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| Kwon Soon-woo of South Korea plays a backhand return to Christopher Eubanks of the U.S. during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday. AP-Yonhap |
South Korean Kwon Soon-woo was knocked out of the first round at the Australian Open on Monday, unable to build on the momentum from a historic victory two days earlier.
Christopher Eubanks of the United States outlasted Kwon 6-3, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 at Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne to open the first Grand Slam tournament of 2023.
On Saturday, Kwon won the Adelaide International 2 for his second career ATP title. He became the first South Korean with multiple ATP victories, breaking a tie with the retired Lee Hyung-taik.
Kwon also jumped 32 spots to reach No. 52 in the latest world rankings released earlier Monday, matching a career high set in November 2021.
But Kwon couldn't get past 116th-ranked Eubanks in their three-hour marathon. Kwon's semifinal and final matches in Adelaide had both lasted over two hours and 40 minutes, despite being a three-set affair.
Kwon's fastest serve on Monday clocked at 197 kilometers per hour, down from 210 kph in Adelaide. Eubanks dominated the serve game with 42 aces, compared to just 10 by Kwon, while also beating Kwon in winners, 83-32. (Yonhap)
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