Chung continues stunning run
Unseeded Korean faces champ Federer in semis
MELBOURNE: Roger Federer accounted for a long-time rival to set up a semi-final against Next Gen champion Chung Hyeon at the Australian Open.
Defending champion Federer’s 7-6 (7/1), 6-3, 6-4 win over Tomas Berdych last night extended his winning streak to 14 in Australian Open quarter-finals and to nine in that personal duel. The 19-time major winner leads that head-to-head contest 20-6, including all five meetings at Melbourne Park.
The 36-year-old Swiss star overcame a shaky start, dropping his opening service game and uncharacteristically challenging the chair umpire because of a technological fault.
“I had to get a bit lucky. A bit angry. A bit frustrated maybe at the umpire,” Federer said. “Anyway, glad to get out of that first set. It was key to the match.
“That first set could have gone either way. He deserved it, actually. I stole that one a little bit.”
Chung became the first Korean to make a Grand Slam tennis semi-final when he beat No.97-ranked Tennys Sandgren 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 in the afternoon match on Rod Laver Arena.
The 21-year-old Chung hadn’t let up when upsetting No.4 Alexander Zverev or six-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic en route to the quarter-finals, but he let his guard down in the last game and needed six match points and to fend off two break points to hold off Sandgren.
“In last game, I think at 40-love... if I win one more point, I make history in Korea. I have to think about the ceremony, something,” he said, explaining how he got slightly ahead of himself. “After deuce, break point. I was like, no, nothing to do with ceremony. But just keep playing — keep focused.’’
Then he fully embraced the moment, joking in an on-court TV interview, introducing the audience to his parents and his coach, and taking the microphone to speak in Korean to millions of new tennis fans back home.
“I think all the people is watching Australian Open now because we make history in Korea,” he said.
The No.58-ranked Chung is the lowestranked man to reach the Australian Open semi-finals since Marat Safin in 2004. He’s also the youngest to reach the last four at a major since Marin Cilic did it here in 2010.
With Chung already through, and Kyle Edmund playing No.6 Cilic in the other half of the draw, it’s the first time since 1999 that multiple unseeded players have reached the Australian Open semifinals.
Federer said he has been impressed with the way the two unseeded players have progressed, particularly Chung’s run.
“To beat Novak on this court is particularly difficult. He’s incredibly impressive in his movement, reminds me obviously a lot of Novak,” Federer said. “He’s clearly got nothing to lose. I will tell myself the same and we’ll see what happens.”
Chung’s big wins over Zverev and Djokovic have drawn extra attention to a player who last November won the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals title.
He was too consistent for Sandgren, a 26-year-old American who had never won a match at a Grand Slam tournament or beaten a top-10 player until last week. YESTERDAY’S RESULTS Men’s singles quarter-finals Chung Hyeon (KOR) bt Tennys Sandgren (USA) 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3; Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Tomas Berdych (CZE x19) 7-6 (7/1), 6-3, 6-5 Women’s singles quarter-finals Simona Halep (ROM x1) bt Karolina Pliskova (CZE x6) 6-3, 6-2; Angelique Kerber (GER x21) bt Madison Keys (USA x17) 6-1, 6-2 ORDER OF PLAY (Play begins at 7am Thai time) Rod Laver Arena Storm Sanders/Marc Polmans (AUS) v Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez/Marcelo Demoliner (ESP/BRA)
Not before 10am
Elise Mertens (BEL) v Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x2)
Not before noon
Simona Halep (ROM x1) v Angelique Kerber (GER x21)
Not before 3:30pm
Marin Cilic (CRO x6) v Kyle Edmund (GBR)
Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA x6) v Juan Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah (COL x11)