Pune: Hyeon Chung, one of the most promising talents in the world of tennis, has confirmed his presence for the second edition of Tata Open Maharashtra.
The World no. 26 is expected to be a top draw at the ATP 250 event to be played at MSLTA School of Tennis in Balewadi.
The 22-year old from South Korea made waves at 2018 Australian Open where on his way to semifinal against Roger Federer he stunned world No 5 Alex Zverev in Round of 32. But what created ripples was handing six-time Melbourne Park winner and his idol Novak Djokovic a straight sets loss in the round of 16.
However, he had to retire from the semifinals against Federer due to blisters. But then he had created history already by becoming first player from South Korea to go past fourth round of a Grand Slam.
Chung started the year ranked No. 58 and by April he climbed to a career high ranking of 19, mostly due to his unprecedented run at Australian Open.
Tata Open Maharashtra Tournament Director Prashant Sutar was excited to sign the Korean as one of the first players for the event. “Chung is one of the most exciting talents in tennis today. His consistent run across various tour events, including Australian Open, since winning the inaugural Next Gen ATP Tour Finals last year has makes him a player to watch out for this time at Tata Open Maharashtra,” said Sutar.
It was November 2017 when he announced his arrival winning the inaugural ATP Next Gen Championships in Milan. Chung went 5-0 in his campaign to win his first ATP World Tour title. What was remarkable about this achievement was it was his first final appearance in an ATP World Tour event and he went all the way.
Tata Open Maharashtra gets underway on December 29 when the qualifiers will take place on the first two days before the main draw will start from December 31, till the final on January 5.
