Rising star Kim Jang-jun of the University of Virginia became the first Korean player ever to win an National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's tennis title.
The University of Virginia, where Kim plays, defeated the University of Texas 4-3 in the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship final held in Georgia, Sunday.
With the victory, Virginia captured its seventh NCAA Division I championship title overall.
Playing in the No. 3 singles match in the final, Kim defeated Sebastian Eriksson in straight sets, 2-0 (6-1, 7-6(9)), leveling the team score at 3-3. Virginia then secured the championship by winning the deciding ace match.
Ranked No. 114 in the NCAA this year, Kim closed out the season with a 25-9 record (73.5 percent), defeating both Luka Pow (No. 28) and Eriksson (No. 35) during the Final Four.
After the championship, Kim told the Korea Tennis Association:
"After being eliminated in the final match of last year's tournament, I wanted to win this year more than anyone else. It makes this moment especially meaningful because all the hard work finally paid off."
"Going forward, I want to continue showing that Korean players are fully capable of challenging themselves and succeeding on the NCAA stage."
(This article was produced with the assistance of AI. — Ed.)
khnews@heraldcorp.com
