Can Kwon Soon-woo (84th, Dangjin City Hall), the leading man in Korean men’s tennis, reach the top of the men’s professional tennis (ATP) tour for the second time in his life? Due to the good fortune of participating in the finals as a ‘lucky loser’, he is on the rise, beating a player within the top 20 of the world rankings for the first time in his life.
On the 14th in Adelaide, Australia, Kwon Sun-woo will face world number 26 Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain) in the final of the second round of the ATP Tour Adelaide International (total prize money: $642,735). From the first confrontation, the two will compete on the big stage.
The previous day, Kwon Soon-woo won 2-1 (7-6<8-6> 6-7<2-7> 6-3) after a 2 hour and 45 minute battle with 21-year-old Jack Draper (40th place) from England. He took revenge for a 0-2 complete loss in the first round of the 1st Adelaide International.
Kwon Soon-woo advanced to the tour finals in about a year and four months after the Astana Open in September 2021. At that time, Kwon Soon-woo had won his first tour title in his life. 먹튀검증
Bautista Agood, 35, is a veteran nine years older than Kwon Soon-woo. He reached the top of the tour 10 times in his career, and reached the ATP Tour world rankings at 9th, his personal best, including reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2019 at the age of 32. With elaborate strokes and clever game management, he is showing the dignity of an old man and is producing steady results. It is a tough opponent for Kwon Soon-woo.
However, Kwon Soon-woo is showing great momentum in this tournament. Initially, Kwon Soon-woo lost to Tomas Machachi (115th place, Czech Republic) in the second round of the preliminary round, but luckily, there were players who did not participate in the final round, so he was able to advance to the final round. Although he was a lucky loser, Kwon Soon-woo caused a stir by catching Pablo Carreño Busta (15th, Spain) in the round of 16. In the semifinals, he beat Draper, who was completely defeated in the last tournament, and is riding the momentum.
First of all, Kwon Soon-woo is expected to raise his world ranking to 66th next week by advancing to the final. After this tournament, Kwon Soon-woo will go to the Australian Open, the first major tournament this year, which will open on the 16th.
The finals featuring Kwon Soon-woo will be broadcast live on tvN Sports from 4:30 p.m. It remains to be seen whether Soon-Woo Kwon will go to the Australian Open in the best mood.