Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

KOREA MOTORS CHAMPIONS CUP
ATP CHAMPIONS TOUR
24-25 OCTOBER, 2015
SEOUL, KOREA

Michael Chang will take on the man that beat him in the last match of his professional career when he faces Fernando Gonzalez in the Kia Motors Champions Cup final on Sunday.

Chang retired at the US Open in 2003 after going down in four sets to Gonzalez, and the Chilean is thrilled at the prospect of taking to the court again with a man that he describes as an ‘idol’.

“I played against Michael a long time ago – we played in his last ever tour match in 2003,” said Gonzalez. “He’s one of my idols, I grew up watching his matches and it’s going to be a great honour to be on the same court as him.”

Gonzalez earned his place in the final by overcoming Goran Ivanisevic 7-5, 5-7, 13-11. Chang overcame Marat Safin 6-4, 3-6, 10-7.

“It was a great match – I served unbelievably well in the tie break,” said Gonzalez. “It was really exciting to play against Goran – we never played against each other on the tour, and I grew up watching his matches. It was fun for the crowd today, and we played good tennis.”

Tennis In Asia Looking Up, Says Chang

Michael Chang believes there are good times ahead for tennis in Asia.

Chang, who coaches Japanese star Kei Nishikori, is impressed with how the region has evolved.

“I think the game has changed quite a bit in Asia,” said Chang.

“When I first came on tour there were really only a few Asian tournaments – and now some of the biggest tournaments in the world are played in Asia. Not only that, but the amount of futures and challengers for these young Asian players locally means that they don’t have to travel to the US or Europe so much.  It’s creating a great opportunity for Asian tennis to prosper and to produce more and more champions. Coaching still needs to improve – if you look at some of the most successful players to come from the region like Nishikori, and Li Na – they’ve all had outside coaching. That can give them more insight into how to deal with matches, strategy and training – experience in preparing these players for the big stage is important. I’m very hopeful that more and more great players will come from this part of the world and we will hopefully see more Asian players in the top ten.

Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.