Australian Open: Hyeon Chung and Naomi Osaka lead next gen’s charge

South Korea’s 21-year-old Chung and Japan’s 20-year-old Naomi Osaka share centre stage at the Australian Open today.

Japan’s Naomi Osaka plays a forehand in her third-round match against Ash Barty on Saturday. Picture: Getty Images

Getting popular at home? “No,” Hyeon Chung grinned. “Tennis not that popular in Korea.” Girls have started calling you? “No,” he replied. Do you have a girlfriend? “No,” he lamented with Shakespearean remorse. This could get you one? “No,” he said ahead of the next stage of a journey that began when he started playing tennis at the age of six because doctors thought that watching a moving yellow ball might help his imperfect eyesight.

South Korea’s 21-year-old Chung and Japan’s 20-year-old Naomi Osaka share centre stage at the Australian Open today. They’ve announced themselves as the next generation of major champions after a period of peeping over the fences.

Chung may not be Ron Burgundy-big in his homeland but to quote Will Ferrell’s character while the Hollywood actor/tennis stalker is on his way to the airport, Osaka is about to become kind of a big deal. Born in Japan and raised in the US, the powerhouse slayer of Ash Barty is likely to be the face of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Today she plays world No 1 ­Simona Halep. She serves at 200km/h — virtually unheard of in women’s tennis. She clubs the ball as if she’s trying to harm it. She has an upbeat personality and electrifying playing style that makes her everything the WTA Tour has hoped for in the post-­Serena Williams generation. Partly because she’s another Serena in many respects. And partly because she’s an effervescent, marketable soul who can take the Asian market to unprecedented heights.

Hyeon Chung is the first Korean player to reach the last 16 at the Australian Open. Picture: Getty Images

Osaka’s breakthrough major comes with Williams’ former hitting partner, shoulder-to-cry-on, quasi-coach and motivational force Sascha Bajin in her corner.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity,” Osaka said of playing the counterpunching Halep, who ran herself ragged for nearly four hours against Lauren Davis on Saturday.

“But I’m like, I don’t want to stop here, if you know what I mean? I’m always a little bit surprised when I hear people say I hit the ball hard because it’s not really my intention. I don’t go into the match saying, ‘I’m going to hit it as hard as I can.’ I was sweating watching her (Halep’s) match more than I was with my match. I’ve played her twice, and both times it’s been three sets. I feel like I learned a lot. I feel playing the No 1 really is an honour.”

Bajin was instrumental in Williams’ dominance. She said he had the role of big brother and partner in crime during their eight years together. He was a member of ­Caroline Wozniacki’s entourage when she won the WTA Tour ­Finals at Singapore last year. When he had a trial run with Osaka in the interests of a potential long-term partnership as her full-time coach, the only thing that got rolling was his ankle.

“OK. So, the first time we practised, I was like, ‘Oh, I’m nervous,’” Osaka said. “He was with Serena for such a long time and I really like Serena. So I’m like, ‘Oh.’ Then we practised. He twisted his ankle, so we couldn’t really do much. He was running like this, and then I hit it here, and then he fell because he’s really big. I thought he was joking because he had his ankle guards on. He just turned really red. He tore a ligament. Then I had to fly to Japan. So that wasn’t really a good thing. But he’s really positive. I feel like he’s been on the tour for a super-long time, so he knows what he’s doing. Our personalities match a lot. That’s how we started working together.”

How do your personalities match? “He’s crazy,” she said. “I mean, he’s really sarcastic. I feel like he’s one of the few people who really get my jokes now. In the beginning he was like, whoa. But now I think he gets it. We have a banter going on. I want to say you have to have a brain to get my humour. But I also think it’s sarcastic-y, out of nowhere, boom. You have to be like, ‘Did she just say that?’.”

When Osaka was told her tennis was more straight-down-the-line, she wanted more banter.

Osaka: “Is it?”

Journalist: “Yes.”

Osaka: “Would you describe it to me?”

Journalist: “Yes, I will.”

Osaka: “Please do.”

Journalist: “It’s very forceful. Assertive.”

Osaka: “Is it?”

Journalist: “Yes.”

Osaka: Thank you. I hope that’s a compliment.’

Chung and Osaka are good friends. Chung plays six-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic on a loaded program today. He began playing tennis at six after doctors told his parents it would help his vision. Watching the yellow ball would be good for him. He wears glasses on court. He has a mild vision impairment. Zero-point-six. “Without the glasses, I can see guys, but I can’t play exactly the same tennis on the court.” He’s the first Korean player to reach the final 16 at the Open. He was thrilled by his joint success with Osaka, echoing her sentiments before his first headline match. “I don’t want to stop here,” he said. “Keep going. I want.”