Lee Hyung-taik
Encyclopedia
Hyung-Taik Lee is a retired professional tennis
player from South Korea
. Lee's career-high ranking in singles is World No. 36, which he achieved in August 2007.
, South Korea. He began playing tennis at age nine with a school teacher. After retirement, he is running his own academy named “Lee Hyung Taik Tennis Academy” in Gangwon Province.
. En route to his fourth round appearance against Sampras, Lee defeated Jeff Tarango
, thirteenth seed Franco Squillari
, and 2003 Australian Open
runner-up Rainer Schüttler
.
Tour singles and doubles titles by winning the singles tournament at the Adidas International in Sydney
as a qualifier (beating Juan Carlos Ferrero
in the final) and the doubles tournament at the Siebel Open
in San Jose
(partnering with Belarus
ian Vladimir Voltchkov
).
in five sets, including three tie-breakers. Lee had set points in the third set tie-breakers, but went on to lose the set after an incorrect line call. As Lee went on to win the fourth set the call probably prevented him winning the match against the eventual quarter-finalist.
tournament. In the first round, Lee was forced to five sets before defeating Dominik Hrbatý
. Lee was pit against Guillermo Cañas
, who was the fourteenth seed in the tournament, in the second round. Lee defeated Cañas in three sets, setting up a third round showdown against nineteenth seed Andy Murray. Lee got out to a quick two set advantage against Murray, eventually winning in four sets. In the fourth round, Lee played fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko
, who defeated the Korean in three sets.
His fourth round showing at the US Open capped a very successful open series. During the 2007 US Open Series, Lee reached the semifinals at the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles, the quarterfinals at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships and at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic
.
Lee set personal bests in a handful of categories, including match wins and money earned. Lee won a career-high 25 matches and earned $386,230. Overall, Lee compiled records of 16-15 on hard, 5-5 on clay, 3-3 on grass and 1-0 on carpet. In August, Lee achieved his career best ranking in singles as World No. 36.
He opened the “Lee Hyung Taik Tennis Academy” in the tennis center at Song-ahm Sports Town in Chuncheon
, Gangwon Province
on 12 September 2009.
. The pair reached the third round of the French Open 2005.
, even though the most common surface in Korea is clay court. He was coached by countryman and former ATP professional Yoon Yong-il
(since March 2006).
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player from South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. Lee's career-high ranking in singles is World No. 36, which he achieved in August 2007.
Personal life
Lee was born in a potato-farming village in Hoengseong CountyHoengseong County
Hoengseong County is a county in Gangwon Province, South Korea.The roots of Codonopsis lanceolata , a bonnet bellflower species, play an important role in local agriculture....
, South Korea. He began playing tennis at age nine with a school teacher. After retirement, he is running his own academy named “Lee Hyung Taik Tennis Academy” in Gangwon Province.
2000
Lee made a splash at the 2000 U.S. Open tournament, reaching the fourth round before losing to Pete SamprasPete Sampras
Pete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time....
. En route to his fourth round appearance against Sampras, Lee defeated Jeff Tarango
Jeff Tarango
Jeffrey Gail Tarango is a retired American professional tennis player. He was a top ten doubles player and a French Open doubles runner up, but is mostly remembered for defaulting a match at Wimbledon and his wife assaulting the umpire once Tarango had left the court.-Career summary:Tarango...
, thirteenth seed Franco Squillari
Franco Squillari
Franco Squillari is a former professional male tennis player from Argentina.In his career he has won 3 ATP Tour singles titles and he has reached the semi-finals at the 2000 French Open. He stopped his career in 2005...
, and 2003 Australian Open
2003 Australian Open
The 2003 Australian Open was a tennis tournament held in 2003. It was the first Grand Slam event of the 2003 ATP Tour and the 2003 WTA Tour. It was the 91st edition of the event.-Men's Singles: Andre Agassi def...
runner-up Rainer Schüttler
Rainer Schüttler
Rainer Schüttler is a German professional tennis player, ranked World No. 113 in the ATP rankings. He is the last German player who reached a final in a grand slam tournament....
.
2003
In 2003, Lee became the first Korean to win ATPAssociation of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
Tour singles and doubles titles by winning the singles tournament at the Adidas International in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
as a qualifier (beating Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a professional tennis player, and a former world no. 1 player, from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the 2003 French Open, and in September of that year, he became the 21st player to hold the world no. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002...
in the final) and the doubles tournament at the Siebel Open
SAP Open
The SAP Open is a men's tennis tournament held annually in San Jose, California. It is the second-oldest tennis tournament in the United States, which is still played. It is an ATP World Tour 250 series event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour...
in San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
(partnering with Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
ian Vladimir Voltchkov
Vladimir Voltchkov
Vladimir Nikolayevich Voltchkov is a Belarusian tennis player. Voltchkov reached the semi-final at the 2000 Wimbledon, where, as a qualifer, he lost to Pete Sampras in straight sets...
).
2006
In the second round of the 2006 Wimbledon, Lee was defeated by former champion and two-time semi-finalist Lleyton HewittLleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
in five sets, including three tie-breakers. Lee had set points in the third set tie-breakers, but went on to lose the set after an incorrect line call. As Lee went on to win the fourth set the call probably prevented him winning the match against the eventual quarter-finalist.
2007
Lee matched his best Grand Slam performance in 2007 by making the fourth round of the 2007 U.S. Open2007 U.S. Open (tennis)
The 2007 US Open was held from 27 August to 9 September 2007, at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows, New York City....
tournament. In the first round, Lee was forced to five sets before defeating Dominik Hrbatý
Dominik Hrbatý
Dominik Hrbatý is a retired professional tennis player from Slovakia.-Personal life:Hrbatý was born on 4 January 1978 in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. His father was an architecture engineer and his younger brother is an umpire...
. Lee was pit against Guillermo Cañas
Guillermo Cañas
Guillermo Ignacio Cañas , often referred to as Willy Cañas, is a retired Argentine professional tennis player. He was born in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, and named after Argentine tennis star Guillermo Vilas. His highest singles ranking was 8th . After retirement Cañas took on coaching, he...
, who was the fourteenth seed in the tournament, in the second round. Lee defeated Cañas in three sets, setting up a third round showdown against nineteenth seed Andy Murray. Lee got out to a quick two set advantage against Murray, eventually winning in four sets. In the fourth round, Lee played fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP...
, who defeated the Korean in three sets.
His fourth round showing at the US Open capped a very successful open series. During the 2007 US Open Series, Lee reached the semifinals at the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles, the quarterfinals at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships and at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic
Legg Mason Tennis Classic
The Legg Mason Tennis Classic is an annual late-summer men's tennis tournament played in Washington, D.C. as part of the ATP Tour. It was first held in 1969. It was later known as the Sovran Bank Classic. . Originally an event of the Grand Prix Tennis Tour and part of the Grand Prix Championship...
.
Lee set personal bests in a handful of categories, including match wins and money earned. Lee won a career-high 25 matches and earned $386,230. Overall, Lee compiled records of 16-15 on hard, 5-5 on clay, 3-3 on grass and 1-0 on carpet. In August, Lee achieved his career best ranking in singles as World No. 36.
2009
In the 2008 season, Lee had a disappointing losing streak and eventually fell out of the top 100 ranked tennis players. In 2009, during the Davis cup playoff between Korea and China, Lee announced his retirement after the Davis Cup match where he will play one final time for Korea. Korea beat China 3-2, and Lee retired from pro tennis.He opened the “Lee Hyung Taik Tennis Academy” in the tennis center at Song-ahm Sports Town in Chuncheon
Chuncheon
Chuncheon is the capital of Gangwon Province, South Korea. The city lies in the northeast of the country, located in a basin formed by the Soyang River and Han River. There are some large lakes around the city, most notably Lake Soyang and Lake Uiam...
, Gangwon Province
Gangwon-do (South Korea)
Gangwon-do is a province of South Korea, with its capital at Chuncheon. Before the division of Korea in 1945, Gangwon and its North Korean neighbour Kangwŏn formed a single province.-History:...
on 12 September 2009.
Doubles
Lee has sometimes appeared in doubles with Korean-American player Kevin KimKevin Kim
- External links :* *...
. The pair reached the third round of the French Open 2005.
Playing style
Lee is right-handed and uses a single-handed backhand. He considers his backhand as his best shot. His favorite surface is hardcourtHardcourt
Hardcourt or hard court describes a form of surface or floor on which a sport is played. It may refer to an indoor court made from a wood, or more specifically hardwood such as maple, as in basketball or indoor soccer. Alternatively, it may refer to outdoor materials such as asphalt, shale, or clay...
, even though the most common surface in Korea is clay court. He was coached by countryman and former ATP professional Yoon Yong-il
Yoon Yong-il
Yoon Yong-Il is a former professional South Korean tennis player.Yoon reached his highest individual ranking on the ATP Tour on December 18, 2000, when he became World number 140...
(since March 2006).
Singles: 1 (1-0)
Win (1)| Legend (Singles) |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Masters Series (0) |
| ATP Tour (1) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| 1. | January 6, 2003 | Sydney, Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
Hard |  Juan Carlos FerreroJuan Carlos Ferrero Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a professional tennis player, and a former world no. 1 player, from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the 2003 French Open, and in September of that year, he became the 21st player to hold the world no. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002... |
4–6, 7–6(6), 7–6(4) |
Doubles wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partnering | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | February 10, 2003 |  San JoseSAP Open The SAP Open is a men's tennis tournament held annually in San Jose, California. It is the second-oldest tennis tournament in the United States, which is still played. It is an ATP World Tour 250 series event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour... , United States |
Hard (i) |  Vladimir VoltchkovVladimir Voltchkov Vladimir Nikolayevich Voltchkov is a Belarusian tennis player. Voltchkov reached the semi-final at the 2000 Wimbledon, where, as a qualifer, he lost to Pete Sampras in straight sets... |
Paul Goldstein Robert Kendrick Robert Kendrick Robert Bradley Kendrick is an American tennis player. He turned professional in 1999. His career high single ranking is world no. 69, achieved on July 20, 2009. He was suspended for a year after testing positive at the 2011 French Open for the drug methylhexanamine, which has been banned in sport... |
7–5, 4–6, 6–3 |