A thread on Hyeon Chung’s brilliant run at the 2018 AO

Chung went into the tournament unseeded, but left as the first Korean player to make a major semifinal.

After his opponent retired midway through his first-round match, Chung crushed Daniil Medvedev in the 2nd round.

Chung’s backhand sparkled throughout the tournament. He would go on to win this match 7-6 (4), 6-1, 6-1 against a player who would make a major final and crack the top five not two years later.

Chung’s run started turning heads in the third round, where he toppled the fourth-seeded Zverev from a set down and two sets to one down.

Check out the speed and flexibility here. Zverev already had his hand up to apologize for the net cord, yet Chung got to the ball and won the point. He’d eventually crush Zverev in the fifth set, 6-0.

In the fourth round, Chung clashed with then-six-time champion Novak Djokovic. Djokovic had an elbow injury and was struggling with his serve, but this was a high-quality match.

Chung played tennis reminiscent of Djokovic himself at many stages, impressing the crowd with his flexibility and defense.

Chung did a fantastic job here of repelling a pretty good inside-out backhand from Djokovic. Slams a winner down the line on the run.

As the match wore on, Chung began to do to Djokovic what Djokovic usually did to his opponents: frustrate with his ability to defend relentlessly. The sliding get to the forehand is totally Djokovician here. Goes into a split, then gets back into position and nails the pass.

Another spectacular defensive effort from Chung. Amazingly, he won this match in straight sets, saving 14 of 19 break points.

Chung played Tennys Sandgren in the quarterfinals, who had just beaten Dominic Thiem and was enjoying an improbable run of his own.

Chung showed a willingness to come to net throughout the tournament, and did so here to great effect.

Chung grabbed the second set with a gutsy, pretty low-percentage forehand down the line. The game he brought to the 2018 AO was so complete. He could finish points consistently off both wings, could volley, and defended extremely well. He’d win this match in straight sets.

Unfortunately, nasty blisters on Chung’s feet forced him to retire to eventual champion Roger Federer in the semifinal. Still, he had made an incredible run to the last four.

Chung’s ranking made it all the way up to #19 in May of 2018, but injuries have plagued him over the past couple years. He had to pull out of the 2020 AO qualifying with a hand injury. He had a solid US Open last year, beating Fernando Verdasco from 1-6, 2-6 and MP down before...

...losing to eventual champion Rafael Nadal in the third round.

Chung is 24, and has time to rediscover the fitness and form he showed at the 2018 Australian Open. But he will need to stay healthy, and he is currently #142 in the ATP rankings.

Can Chung get back into the top 20, or better? Let me know your thoughts!

Thanks for reading. Here are the full highlight videos of Chung’s matches I used the clips from:

R2:
R3:
R4:

QF:
SF:

Lastly, check out this rally!