‘We’ve made history in Korea’: Chung Hyeon’s stunning run continues into Australian Open semi-finals
The 21-year-old sees off American Tennys Sandgren and could next face defending champion Roger Federer in the last four
Serving for a spot in the Australian Open semi-finals and with the score at 40-love, Chung Hyeon started thinking how he might celebrate being the first Korean to reach the last four of a grand slam.
Not so fast. He hadn’t let up when upsetting No 4 Alexander Zverev or six-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic en route to the quarter-finals, but he let his guard down for a few points against No 97-ranked Tennys Sandgren.
He missed four match points in the last game and had to fend off two break points, including one in a 31-shot rally dominated by slice backhands, before finally beating Sandgren 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-3 at Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday.
“In last game, I think at 40-love … if I win one more point, I make history in Korea. I have to think about the ceremony, something,” he said, explaining how he got slightly ahead of himself.
“After deuce, break point. I was like, no, nothing to do with ceremony. But just keep playing – keep focused.”
Then he fully embraced the moment, joking with Jim Courier in an on-court television interview, introducing the audience to his parents and his coach, and taking the microphone to speak in Korean to millions of new tennis fans back home.