S. Korea names team for tie vs. Pacific Oceania

Team captain Jeff Race and the rest of the Pacific Oceania Davis Cup team would be playing the familiar role of underdogs when they face a strong South Korean squad in hostile ground starting next week.

The second round of the Asia/Oceania Zone Group II competition unfolds on July 15 and continues through the weekend on July 16 and 17 in Seoul, South Korea with the home team represented by two players inside the top 500 and one ranked 604th in the International Tennis Federation rankings.

Oh-Hee Kwon would most probably assume the country’s No. 1 seed, as the 27-year-old is ranked 472 in singles rankings and 636 in doubles rankings of the ITF. He, however, is a bit inexperienced in Davis Cup play, having won his only match against Lebanon’s Patrick Chucri way back in September 2002.

Seung-Hoon Lee is just six places below Kwon in the ITF singles rankings, but is 1,254 in doubles. The 26-year-old has more experience in Davis Cup competitions than his compatriot, but all of them were on the losing end.

Lee lost twice in 2001, bowing to Indonesia’s Suwandi Suwandi in April of that year and New Zealand’s Mark Nielson in February. He also lost to India’s Syed Fazaluddi in April 2000.

The Land of the Morning Calm’s youngest player also happens to be its most successful Davis Cupper. Nineteen-year-old Woong-Sun Jun sports an immaculate 3-0 slate in Davis Cup play, a record that belies his 604 singles and 559 doubles rankings in the ITF. The right-hander from Seoul defeated the Philippines’ Johnny Arcilla and Patrick Tierro last March and also defeated Chucri in April of last year.

Woong-Sun Jun will serve as team captain for South Korea, which advanced to the semifinals of the Asia/Oceania Zone Group II with a 3-2 win over the Philippines last March.

In Davis Cup play the East Asian nation has compiled a 32-47 win-loss record since joining the competition in 1959.

Race announced the Pacific Oceania team earlier last month and it is basically the same group of men that upset Lebanon in the first round last March in Lautoka, Fiji. The only newcomer is West Nott of Marshall Islands.

At one time, Nott was ranked among the top 10 juniors in the U.S. He also competed while enrolled at Georgia Tech University. He takes the place of Cyril Jacobe of Vanuatu.

The holdovers are Michael Leong of Solomon Islands, Juan Langton of Samoa, and Brett Baudinet of Cook Islands.