Seven consecutive wins to claim the title, defeating two Chinese players in a row, Kwon Soon-woo may once again pose a threat to Chinese players.

Nowadays, when mentioning the top Korean tennis player, many netizens immediately think of Kwon Soon-woo. Indeed, he is currently the Korean male player with the most tour titles. Moreover, since 2016, over the past decade, Kwon Soon-woo has repeatedly defeated Chinese male tennis players, becoming a major rival for Chinese men's tennis for a long time. However, after 2024, Kwon Soon-woo’s world ranking gradually declined, even dropping beyond 480 at one point. So, how has this former Korean tennis star been performing recently? Let this article take you through his recent results.

Due to his low world ranking, Kwon Soon-woo had to start from the qualifying rounds of the Fanche Challenger, which is only a 50-level event—the lowest tier of challengers. Considering that this player once reached the third round of a Grand Slam, it is somewhat regrettable. In the first round of qualifiers, Kwon Soon-woo defeated the sixth seed, French player C Denolly, who was nearly 100 places higher in the rankings, with a score of 6–2, 6–3. Notably, this was Kwon’s first win in the 2026 season, proving he still possesses considerable ability.

In the final qualifying round, Kwon Soon-woo faced Chinese player Cui Jie. Last season, Cui Jie reached the final of a challenger event. The match began with Kwon resisting Cui’s attacks and winning the set through a tiebreak; in the second set, he secured a 6–4 victory, earning the match win and advancing to the main draw of the Fanche Challenger. It’s worth mentioning this was the first time in three years that Kwon defeated a Chinese male tennis player.

In the first round, Kwon Soon-woo’s opponent was the post-2005 Chinese player Zhou Yi. Last season, Zhou not only broke his losing streak in overseas challenger main draws but also reached two challenger finals. However, in this match, Kwon gave Zhou a thorough lesson, sweeping him with two 6–2 sets. This marked Kwon’s first main draw challenger victory in the 2026 season and allowed him to advance smoothly to the next round.

In the second round, Kwon Soon-woo handed a 6–1, 6–1 defeat to the relatively unknown German wildcard entrant N Barsukov, reaching the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, Kwon faced German qualifier Rehberg, who had just won the Oslo Hope tournament recently and was in high spirits. After taking the first set 6–2, Rehberg fought back in the second set to push it to a tiebreak. Fortunately, Kwon held his nerve, won the tiebreak, secured his fifth consecutive victory, and advanced to the semifinals.

In the semifinals, he delivered a 6–0 "bagel" in the first set, and in the second set, while leading, his opponent, Frenchman L Marmousez, retired from the match. Kwon advanced to the final, just one step away from the championship.

In the final, Kwon Soon-woo faced Russian player Simakin, who was reaching a challenger final for the third time in his career. Kwon won in straight sets, claiming his first challenger title of the 2026 season. This was also his first championship win in three years.

By winning this title, he boosted his world ranking by nearly two hundred places, reclaiming his position as Korea’s top player. With Kwon’s strong comeback, will he become the main rival for Chinese men’s tennis going forward? What are your thoughts, netizens? That’s the tennis story for today; more to come tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)