H T Lee`s Powerful Smashing

For the first time, Lee Hyeong-taek (Samsung Securities) got the ticket to the 3rd round of ATP Tour Masters` Series, which offers the second biggest prize money after major opens.

At the 6.25 million-dollar NASDAQ-100 Open, dubbed as world`s fifth largest tennis tournament, which began on the 22nd in Miami, Florida, Lee, ranked at the world`s 59th position, gained a come-from-behind victory over Belgian Xavier Malisse, who is at the 28th position. Despite hot weather and high humidity, Lee recorded a 2-1(6-7, 6-2, 6-1) victory at the second round of the male singles. This is the first time Lee joined the round of 32 in the 2.2 million-plus-dollar Masters` Series.

Lee will face Spanish Francisco Klabe in the round of 16. Ranked at the 178th, Klabe surprised the world by defeating the world top seed Australian Lleyton Hewitt. At the age of 35, he announced he would retire this summer. Lee will fight to vindicate the Shanghai Open in 2001, where he suffered a 0-2 (4-6, 2-6) defeat to Klabe.

At the female singles, second round, world`s 51th Cho Yoon-jung(Samsung Securities) is disqualified after she lost to Begian Kim Clijsters, who is the top 3rd, by 0 to 2(2-6, 2-6).

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com