Hyeon Chung becomes first player to reach last four of Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan
Wednesday 8 November 2017 17:36, UK
Hyeon Chung became the first player to book his ticket to the semi-finals of the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan on Wednesday.
The South Korean world No 54 made it two wins out of two in the round robin format being used in the inaugural edition of the under-21 version of the ATP Tour finals.
The tournament, live on Sky Sports, consists of an eight-man field, which features the world's top seven 21-and-under singles players, plus an Italian wild card.
Chung, 21, beat Russia's top seed Andrey Rublev 4-0, 4-1, 4-3 (7/1) on Wednesday in their Group A match after securing a comeback victory over Canadian Denis Shapovalov on Tuesday.
"The score looks easy, but it was not easy on the court. Every point was a fight," said Chung, who is guaranteed of finishing top of the group.
Rublev, the world No 37, secured his first ATP title in Umag this year, had won his opener against Italian wildcard Gianluigi Quinzi and despite his second-day defeat, can still make the semi-finals on Thursday when he plays world No 51 Shapovalov, who reached the US Open fourth round.
Karen Khachanov responded to losing against compatriot Daniil Medvedev in four sets to overcome Jared Donaldson 4-1 4-3(3) 4-2 and maintain his hopes of reaching the last four from Group B.
The Russian world No 45 was the dominant player from the baseline, hitting 22 winners using his powerful forehand to particular effect while the highest-ranked 21-and-under American only managed 10.
The season-ending extravaganza ATP Finals at London's O2 in November ends another memorable year which will be covered via our website www.skysports.com/tennis with live blogs and updates as the season reaches its climax.
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