Duckhee Lee becomes first hearing-impaired player to win an ATP main draw match

South Korea's Duckhee Lee became the first player with hearing impairment to win an ATP main draw match as he defeated Henri Laaksonen in Winston-Salem Open.

Published : Aug 20, 2019 10:24 IST

Duckhee Lee won 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 on Monday.
Duckhee Lee won 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 on Monday.
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Duckhee Lee won 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 on Monday.

Duckhee Lee became the first player with hearing impairment to win an ATP main draw match, waiting out a rain delay to beat Henri Laaksonen in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

The 21-year-old from South Korea was two points from victory when thunderstorms swept through the area. When he and Switzerland’s Laaksonen returned some five hours later, Lee quickly polished off a 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 victory on Monday.

 

“I never expected to get through this one,” said Lee, who had won the final three points of the first-set tiebreaker.

“I thought that I was just going to do my best and try to stay focused, but I came out a winner.”

Lee, ranked 212nd in the world, will play third-seeded Hubert Hurkacz, the world number 40 from Poland, in the second round.

“I’m going to go to the match with the same attitude. I will do my best and see what happens,” he added.

Lee turned pro at 15 and achieved his best ATP singles ranking of 130 in 2017.

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