Mun Hye-gyeong wins women's singles gold in soft tennis

Korean soft tennis player Mun Hye-gyeong plays during the Asian Games at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Tennis Centre in Hangzhou, China, Oct. 5. Yonhap

Korea's Mun Hye-gyeong struck gold in the women's singles event in soft tennis at the Asian Games, Saturday, bringing the country its first soft tennis title in China.

Mun defeated Noa Takahashi of Japan 4-0 (4-2, 4-2, 4-0, 4-0) at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Tennis Centre in Hangzhou.

Before Mun's breakthrough, Korea previously won bronze medals in the men's and women's team events, mixed doubles and men's singles.

In soft tennis, the first player to claim four games is the match winner, with each game requiring four points for a win.

Mun barely broke a sweat against Takahashi, needing just 13 minutes to win her required four games.

Mun had earlier won bronze medals in the women's team and the mixed doubles events. The 26-year-old is the first Korean women's singles champion in soft tennis since 2014.

Soft tennis joined the Asian Games in 1994, and Mun's lone gold represents Korea's lowest gold medal total at a single Asiad.

Earlier Saturday, Yoon Hyoung-wook of Korea lost to Chang Yu Sung of Chinese Taipei in a seven-game battle in the men's singles semifinals. Korea's winning streak in the men's singles was snapped at three.

Korea swept up all seven soft tennis titles in 2014, and won two out of five gold medals available in 2018. (Yonhap)