Chung hoping Melbourne run sparks Korean tennis boom

SEOUL: Chung Hyeon hopes his surprise run to the Australian Open semi-finals will give South Korean tennis a shot in the arm and the 21-year-old said his next target was breaking into the top 10 in the world rankings.

Chung, who beat six-time champion Novak Djokovic in the fourth round at Melbourne Park last week, was forced to retire from his last four clash with eventual champion Roger Federer due to blistered feet on Friday.

Chung rose from 58th in the world to 29th when the latest rankings were released on Monday, the highest position ever achieved by a Korean player.“I really want a place in the top 10 now,” Yonhap News quoted Chung as saying.“I’m setting my sights on something high and going after it.“Tennis isn’t a popular sport here right now but I want it to become popular,” he added.