South Korean tennis player Kwon Soon-woo (Dangjin City Hall), who bowed and apologized for his unsportsmanlike behavior by smashing his racket after losing an Asian Games match, smiled and shook hands with his opponent in doubles.
Kwon teamed up with Hong Seong-chan (Sejong City Hall) to defeat Japan’s Shinji HAZAWA and Kaito UESUGI 2-0 (6-2 6-4) in the men’s doubles quarterfinals at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, on Sunday.
After securing the bronze medal, Kwon Soon-woo said through the Korea Tennis Association after the match, “Before I celebrate my victory, I would like to apologize to the people of Korea and those who watched the video from abroad for my immature and unnecessary behavior during my match with Samrez in the second singles match a few days ago. I’m sure he was offended, and I want to say I’m sorry again,” he said, bowing his head in another apology.
Kwon suffered a shock 1-2 (3-6 7-5 4-6) loss to world No. 636 Kassidit Samrej (Thailand) in the second round of the singles competition on May 25.
Unable to control her anger after the loss, Kwon slammed her racket on the floor and a chair and refused to shake her opponent’s hand.
In response to the outcry, Kwon Soon-woo visited the Thai team the day after the game and apologized in person, but the controversy did not go away.
Vice Minister of Culture Jang Jang-ran also expressed his regret for Kwon’s unprofessional behavior.
Amid the outpouring of criticism from foreign media, Chinese portal Sohu.com reported that the Thai player had taken advantage of the rules to get under Kwon’s skin.
However, Kwon Soon-woo reiterated her apology, saying, “It doesn’t matter what the other player did, but I think my unnecessary behavior 바카라사이트 disappointed many people, so I want to say sorry.”
Perhaps conscious of the criticism, Kwon Soon-woo tried to keep a straight face during her doubles match with Hong Hong-chan.
He also smiled and shook hands with the Japanese players after the match.
Meanwhile, Kwon Soon-woo will face Saketh Mineeni-Ramkumar Ramanathan (India) on Monday for a spot in the final.