The Boy Wonder of tennis
The past year has been sort of an up and down struggle for newly minted CNMI boys 18-and-under No. 1 Jung Mun Chung.
The 17-year-old Korean said he experienced the highs and lows of his tennis career starting with the Northern Pacific Qualifying Event exactly a year ago.
“I participated in the NPQ and played the worst tennis of my life. NPQ is a very big tournament, which may qualify one to participate in the bigger ITF tournament in Fiji. Of course, with the bad tennis I played, I was not able to qualify.”
More than a month later, Chung set out to what turned out to be the biggest break so far of his young tennis career.
With the stinging loss in the NPQ still fresh in his mind, the Marianas Baptist Academy student joined his coach Jeff Race, CNMI’s top player Todd Montgomery, lady No. 1 Kana Aikawa, and doubles specialist Peter Sinclair in the 2003 South Pacific Games in Suva, Fiji.
Chung surprised everyone, not the least himself, by playing his best tennis ever in the quadrennial event. He went on to win two matches – his first round singles match against Piniela Finikaso of Tuvalu and then teamed up with Sinclair to beat Solomon Islands’ Rodney Kalisalo and Junior Kari in a thrilling three-set tiebreak.
“My whole stint in the SPG was really unforgettable. I won my first round matches both in singles and doubles. I was very nervous going into my first match because I was in a slump the past few weeks. But the most memorable moment came in my first round doubles match. We made a great comeback to win the marathon match. The intensity was high. We fought off several match points and won the match! It was fun and exciting!”
Coming back to Saipan after the SPG, the stamp on his passport had barely dried off when Chung made his decision to stay away from tennis for the meantime to concentrate on his studies.
The move proved disastrous to the young tennis players’ development at a time when Chung’s skills were peaking after the exposure he had in Suva.
He did return but consecutive losses to rivals Ralph Buenaventura and Nicolas Son in the finals of three straight tournaments further eroded Chung’s confidence and almost caused him to leave the sport altogether.
“I did came back early this year, but lost to both Ralph and Nicolas in the championship round. I felt so bad I really wanted to quit tennis!”
The defeat to Son in the UMDA Junior Tennis Championships last April was especially hard for Chung, as he dominated his compatriot in the first one-and-a-half sets before racket problems and cramps spelled his doom.
His roller coaster ride continued in last month’s DFS Micronesian Championships. Returning to the site of his first-ever championship (14-and-under title in 1999), the top-ranked Chung regained his old form and turned back the challenge of No. 2 Buenaventura to win his first tournament in a year.
Chung now hopes to redeem himself in this month’s NPQ, which incidentally will be held on Saipan this month.
“My short-term goal is to win the upcoming NPQ. This is really big for me because this may decide my future. My long-term goal is to get a college scholarship from a Division I school. If I don’t qualify in the NPQ, I have almost no hope. I will have to give this [tennis] all up.”
Born in January 15, 1987 in Seoul, Chung and his family live in the village of Fina Sisu. His parents are ByungDal Chung and MiKyung Lee and he has a younger brother named InYong Chung.
Locally, he looks up to Race, his coach of five years, and Todd Montgomery. Internationally, he idolizes the way Roger Federerer and Marat Safin play. He also likes James Blake, a Harvard graduate. And like Blake, Chung also wants to study in an Ivy League school.
A win in this month’s NPQ would bring the CNMI’s Boy Wonder closer to that dream.
