LONG ISLAND (December 5, 2017) – The ATP World Tour’s No. 1 Under-21 player and South Korea’s greatest tennis export, Hyeon Chung, has committed to play the inaugural New York Open tournament at NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island, which takes place Feb. 11-18. Chung will play his first match on Tuesday, February 13 during the evening session.
Chung most recently won the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, the newest ATP Tour championship which featured the eight best 21-and-under players based on their 2017 results. Chung defeated Canada’s No. 2 Denis Shapovalov, and Andrey Rublev of Russia in the finals. He also reached the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open in April where he lost to eventual champion and world No. 1 Rafael Nadal. Chung turned pro in 2014 and won three Futures tournaments, the Bangkok Open, and he was a member of the South Korea Davis Cup team that year.
Hyeon Chung (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)
“I’m excited to compete in the first-ever New York Open tennis tournament along with some of the biggest names is tennis,” said Chung. “I am training hard after a big win in Milan and am looking forward to continuing that momentum on Long Island.”
Chung joins top 25 players John Isner, Bob and Mike Bryan, and Kei Nishikori in the tournament’s main draw. The week-long tournament will debut with an Opening Night exhibition featuring tennis legend John McEnroe, 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, James Blake, and Eugenie Bouchard. The New York Open will mark the return of the ATP World Tour to the New York metropolitan area and Long Island since 2005.
“We are thrilled to have Hyeon secured for the New York Open not only because he is arguably the best young player in the world as evidenced by what he won in Milan, but he will be a major attraction for the Korean community here in the New York area,” said Tournament Director Josh Ripple. “The tennis world believes Hyeon is the next big story in the sport, and we are pleased to bring him to the market for people to see.”
–Z. Smith, NY Open
Tennis Atlantic 