Hyeon Chung, No. 58 in the ATP Rankings, and Tennys Sandgren, No. 97, will play in the Australian Open quarter-finals. Raise your hand if you had that penciled into your men's draw before the fortnight began.
Yeah, didn't think so.
The unlikely runs of Chung and Sandgren have captivated audiences across the globe, as Koreans and Americans have clung to their computers and televisions to cheer on their respective compatriot.
Chung became the first South Korean – male or female – to reach a quarter-final of a Grand Slam when he upset 14th seed and six-time former champion Novak Djokovic in the fourth round.
“I'm just looking for Novak, Roger, Rafa. They're all my role models, my idols. I'm just happy to play with Novak again. I'm just honoured to see him again on the tour. Today my dreams come true,” Chung said after the win.
The 26-year-old Sandgren, who's playing in only his third Grand Slam, became the second man in the past 20 years to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals on debut. Nicolas Escude reached the quarter-finals on debut in 1998, and Alexandr Dolgopolov also made the quarter-finals during his first appearance in 2011.
“This is definitely surprising for me because normally when I make like a little bit of a jump, I feel like I'm hitting my head against a wall until I get a breakthrough. It takes a while,” said Sandgren, who hadn't won a Grand Slam match before this tournament. “Normally my better results, for me at least, take time. This kind of hasn't. It's taken a lot of time going into it, but to get all your wins in one sitting is strange. I'm grateful for that. I'm very grateful for that.”
View FedEx ATP Head2Head for the following quarter-finals match-ups at the Australian Open & vote for the players you think will win!
Federer v Berdych | Chung v Sandgren
[GROUP POLL]100[/GROUP POLL]
Chung and Sandgren have played only once before in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. Earlier this month, Chung advanced 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in the second round of the ASB Classic in Auckland.
The match propelled Chung to his sixth ATP World Tour quarter-final, when he fell against fellow Melbourne quarter-finalist Kyle Edmund. But the experience also boosted Sandgren.
“I think a big deal was playing Chung in Auckland,” Sandgren said when asked about a turning point during the past year or two in his career. “I feel like we had a tight contest. I feel like I had to raise my game to even compete with him on the court. I think that helped me a lot going into this week, seeing I could play a good level.”
The Tennessee native has had to raise his game throughout the Australian Open, and he has. Sandgren advanced in straight sets against French veteran Jeremy Chardy in his opener before needing only three more sets to upset 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka.
In a battle of first-time third-rounders, Sandgren outplayed German Maximilian Marterer before shocking fifth seed Dominic Thiem 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-7(7), 6-3.
“Each match,” Sandgren said, “I kind of feel like I'm getting more confidence, sure of the things I'm good at.”
Chung has also had to find a level he had never accessed in the past. The 21-year-old, who won the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan last November, drew 2017 Australian Open quarter-finalist Mischa Zverev in the first round, but Zverev had to retire because of a viral illness after only 13 games.
Sydney International champion Daniil Medvedev was next, but Chung had little trouble, and he faced another rising star on the ATP World Tour in 20-year-old Alexander Zverev.
When the draw was announced, fans and pundits circled a potential fourth-round contest between Zverev and Djokovic. But Chung eliminated that idea, coming back from two sets to one down to win 5-7, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 against Zverev.
Neither Chung nor Sandgren had reached a fourth round of a Grand Slam before this Australian Open. By Thursday, one will be a Grand Slam semi-finalist.
Did You Know?
Chung is ninth in the Infosys ATP Stats Leaderboards Return Category for the past 52 weeks, with a return rating of 153.2. Learn more.