"Kwon Soon-woo is back": Wimbledon also takes notice of the victory's 'salute'... Grand Slam return after two years

Este contenido ha sido traducido por IA.

Korea's tennis 'ace' Kwon Soon-woo (Army·ranked 202nd) is set to return to the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament.

On the 26th (Korean time), Kwon defeated Alejandro Moro Cañas (Spain, ranked 233rd) in the final round of the men's singles qualifying at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships held at the All England Club in London, England, with a set score of 3-0 (6-4, 7-6(8), 6-3), securing his spot in the main draw.

On this day, Kwon minimized errors with only three double faults and 25 unforced errors, denying his opponent any opportunities. He seized control early by executing crucial break points at key moments.

With this victory, Kwon returns to the Grand Slam main draw for the first time since 2024, two years later. He also revived the streak of South Korean players appearing in Grand Slam main draws, which had been broken since 2024.

Kwon's main draw schedule will be determined by the men's singles main draw draw ceremony held at 6 p.m. on this day. His first-round opponent will also be decided.

Kwon's participation in this year's Wimbledon is particularly special. Having overcome the difficult challenges of injury and military service, he has returned to the major stage. He faced difficulties in 2023 due to lingering effects from a shoulder injury. In 2024, he participated in the main draws of all four Grand Slams using his protected ranking, but was eliminated in the first round in all tournaments except for reaching the Round of 64 at the French Open.

Subsequently, Kwon chose to enlist in the military in January 2025. While continuing his athletic career with the Army Sports Promotion Team, his world ranking dropped as low as 677th last June.

However, with active support from the Army Sports Promotion Team and sponsorship from the Korea Tennis Association, which manages national team athletes, he gradually prepared for a comeback by competing in lower-tier international tournaments.

In the first half of this year, he created a turning point. Kwon won three ATP Challenger titles. He claimed the top spot at the CH50 Vietnam Phan Thiet, CH75 South Korea Gwangju, and CH100 China Wuxi tournaments, boosting his ranking and dramatically securing a spot in the Wimbledon qualifiers.

Kwon's upward momentum continued in the Wimbledon qualifiers. He defeated Spain's Nicolas Sanchez Izquierdo (ranked 216th) 2-0 (7-6(9), 6-3) in the first qualifying round, and overcame France's Arthur Heyat (ranked 132nd) 2-1 (5-7, 6-3, 6-4) in the second qualifying round. He then completed his victory over Moro Cañas in the final qualifying round, securing his main draw ticket with three consecutive wins.

Wimbledon also took notice of Kwon's return. The tournament organizers repeatedly posted clips of Kwon's match points from the qualifiers on their official social media accounts. They also zoomed in on footage of him performing a military-style salute after securing the victory. After his main draw qualification was confirmed, they announced his return with the phrase "Kwon Soon-woo is BACK!", which received a strong response from Korean fans.

Meanwhile, Kwon is scheduled to be discharged from the military on July 12.

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Este contenido ha sido traducido por IA.