Korean-American Jang Hannah wins ITF Tour title after four years in her parents’ country
The winner of the 2023 NH Bank International Women’s Tennis Tour (Nonghyup Challenger) was Korean-American Hannah Chang (USA, ranked 349th in the world). She won her first ITF Tour event in her parents’ country in four years.
On 28 April, she defeated Manichaya Sawangkaew (Thailand, World No. 392) 6-2 6-4 in the singles final of the Nonghyup Challenger 2023 at the Yeolwumul Stadium Indoor Tennis Court in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon.
It was a day when all of Jang’s attacking options were on display. Powerful strokes from the baseline, sliced drop shots and forehands, and even a turning lob after drawing her opponent forward, Jang’s strokes fell into the court every time.
After taking the first set with ease, Jang was broken twice in the early stages of the second set to fall behind 2-4. But that was all she needed. Hannah’s attacks from all sides of the court left Sawang Kau unable to fight back.
Hanna won her fifth career ITF Tour title with today’s victory. Her last title came at the 2019 Acadia Tour in the United States (W15K), which was held before COVID-19. This is Jang’s first win at the W25K level.토토사이트
“I’m so happy right now, I don’t know what to say. I’m proud of myself because I’ve been playing better and better. It was a bit difficult because it rained at the last minute and we had to move around (to different areas). I’m grateful to all the organisers for making it a good tournament and for their hard work,” she said.
Her father, Jang Jun-ho, who was with her throughout the tournament and sat in the coaching seat, said, “Every match was a struggle. I’m proud of her for overcoming that, even though she didn’t play the way she wanted to at the beginning of the tournament.” “I’m going to have a good rest today. I haven’t decided what we’ll have for dinner yet,” she laughed. Jang will next compete at the ITF Changwon Tour next week.
Meanwhile, the match was played on the indoor courts of Incheon’s Yeolwum Stadium instead of the All-Won Tennis Centre at Nonghyup University in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, due to rain.
The 2023 NH Bank International Women’s Tennis Tour (W25K), now in its 14th year, was organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the Korea Tennis Association and hosted by NH Bank. “We hope that this tournament will serve as a cornerstone for the players to grow into world-class players,” said Byung-kyu Park, Senior Vice President of NH Bank. “We will continue to provide support to expand the base of tennis and improve the playing environment.” On the day, NH Bank awarded scholarships to Lee Soo-bin (Osan G-Sports Club) and Kim Yeo-kyung (Jungang Girls’ High School), two promising domestic tennis players.