Chung’s odds shorten
Punters rush as Korean sets his sights the crown
A $251 bolter pre-tournament, Korean wrecking ball Hyeon Chung is one match away from the Australian Open final.
The bespectacled baseliner’s giant-killing run shows no sign of ending after a comfortable 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 quarterfinal win over unseeded American Tennys Sandgren.
With wins over six-time champion Novak Djokovic, world No.4 Alexander Zverev and Sydney champion Daniil Medvedev, the world No.58 is the hottest player in the draw.
Easily bettering his grand slam best – a third-round appearance at last year’s French Open – the 21-year-old said he was running on adrenaline.
“I think I’m not tired because I win. When I win a match against a top player, I’m never tired,” he said.
“I’m just happy.
“I make the semis, I beat Sascha (Zverev), Novak, the others. I’ve never played in the second week in a grand slam, so I’m really surprised.”
Chung has now firmed to $6.50 third favourite.
He is the first Korean to reach a grand slam semi-final.
At No.58, he is the lowestranked man to make the last four of the Open since Russian Marat Safin in 2004.
Chung took up tennis after a doctor recommended peering at a green court would help his weak eyesight.
Quickly marked out as a player of rare quality, the Korean showed glimpses of his best last season before winning the Next-Gen Finals in Milan.
Wins over Denis Shapovalov, Andrey Rublev and Medvedev gave Chung self-belief.
At 21 and 254 days, Chung is also the youngest men’s grand slam semi-finalist since Marin Cilic in Melbourne in 2010.
Sandgren, 26, was far from disgraced. Having failed on 13 previous occasions to qualify, the American had never won a match at the majors.
But with wins over 2014 champ Stan Wawrinka, fifth seed Dominic Thiem, Maximilian Marterer and Jeremy Chardy, the American earned more than $400,000.