Kwon Soon-woo
권순우
Birth date2 December 1997 (age 28)
Birth placeSangju, South Korea
Height1.80 m
Turnedpro2015
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
CareerprizemoneyUS $3,064,876
Singlestitles2
HighestsinglesrankingNo. 52 (1 November 2021)
CurrentsinglesrankingNo. 188 (25 May 2026)
Australianopenresult2R (2022)
Frenchopenresult3R (2021)
Wimbledonresult2R (2021)
Usopenresult2R (2020, 2022)
Othertournamentsyes
Doublestitles0
HighestdoublesrankingNo. 224 (19 December 2022)
CurrentdoublesrankingNo. 1728 (14 October 2024)
Australianopendoublesresult3R (2022)
Frenchopendoublesresult1R (2020, 2022)
Wimbledondoublesresult1R (2022)
Usopendoublesresult1R (2021, 2022, 2024)
Teamyes
Daviscupresult9–3 (singles 9–2, doubles 0–1)
Updated16 October 2024

Kwon Soon-woo (Korean: 권순우; born 2 December 1997) is a South Korean professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 52 ranking by the ATP, achieved in November 2021 and a doubles ranking of world No. 224, attained in December 2022. Kwon has won two ATP, six ATP Challenger Tour and five ITF World Tennis Tour singles titles.

He broke into the top 100 of the ATP singles rankings in August 2019 after reaching the quarterfinals at the Los Cabos Open and contested his first ATP Tour final at the Astana Open in September 2021, where he won his maiden title and made his top 60 debut. In January 2023, he won his second ATP Tour title at the Adelaide International as a lucky loser, becoming the first Korean to win multiple ATP titles and the tenth lucky loser champion overall in the Open Era.

Early life

Kwon was born in a small town Sangju and began playing tennis at age 10. He moved to Seoul at age 16 and attended high school there with Lee Duck-hee, another future ATP Tour player. His father Younghun is a talented amateur tennis player and introduced him to tennis. His favorite surface is hard and favorite shots are down-the-line forehand and drop shot.[1]

Professional career

2018–2019: ATP Tour & Grand Slam & top 100 debuts

Kwon made his tour-level and Grand Slam debut after winning the 2018 Asia-Pacific Wildcard Playoff for the main draw of the 2018 Australian Open.[2]

He made his top 100 debut on 5 August 2019 at world No. 97, after reaching the quarterfinals as a qualifier at the 2019 Los Cabos Open.

2020–2021: First major win at the US Open; French Open third round, maiden ATP title

In February 2020, Kwon reached four consecutive ATP Tour-level quarterfinals in Pune, New York, Delray Beach and Acapulco. As a result, Kwon rose to a career-high ranking of 69 on 2 March 2020. Kwon defeated world No. 24, Dušan Lajović, in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals in Acapulco, which was his first ATP 500 event. He lost to eventual champion Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals.

At the 2020 US Open Kwon recorded his first win in a Grand Slam defeating wildcard Thai-Son Kwiatkowski.

Kwon reached the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career at the 2021 French Open where he defeated South African Kevin Anderson and Andreas Seppi before losing to another Italian ninth seed and eventual quarterfinalist Matteo Berrettini.

Despite losing in qualifying at the Eastbourne International, Kwon entered with a second-round bye as a lucky loser after Reilly Opelka withdrew.[3] He made the semifinals before falling to Alex de Minaur. Kwon was competing in his maiden ATP Tour semifinal after winning his first quarterfinal in his eighth attempt against Ilya Ivashka.[4]

In Astana, Kwon won his first ATP Tour-level title. There, he defeated qualifier Evgeny Donskoy, third seed Dušan Lajović, and seventh seed Laslo Đere to reach his second ATP semifinal. In the semifinal, he defeated home favourite and second seed Alexander Bublik to advance to his first ATP Tour-level final. He defeated James Duckworth in straight sets to win his first ATP title and became the first South Korean to win on the ATP Tour and only the second Korean to win a tour-level title in the Open era since 2003 Sydney champion Hyung-Taik Lee.[5] As a result, he reached a new career-high of No. 57 on 27 September 2021.[6]

2022: Maiden ATP 500 singles semifinal, Australian Open doubles third round

At the Australian Open, he won his first match defeating Holger Rune in five sets. He lost in the second round to Denis Shapovalov in a tight five-set match with three tiebreaks.

At Wimbledon, he lost in the first round to the top seed and eventual champion, Novak Djokovic, in four sets.

Ranked No. 120 at the Japan Open, he reached the quarterfinals for a second time at the ATP 500-level defeating sixth seed Alex de Minaur and Mackenzie McDonald.[7] He defeated Pedro Martínez to reach his first ATP 500-level semifinal. As a result, he moved more than 30 positions up in the rankings, back into the top 100.

2023–2024: Second title won as lucky loser, hiatus, Olympics debut

He won his second career ATP title in Adelaide, defeating Roberto Bautista Agut in three sets. In doing so, he became the first Korean to win multiple ATP titles.[8] He became the first lucky loser to reach the final in Adelaide's tournament history and the first to win an ATP Tour title since Marco Cecchinato in Budapest in 2018, and the tenth lucky loser champion overall.[9]

After a six months hiatus, he returned to the 2023 US Open and the 2024 Australian Open using protected ranking.

2025: Military hiatus

In December 2024, Kwon announced that he would step away from tennis and fulfill his mandatory military obligation, which began in January 2025.[citation needed]

Despite actively completing military service, Kwon eas permitted to enter domestic tournaments and to represent the national team in select overseas events. As such he competed in a Davis Cup Qualifiers tie in Czechia, a South Korean national event, and the Busan Challenger.[10]

2026: Three Challenger titles

Entering the main-draw as a qualifier, Kwon won his fourth ATP Challenger title in Phan Thiết in January, defeating Ilia Simakin in the final.[11] On home soil and playing in the tournament as a wildcard entrant, he won the Gwangju Open in April, overcoming August Holmgren in the final.[12] The following month he defeated Bu Yunchaokete in the final at the Wuxi Open to claim his third Challenger title of the year.[13]

Personal life

On May 22, 2023, it was confirmed that Kwon is dating singer Yubin of Wonder Girls.[14] On October 5, 2023, Yubin's agency confirmed their break-up.[15]

National representation

Kwon has represented South Korea in the Davis Cup.[16] He was first nominated to the team for the 2017 Davis Cup, making his debut against Uzbek tennis player Denis Istomin.

Kwon represented South Korea at the 2022 Davis Cup Finals and recorded his first victory over a top-20 player by defeating world No. 13, Félix Auger-Aliassime 7–6(5), 6–3 in the group stage tie versus Canada.[17]

Performance timelines

Singles

Current through the 2024 Davis Cup.

Tournament2017201820192020202120222023202420252026SRW–L
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian OpenA1RQ11R1R2R1R1RAA0 / 61–6
French OpenAAQ11R3R1RA2RAA0 / 43–4
WimbledonQ1A1RNH2R1RA1RA0 / 41–4
US OpenQ1A1R2R1R2R1R1RA0 / 62–6
Win–loss0–00–10–21–33–42–40–21–40–00 / 207–20
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
Indian Wells MastersAAANH1R1RAQ1AA0 / 20–2
Miami OpenAAANH1R1RA2RAA0 / 31–3
Monte-Carlo MastersAAANHAQ1AAAA0 / 00–0
Madrid OpenAAANHA1RAAAA0 / 10–1
Italian OpenAAAQ1AQ1AAAA0 / 00–0
Canadian OpenAA1RNHAQ2AAA0 / 10–1
Cincinnati MastersAAAQ2Q1Q1AAA0 / 00–0
Shanghai MastersAAANot HeldAAA0 / 00–0
Paris MastersAAAAAAAAA0 / 00–0
Win–loss0–00–00–10–00–20–30–01–10–00 / 71–7
National representation
Davis CupZ1Z1Z1AWG1RRRRWG1Q10 / 213–10
Career statistics
2017201820192020202120222023202420252026Career
Tournaments01771622660064
Titles / Finals0 / 00 / 00 / 00 / 01 / 10 / 01 / 10 / 00 / 00 / 02 / 2
Overall win–loss3–10–27–78–719–1520–247–93–71–12–070–73
Win %
Year-end ranking16823588955383196348486

Doubles

Current through the 2022 Korea Open.

Tournament20182019202020212022SRW–L
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian OpenAA1RA3R0 / 22–2
French OpenAA1RA1R0 / 20–2
WimbledonAANHA1R0 / 10–1
US OpenAAA1R1R0 / 20–2
Win–loss0–00–00–20–12–40 / 72–7
National representation
Davis CupZ1AAAA0 / 00–1
Career statistics
20182019202020212022Career
Tournaments1221713
Titles / Finals0 / 00 / 00 / 00 / 00 / 00 / 0
Overall win–loss0–12–20–20–15–77–13
Year-end ranking0280342851232'

ATP Tour finals

Singles: 2 (2 titles)

Legend
Grand Slam (0–0)
ATP Masters 1000 (0–0)
ATP 500 (0–0)
ATP 250 (2–0)
Finals by surface
Hard (2–0)
Clay (0–0)
Grass (0–0)
Finals by setting
Outdoor (1–0)
Indoor (1–0)
ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScore
Win1–0Sep 2021Astana Open, KazakhstanATP 250Hard (i)James Duckworth7–6(8–6), 6–3
Win2–0Jan 2023Adelaide International 2, AustraliaATP 250HardRoberto Bautista Agut6–4, 3–6, 7–6(7–4)

Records

  • These records were attained in the Open era of tennis.
TournamentYearRecord accomplishedPlayer tied
Adelaide International2023Winning an ATP tournament as lucky loserHeinz Günthardt
Bill Scanlon
Francisco Clavet
Christian Miniussi
Sergiy Stakhovsky
Rajeev Ram
Leonardo Mayer
Andrey Rublev
Marco Cecchinato[18]

Davis Cup

Legend
Group membership
World Group (0)
Group I (7–3)
Group II (0)
Group III (0)
Group IV (0)
Rubber outcomeRubberMatch type (partner if any)Opponent nationOpponent player(s)Score
1–3; 3–5 February 2017; Gimcheon Sports Town Tennis Courts, Gimcheon, South Korea; Group I Asia/Oceania First round; Hard surface
DefeatIVSinglesUzbekistanDenis Istomin6–3, 6–7(5–7), 2–6, 6–7(12–14)
2–3; 7–9 April 2017; ASB Tennis Arena, Auckland, New Zealand; Group I Asia/Oceania First round play-offs; Hard surface
VictoryIISinglesNew ZealandMichael Venus6–2, 6–2, 7–6(7–1)
VictoryIVSinglesJosé Statham6–3, 6–2, 6–4
2–3; 15–17 September 2017; Yang Gu Tennis Park, Yang Gu, South Korea; Group I Asia/Oceania Second round play-offs; Hard surface
VictoryIISinglesChinese TaipeiJason Jung6–3, 6–4, 2–6, 7–6(7–4)
0–4; 2–3 February 2018; Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad, Pakistan; Group I Asia/Oceania First round; Grass surface
DefeatISinglesPakistanAisam-ul-Haq Qureshi3–6, 6–1, 6–7(6–8)
DefeatIIIDoubles (with Lim Yong-kyu)Aqeel Khan Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi6–7(8–10), 4–6
3–1; 14–15 September 2019; Guiyang Olympic Sports Center Tennis Stadium, Guiyang, China; Group I Asia/Oceania; Hard surface
VictoryISinglesChinaZhang Zhizhen7–6(7–4), 6–7(4–7), 7–5
VictoryIVSinglesBai Yan6–4, 6–3
3–1; 17–18 September 2021; The International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport, USA; World Group I; Grass surface
VictoryIISinglesNew ZealandFinn Reynolds7–6(7–1), 6–3
VictoryIVSinglesRubin Statham6–3, 6–3

ATP Challenger Tour finals

Singles: 9 (6 titles, 3 runner-ups)

Legend
ATP Challenger Tour (6–3)
Finals by surface
Hard (6–3)
Clay (0–0)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss0–1Mar 2017Yokohama, JapanChallengerHardYūichi Sugita4–6, 6–2, 6–7(2–7)
Loss0–2May 2017Seoul, South KoreaChallengerHardThomas Fabbiano6–1, 4–6, 3–6
Loss0–3Sep 2018Kaohsiung, TaiwanChallengerHard (i)Gaël Monfils4–6, 6–2, 1–6
Win1–3Mar 2019Yokohama, JapanChallengerHardOscar Otte7–6, 6–3
Win2–3May 2019Seoul, South KoreaChallengerHardMax Purcell7–5, 7–5
Win3–3Feb 2021Biella II, ItalyChallengerHard (i)Lorenzo Musetti6–2, 6–3
Win4–3Jan 2026Phan Thiết, VietnamChallengerHardIlia Simakin6–2, 7–6(7–5)
Win5–3Apr 2026Gwangju, South KoreaChallengerHardAugust Holmgren6–4, 7–5
Win6–3May 2026Wuxi, ChinaChallengerHardBu Yunchaokete6–2, 7–6(7–2)

Doubles: 1 (1 runner-up)

Legend
ATP Challenger Tour (0–1)
ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss0–1Jun 2019Surbiton, United KingdomChallengerGrassRamkumar RamanathanMarcel Granollers
Ben McLachlan
6–4, 3–6, [2–10]

ITF Futures finals

Singles: 9 (8–1)

Legend
ITF Futures (8–1)
Finals by surface
Hard (8–1)
Clay (0–0)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScore
Win1–0Nov 2015Cambodia F1, Phnom PenhFuturesHardSon Ji-hoon7–5, 6–1
Win2–0Dec 2015Cambodia F2, Phnom PenhFuturesHardHuang Liang-chi6–3, 6–3
Win3–0Mar 2016Japan F2, NishitokyoFuturesHardYuya Kibi6–3, 6–4
Win4–0Jul 2016Korea F5, GimcheonFuturesHardCho Min-hyeok6–4, 6–4
Win5–0Dec 2016Thailand F5, Hua HinFuturesHardDaniel Altmaier6–2, 6–2
Win6–0May 2025M15 Andong, South KoreaWTTHardShin Sanhui6–3, 6–1
Win7–0Jun 2025M25 Changwon, South KoreaWTTHardShin Sanhui6–1, 6–2
Win8–0Aug 2025M15 Nakhon Pathom, ThailandWTTHardKaichi Uchida6–2, 6–2
Loss8–1Aug 2025M25 Taipei, Chinese TaipeiWTTHardDane Sweeny2–6, 0–3 ret.

Doubles: 5 (2 titles, 3 runner-ups)

Legend
ITF Futures (2–3)
Finals by surface
Hard (1–3)
Clay (1–0)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win1–0Sep 2015Korea F6, AnseongFuturesClay (i)Son Ji-hoonNoh Sang-woo
Nam Ji-sung
6–7(4–7), 6–3, [13–11]
Loss1–1Nov 2015Cambodia F1, Phnom PenhFuturesHardSon Ji-hoonLiu Shao-fan
Lee Kuan-yi
7–6(8–6), 4–6, [11–13]
Win2–1Mar 2016Japan F2, NishitokyoFuturesHardChung Yun-seongIssei Okamura
Kento Takeuchi
2–6, 6–2, [10–3]
Loss2–2Dec 2016Thailand F5, Hua HinFuturesHardLee Jea-moonSadio Doumbia
Fabien Reboul
3–6, 4–6
Loss2–3Jun 2018Korea F3, DaeguFuturesHardLim Yong-kyuChung Yun-seong
Hong Seong-chan
walkover

ITF Junior Circuit

Singles: 5 (4 titles, 1 runner-up)

Legend
Category GA (0–0)
Category G1 (0–0)
Category G2 (0–0)
Category G3 (1–0)
Category G4 (0–0)
Category G5 (3–1)
ResultW–LDateTournamentCategorySurfaceOpponentScore
Loss0–1Apr 20132013 Gimcheon International Junior Championships, South KoreaG5HardChung Yun-seong4–6, 3–6
Win1–1Apr 20142014 Gimcheon International Junior Championships, South KoreaG5HardShin San-hui6–3, 6–0
Win2–1Sep 2014China Junior 15 Guangzhou, ChinaG3HardDaniel Nolan6–1, 6–2
Win3–1Apr 20152015 ITF Sunchang International Junior Championships, South KoreaG5HardChristopher Yun5–1 ret.
Win4–1Apr 20152015 Gimcheon International Junior Championships, South KoreaG5HardIm Seong-taek6–1, 6–2

Doubles: 6 (3 titles, 3 runners-up)

Legend
Category GA (0–0)
Category G1 (0–1)
Category G2 (0–1)
Category G3 (0–0)
Category G4 (2–0)
Category G5 (1–1)
ResultW–LDateTournamentCategorySurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss0–1Jun 20122012 Gimcheon International Junior Championships, South KoreaG5HardKim Young-seokHong Seong-chan Kang Ku-keon3–6, 2–6
Win1–1Apr 20132013 Jeju International Junior Championships, South KoreaG4HardOh Chan-yeongHan Jin-sung Hyun Geong-hwan6–3, 6–2
Win2–1Apr 20132013 Sunchang International Junior Championships, South KoreaG5HardOh Chan-yeongLee Min-hyun Shin San-hui6–4, 3–6, [10–1]
Win3–1Apr 20142014 Jeju International Junior Championships, South KoreaG4HardGo Hyun-sikLim Min-seob Shin San-hui6–4, 7–5
Loss3–2Nov 20142014 Lee Duk Hee Cup Chuncheon International Junior Tennis Championships, South KoreaG2HardOh Chan-yeongJake Delaney Akira Santillan6–3, 3–6, [8–10]
Loss3–3Nov 20142014 Seogwipo Asia Oceania International Junior Tennis Championships, South KoreaG1HardShin San-huiShohei Chikami Yosuke Watanuki3–6, 4–6

References

  1. ^ ATP Staff (26 September 2021). "First-Time Winner Spotlight: Soonwoo Kwon". ATP Tour. ATP Tour, Inc. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  2. ^ "#NextGenATP de Minaur, Kwon Earn Australian Open Wild Cards". ATP Tour
  3. ^ "Kwon Soon-woo reaches semifinals at Eastbourne International". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. 25 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Lorenzo Sonego Reaches Second Final of Season at Eastbourne". ATP Tour
  5. ^ "Kwon Captures Maiden ATP Tour Title In Nur-Sultan". ATP Tour"Kwon the first South Korean to win on ATP Tour in 18 years". Reuters. 27 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Kwon Soon-woo rises to 57th in world tennis rankings after first ATP Tour title". koreatimes.co.kr. 27 September 2021.
  7. ^ "ATP Tokyo Quarterfinal Predictions Including Nick Kyrgios vs Taylor Fritz". lastwordonsports.com. 6 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Kwon Edges Bautista Agut To Seal Stunning Adelaide Triumph". ATP Tour. 14 January 2023.
  9. ^ "History in Adelaide: Lucky loser Kwon becomes first Korean to win multiple ATP singles titles". tennismajors.com. 14 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Kwon Soonwoo to play Busan Challenger during South Korea military service". tennis.com. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  11. ^ "Kwon Triumphs In Phan Thiet As ATP Challenger Tour Returns To Vietnam". tennistourtalk.com. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  12. ^ "Kwon Soon-woo wins ATP Gwangju Open Challenger singles title". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  13. ^ "권순우가 5월 10일 일요일 ATP 챌린저투어 우시오픈 남자 단식 우승을 차지하며, 2년 만에 그랜드 슬램 예선 출전을 알렸습니다.". olympics.com (in Korean). Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  14. ^ Park Yoon-jin (May 22, 2023). "원더걸스 유빈, 9살 연하 韓 테니스 간판 권순우와 열애 인정…"좋은 감정으로 만남 중" [공식]" [Wonder Girls' Yubin admits to dating Kwon Soon-woo, a Korean tennis player who is 9 years younger... "Meeting with good feelings" [Official]] (in Korean). My Daily. Retrieved May 22, 2023. – via Naver.
  15. ^ Jung, Hee-yeon (October 5, 2023). "유빈-권순우 결별 "응원하는 친구로 남기로" [공식입장]" [Yubin and Kwon Soonwoo break up, “We will remain as supportive friends” [Official statement]] (in Korean). SportsDonga. Retrieved October 5, 2023. – via Naver.
  16. ^ "Korea to play Uzbekistan in Davis Cup qualifier". koreatimes.co.kr. 1 February 2017.
  17. ^ "Canada rallies against Korea Republic to win 2–1". daviscupfinals.com. 14 September 2022. Archived from the original on 14 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  18. ^ "ATP Budapest: Lucky loser Marco Cecchinato wins the first ATP title". tennisworldusa.org. 29 April 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2018. Cecchinato is the ninth player in the Open era who won an ATP title as a lucky loser and the third in the last two seasons after Andrey Rublev and Leonardo Mayer in Umag and Hamburg last July.