open, but he's not about to sit back and feel content.

"The tournament isn't over yet, and I will try to stay focused on my next match," he said. "I am happy to have reached the third round at such a big tournament, but I'll try my best to post even better results."