Jang Su-jeong set to reach career high world ranking

Jang Su-jeong is set to reach a new career high No. 112 after beating Kayla Day of the United States in the first round of the Dow Tennis Classic at Meredith McGrath Stadium in Michigan.

Jang Su-jeong, right, plays the women's doubles semifinals alongside Czech tennis player Michaela Bayerlova at the Tevlin Women's Challenger in Toronto. The pair went on to win the doubles' title on Saturday. [YONHAP]

Jang Su-jeong is set to reach a new career high No. 112 after beating Kayla Day of the United States in the first round of the Dow Tennis Classic at Meredith McGrath Stadium in Michigan.

The highest Jang has ever reached is No. 114 last July, when she won her first-ever WTA 125 title at the Nordea Open.

Jang’s form has been getting better after the Korea Open in September, when she was beaten in two straight sets by Zhu Lin of China in the first round of the women’s singles.

Jang Su-jeong, right, holds her runner-up trophy alongside Robin Anderson of the United States after losing in the finals of the Tevlin Women's Challenger on Monday at Toronto. [YONHAP]

Last week, she entered the 2022 Tevlin Women’s Challenger in Toronto, Canada as the top seed and finished runner-up in the women’s singles on Sunday.

Despite beating Urszula Radwanska of Poland on Saturday, Jang was unable to outplay fourth seed Robin Anderson of the United States in the finals and was beaten in two straight sets.

Her runner-up finish in the women's singles came a day after she had won the women’s doubles alongside Czech player Michaele Bayerlova on Saturday.

Jang is currently competing in the Dow Tennis Classic. She is through to the round of 16 after beating Day two sets to one, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

If Jang carries on with her current form and manages to add some more points and make it into the top 104, she will qualify for the main draw of the Australian Open for the first-time in her career.

This January, Jang played her first-ever Grand Slam after winning all three qualifiers in straight sets.

The latest Korean to reach a Grand Slam event before Jang is Han Na-rae, who earned her spot at the Australian Open in 2020 as a wildcard.

Jang became the ninth Korean female tennis player to reach the Grand Slam stage this year.

The first-ever was Korean tennis legend Lee Duk-hee, who was the first Korean to play a women's singles Grand Slam event in 1973, when she reached the second round of the Australian Open. In 1980, she became the first Korean across all genders to have played at all four Grand Slam tournaments in a year. In 1981, Lee reached the women’s singles round of 16 at the U.S. Open, the best a Korean woman has ever done.

Lee's record of No. 34 still stands as the highest any Korean has reached in women's tennis.

Jang will next face seventh seed Catherine McNally in the round of 16 of the Dow Tennis Classic.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]