Former world no. 19 Hyeon Chung has not competed on the ATP Tour since 2019! Plagued with injuries and surgeries, the Korean hit rock bottom a couple of times, jeopardizing his career but never giving up.
The 28-year-old entered six tournaments in the closing stages of 2024 and gained confidence ahead of 2025. The former Australian Open semi-finalist started the new season with the Futures title in Bali. Hyeon earned another trophy this week.
The Korean competed at the M15 Nishi-Tokyo Futures in Japan and bested five rivals in straight sets. Chung dropped 19 games in ten sets and lifted a trophy in style. Hyeon lost the final in China last week and fixed that in Japan.
The former world no. 19 needs one more good result to find himself in the top-500 for the first time since July 2022! Hyeon started his Nishi-Tokyo campaign with a commanding 6-2, 6-0 victory overYusuke Kusuhara.
The Aussie Tai Leonard Sach suffered identical loss in the second round, with the Korean dominating on serve and return to sail into the quarter-final. Another Aussie,Moerani Bouzige, challenged Chung the most. The more experienced player prevailed 6-4, 6-3 to book his place in the last four.
The Korean served well in the opener and grabbed a late break in game ten for 6-4. Hyeon raced into a 5-0 lead in the second set and held in game nine to remain on the title course.Hikaru Shiraishi stood no chance in the semi-final.
Chung earned a 6-2, 6-2 victory after another fine display. The Korean lost serve once and kept the pressure on the other side. He stole the rival's serve two times in the opening set for 6-2. They traded early breaks in the second set before Hyeon shifted into a higher gear.
The 28-year-old rattled off four games at 2-2, sailing into the title clash. He facedTakuya Kumasaka in the final and secured a 6-4, 6-0 victory in an hour and 31 minutes to lift a trophy. Chung played against four break points and defended three.
The Korean provided five breaks, earning an early advantage in the opener and serving a bagel in set number two. Hyeon made a flying start and generated two breaks for a 3-0 advantage. Kumasaka pulled one break back and created two break chances at 4-5.
Chung denied them and held for 6-4 and a massive boost. The Japanese got broken at 15 in the first game of the second set. The Korean repeated that in the third game to open a 3-0 gap. Hyeon denied a break point in the fourth game and extended the lead.
The former world no. 19 denied the opponent's three game points in the next one and notched another break for a 5-0 advantage. Chung served for the title in game six and held at 30, celebrating his second Futures title of the season.
