Tennis Beauty Kim Ji-eun Expects a Successful Year

Tennis beauty Kim Ji-eun (25, Nonghyup) is one of the many stars born through the Dong-A Ilbo-sponsored nationwide tennis championship, which has the longest history of it kind in South Korea.

Last year she became the first player to win three medals simultaneously, winning the team competition, doubles, and singles. In last December she participated in the Asian Games held in Doha, Qatar and won gold medals in the team competition and mixed doubles.

In the 85th year of the competition, she played despite her injury and led the Nonghyup team to the final four.

In the preliminary match for the female team competition (2 singles and 3 doubles matches), Kim Ji-eun participated with a new partner, Lee Bok-soon and defeated the Seok Gyeong-sook and Kim Il-hwa team of the Gyeongnam Athletic Association, 4-2.

She still has not recovered from an injury to both feet that has nagged her since the Asian Games, but still led her team to its first victory with skillful control and strong strokes. Nonghyup defeated the Gyeongnam Athletic Association, 3-0, with Lee Jae-eun winning the second singles competition and Park Jin-ah and Lee Ju-ri winning the third doubles match.

Nonghyup, an elite tennis team, is looking for its fourth straight Dong-A title for the first time since 1984 when it achieved 5 successive victories.

“The pain is still there but I did my best because the first game is very important. I really want to achieve a fourth successive victory,” says Kim Ji-eun.

In this tourney action, Daegu Bank, with Park Yeong-hee returning from Japan, defeated Okcheon-gun, 3-1 in a preliminary match.

In the men’s competition, the Dalseong-gun team defeated the Changnyeong-gun Team, 3-0 with the help of Lee Won-hak, a national team player.

kjs0123@donga.com