S. Korea flexes muscles, shuts out Pacific Oceania

Top seed South Korea overpowered Pacific Oceania in the opening singles of the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group II semifinals held yesterday at the Olympic Tennis Court in Seoul.

Team captain Jeff Race of the CNMI has some tough decisions to make as the islanders enter today’s doubles match against the East Asian powerhouse needing a win to keep their flickering hopes alive.

Pacific Oceania’s No. 1 player Michael Leong of the Solomon Islands was shutout in the opening set by 18-year-old Sun-Young Kim, but played much better as the match went on, but not enough to beat the Seoul native, who won in four sets, 6-0, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

West Nott of Marshall Islands, designated the team’s No. 2 players also had his hands full against Woong-Sun Jun in the second singles match of the day.

The former Georgia Tech standout matched Jun point for point in the first two sets, but had nothing to show for it. The 23-year-old eventually succumbed to the South Korean teen’s power and lost the game in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4, 6-1.

Oceania Tennis Federation executive officer Patrick O’Rourke said the team fought gallantly against a very skilled South Korean team.

“Pacific Oceania battled for a combined total of five and a half hours against top seeds Korea only to lose both singles rubbers on the opening day in Seoul,” he said. “Michael Leong was first on court against Korea’s No. 2 singles player Sun-Yong Kim and went down. West Nott then took the court for his first Davis Cup match and despite some excellent play was outgunned by the very tall Korea No. 1, Woon-Sun Jun.”

Race has the longstanding doubles pair of Juan Langton of Western Samoa and Brett Baudinet of Cook Islands on standby against Jun and Oh-Hee Kwon in the lone doubles match today. He, however, has the option of fielding Leong and Nott, probably his two best players, to try and salvage a 2-1 score going into the third and final day for the reverse singles.

That move, however, comes with its own pitfalls, as the pairing of Leong and Nott is not a tested doubles tandem like Langton and Baudinet, who have been playing doubles together for a couple of years now.

The Davis Cup tie between Pacific Oceania and South Korea resumes today with the doubles match starting at 1pm.