Lee becomes first deaf player to win ATP match
Washington, August 20
Duckhee Lee became the first deaf player to win an ATP match on Monday, making a statement with a straight-set win over Henri Laaksonen in Winston-Salem. “People made fun of me. They told me I shouldn’t be playing,” the 21-year-old South Korean said after shrugging off a lengthy rain delay to post a 7-6(4) 6-1 win.
Lee, ranked 212 in the world, turned pro at 15 and achieved his best ATP singles ranking of 130th in the world in 2017. He admits that his disability can make life on court frustrating: he can’t hear line calls or the umpire’s call of the score and relies on gestures to sort out any confusion. At Lee’s post-match press conference on Monday, his fiancee pitched in to help out a Korean translator.
Murray falls
Playing only his second singles match after a hip surgery, Andy Murray again showed glimpses of his once-dominant self, but was inconsistent in a 7-6(8) 7-5 Round 1 loss to Tennys Sandgren.
India’s Prajnesh advances
Prajnesh Gunneswaran entered Round 2 with a 6-3 6-4 win over Cedrik-Marcel Stebe. In doubles, Divij Sharan and Rohan Bopanna crashed out. — Agencies
