By Tennis Now | Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Soonwoo Kwon rallied past Richard Gasquet 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the round of 16 in Antwerp.
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Young players, like first-time marathoners, can sometimes feel the physical grind in the late stages of the season.
Soonwoo Kwon shows no signs of a fall fade.
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The 21-year-old South Korean continued his breakthrough season rallying past Richard Gasquet 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the round of 16 in Antwerp.
Kwon cracked the Top 100 for the first time in August and is exuding the confidence of a man determined to go much higher.
Last month, Kwon played through Zhuhai qualifying and knocked off 24th-ranked Frenchman Lucas Pouille en route to the round of 16.
Today, Kwon won 14 of 22 points played on Gasquet's second serve and broke three times in a one hour, 50-minute comeback.
The world No. 88 raised his ATP main-draw record to 7-6 on the season setting up a round of 16 meeting with Guido Pella.
The fifth-seeded Pella beat Kwon in a three-set Los Cabos quarterfinal in August.
Earlier, Feliciano Lopez saved all six break points he faced and slashed 12 aces in a 7-6(2), 6-4 decision over Cameron Norrie.
In an all-lefty clash, Lopez denied three break points holding for 2-1. The Queen's Club champion raced out to a 5-0 lead in the tie break and did not look back.
The 38-year-old Spaniard scored the lone break for a 3-2 second-set lead and saved three more break points to serve out the match. Lopez will face fourth-seeded Stan Wawrinka for a quarterfinal spot. Wawrinka has won four of their seven career encounters.