Taiwan tennis player Jason Jung clinched the men’s singles crown at the Kunal Patel San Francisco Open Feb. 11 in the U.S.
The 28-year-old defeated Dominik Koepfer of Germany 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 to win the tournament and US$14,400 in prize money. It was his third Association of Tennis Professionals Challenger Tour title following triumphs in Chengdu and Zhangjiagang, both in mainland China, in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Jung, placed No. 155 in the ATP world rankings, broke his opponents’ serve in the opening game on his way to claiming a highly competitive first set. After Koepfer fought back in the second, the Taiwan athlete edged a nail-biting final set with a 7-5 victory in the tie-breaker.
After capturing the crown, Jung posted on his social media pages that the final was “quite a test” against a tough opponent. “I’m happy with the way I was able to stay composed and not frustrated,” he wrote, adding that the support he received from fans throughout the event meant a lot to him.
The Kunal Patel San Francisco Open is part of the Challenger Tour, the second tier of men’s tennis below the ATP World Tour. Jung, who launched his professional career in 2011, primarily competes in ATP Challenger and International Tennis Federation Futures tournaments.
One of his most notable victories to date came at the Taipei 2017 Summer Universiade, the largest international sporting event ever held in Taiwan. Jung won gold in the men’s singles competition by defeating Hong Seong-chan of South Korea 6-2, 6-4 in the final. (KWS-E)
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