Coup D’Tat in Tennis Court by Cho Yoon-chong

She has never imagined that such a day would come in her life ever since the moment she first grabbed the tennis racket. What she has ever dreamed of was to get a just single win in the main round of Grand Slam, the most famous in the world.

Cho Yoon-chong (23, Samsung Securities), one of the Korea’s female tennis star players, made it to the round of 32, helped in part by the winning spirit from her first major win.

It was the second round of US Open on August 30 in Flushing Meadow, New York, the last major game in this season. WTA’s ranking 106th Cho beat a strong Argentinean opponent ranked 32nd on WTA 2-0 (6-4, 6-4)

Cho said in a telephone interview with our paper, “I couldn’t believe it myself. I have never expected to find myself in the round of 32. I just tried to make my serves and be aggressive. I think that worked.” Cho also said that she felt confident once the first set was over. Thus, she overcame the crisis in the second set, when her opponent was leading 4-3, by winning 3 games in a row.

Thus, Cho advanced to the third round of a major game, the second record made by a female Korean player. She has got close to breaking Lee Hyung-tak’s record. In 2000, Lee got up to the round of 16 in men’s singles. Lee Duk-hee for the first time in the history of Korea’s female tennis advanced to the round of 16 in US Open in 1981. But after that, Park Sung-hee’s 15 advances to major games just ended up in the second round 7 times.

Cho’s achievement is an event considered to leave a mark in the history. In 80s, only 64 players participated in the main rounds. But now it has increased to 128, and those female players are like men in terms of physical conditions and power. Thus, it has become more difficult to win a single game in a round. Against all these disadvantages, Cho landed herself in the round of 32 as the only Asian female player.

The road before Cho, who is challenging a new legend, is not so smooth. She has to take on Monica (US) in seed 6 for the ticket to the round of 16. Monica has grabbed championship 9 times in major games.

Last October, in the second round of Japanese Open, she was beaten by Monica 0-2 (2-6, 3-6). It is clear Cho will face a tough opponent. But, Cho predicted, “I will just do my best. Monica is strong at down-the-lines and serves. So, I will have Monica run a lot, and that way I might win the game.”

Other big players also landed in the round of 32, like Martina Hingis, Jennifer Capriati and Venus Williams in the second seed, who aims at winning her third championship in a row.

In men’s singles, Argaci (US) in seed 6 safely landed in the round of 32 with his wife Graff, also a tennis super star, and his 20-month old son supporting on the stand.

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com