Seventeen-year-old Koo Bon Hong is full of contradictions. He is asserting his competency in the singles but prefers to play the doubles.
He wants to be top doubles player in his country but has no clear intention of turning professional.
And most surprising of all, coming from a country that considers fermented cabbage an essential part of their meal and culture, Korea, he hates kimchi.
“I miss Korean food when I travel for competitions. But absolutely no kimchi,” said Bon Hong, who prefers tteokbokki and bulgogi.
No matter, what his unique choice are, he is a player that others are beginning to be wary of on the court.
Last week he partnered fellow countryman Shin Jaejung to capture the Tep Kunnah Memorial Cup boy’s doubles title. The duo have also qualified for the doubles at the ongoing J30 Phnom Penh.
“I need one more doubles title and maybe a semi-finals in the singles,” said the Seoulite.
And is already one step away in the singles after packing off China’s Xu Haoxuan 6-2, 6-0 in his second round match. The third seeded Bon Hong is down to play Great Britain’s eight seeded Kamal Hakim in the quarter-finals.
“I need some good results to get into the university in Korea,” said the lad, who wants to pursue a degree in sports.
His best results in the singles this season has been a final appearance at the J30 Petit Camp Phoenix where he was beaten by Belgian Nicolas Fays.
His last semi-final appearance in the singles was at the higher ranked J60 Phoenix in September, where he was beaten by Moroccan Samy Iraqi.
“I don’t think I will be good enough for the ATP circuit. But being Korean number one is possible,” said Bon Hong, who only picked up tennis when he was 10.
He said he joined the school tennis club and the coach said he was good after watching him play.
While he has played with different partners in the doubles, his best results seems to have been with Jaejun.
The pair will take on the Korean-Austrian scratch pair of Kim Kyungone-Jonathan Roth in the boy’s doubles quarter-finals. They also made the semi-finals of the J60 Phoenix and J30 Petit Camp Phoenix earlier this year.
Winning the Tep Kunnah Memorial Cup was his second doubles title of the season. Together with his regular partner – Kim Young Hoon, he won the J30 Binh Duong title in April.
While he says he is better in the doubles, don’t be surprised he does as well in the singles, after all he is an enigma to himself.
STATUS QUO
Higher ranked players maintained their domination in the J30 Phnom Penh with Tep Kunnah Memorial Cup boy’s singles champion Jaejun doing a 6-0, 6-2 demolition job on Singapore’s Ethan Matthew Koh.
He will be joined in the quarter-finals by top seeded Gao Ruochen of China, who was equally impressive in his 6-1, 6-2 thrashing of Hong Kong’s Takuto Matsuo.
Girl’s singles top seed and Tep Kunnah Memorial Cup girl’s singles champion Daania Daniella Hazli of Malaysia came back from a first game loss to beat China’s Yuan Shiqing 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4 and earn her quarter-final berth.
She will play China’s eight seeded ; Mingxi Qu for a place in the semi-finals after the latter defeated India’s Riya Gangamma Pudiyokkada 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in her second round match.
Meanwhile, Cambodian Poev VIreak was shown the exit in the boy’s doubles. The Vietnamese-Chinese pairing of Binh Bao Quan Phan-Rungu Tian defeated Poev and his Indian partner Shreyanth Mahanthesha 6-3, 3-6, 10-7. The match was interrupted by rain on Tuesday with the scoreline at 6-3 3-3 and was only completed earlier today.
RESULTS
BOYS SINGLES
Second Round: Fedor Evdokimov [7] bt Ganuka Fernando (Sri) 7-5, 6-4; Jonathan Roth (Aut) bt Rungu Tian (Chn) 6-3, 6-3; Haqim Kamal (Gbr) [8] bt Binh Bao Quan Phan (Vie) 6-2, 6-2; Joachim Mika Gunawan (Ina) [2] bt Yue Yu (Chn) 6-2, 6-0; Bon Hong Koo (Kor) [3] bt Haoxuan Xu (Chn) 6-2, 6-0; Shin Jaejun (Kor) [4] bt Ethan Matthew Koh (Sgp) 6-0, 6-2; Ruochen Gao (Chn) [1] Vs. Takuto Matsuo (Hkg) 6-1, 6-2
BOYS DOUBLES
First Round: Run Ze Shi-Fanyu Zhao (Chn) bt Ben Archbold-Fedor Evdokimov (Nzl-AIN) [3] 6-3, 7-5; Binh Bao Quan Phan-Rungu Tian (Vie-Chn) bt Shreyanth Mahanthesha-Poev Vireak (Ind-Cam) 6-3, 3-6, 10-7
GIRLS SINGLES
Quarter-finals: Ha-An Park (Kor) bt Youwen Shi (Chn) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3; Fanyu Zhao (Chn) bt Zachary Sng (Sgp) 5-2 retired; Mingxi Qu (Chn) [8] bt Riya Gangamma Pudiyokkada (Ind) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2; Daania Daniella Hazli (Mas) [1] bt Shiqing Yuan (Chn) [5] 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4; Zijie Yang (Chn) [4] bt Hannah Giam (Sgp) 6-1, 6-1
GIRLS DOUBLES
First Round: Niyati Hiranandani Bhandari-Kayla Wong (Ind-Sgp) bt Nadine Ashlee Tio-Naomi Gracelyn Tio (Ina) 6-3, 5-7; 10-2; Qingan Chen-Youwen Shi (Chn) bt Regina Lawmkimi Bawitlung-Miku Matsuo (Ind-Jpn) 6-1, 6-0; Ha-An Park-Zican Yang (Kor-Chn) bt Mathea Heje-Lara Rauti (Nor-Hkg) 6-4, 7-5
