Aussie Li Tu won first ATP challenger title after his Mother passed away

guanzishou

G.O.A.T.
What a devastating loss before his first ATP Challenger title :cry: How I wish his mother would have seen him lifting the trophy...


Fox Sports: ‘We did it Mum’: Gut-wrenching tears as Aussie wins first title after mother’s cancer battle.

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Li Tu broke down in tears after winning his first ATP Challenger Title.Source: Twitter

Zac Rayson from Fox Sports
October 18th, 2022 8:40 am

Australian tennis talent Li Tu fought back tears Sunday as he claimed a maiden ATP Challenger tour title in Seoul, Korea.

The Australian fought through qualifying all the way to the Seoul title, beating two much higher-ranked Aussies along the way – Christopher O’Connell and James Duckworth in the quarters then semis.

The 26-year-old surged over 100 places in the world rankings with the title, taking him to a career-high of 190th in the world.

But that pales in comparison to the heartbreaking journey the Adelaide-born star has undergone in the last two months – losing his mother to cancer in late September.

In an emotional social media post, Tu revealed he had continued training only because his mother had convinced him she was ‘getting better’, and that he travelled to Korea the day after her funeral.

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“Today is your birthday Mum. It has been the toughest 2 months of my life. Watching you battle cancer, struggle and fight every day as you slowly lost your senses,” Li Tu wrote.

“Continuing tennis training because you were relentless that I must keep going and you are “getting better”. Being by your side as you took your last breath on 24/09/22 surrounded by our family who love you so much,” he added.

“A few days before you passed, you said to me “I’ll see you in Korea” and I broke down in tears. Coming over to Korea the day after your funeral, I wasn’t sure I could do it but before every match, I looked up at the sky and I couldn’t help but smile when I saw you,” he continued.

He finished the gut-wrenching post by writing: “We did it Mum”.

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Stories like this always remind me of the great speedskater Dan Jansen, considered a lock to win the 500 meter at the 1988 Winter Olympics, had to skate hours after learning his sister had died from her cancer, fell in the middle of his race.
 
A well-deserved W, indeed. I'm guessing Tu took a 6-yr hiatus to focus on his studies and I'm not sure if it's even possible for a journeyman like Tu to get that much better after missing out on what should've been his physical prime, but I wish him the best of luck.

Also I didn't even know Seoul had a Challenger event, which got moi curious about all tennis tourneys held in (South) Korea. Here's what I see (@shinminsoo86 and other Korean posters might be interested):

Korea Open, Seoul (WTA 250, also ATP 250 in 2022 after 1-year license granted to Seoul due to COVID cancellations in China)
Gwangju Open Challenger (ATP)
Seoul Open Challenger (ATP)
Busan Open (ATP Challenger)
Changwon (women's ITF W25 [5/30-6/5] & men's ITF/Futures M15 [8/22-8/28])
Incheon (ITF W25)
Anseong (ITF M15)
Goyang (ITF W25)
Daegu (ITF M15)
Yeongwol (ITF W15, two separate weeks/editions)

So more events than I expected. And the 250 Seoul Open had a fab crowd... including a BTS sighting! Yet more reason to make it permanent!
 
A well-deserved W, indeed. I'm guessing Tu took a 6-yr hiatus to focus on his studies and I'm not sure if it's even possible for a journeyman like Tu to get that much better after missing out on what should've been his physical prime, but I wish him the best of luck.

Also I didn't even know Seoul had a Challenger event, which got moi curious about all tennis tourneys held in (South) Korea. Here's what I see (@shinminsoo86 and other Korean posters might be interested):

Korea Open, Seoul (WTA 250, also ATP 250 in 2022 after 1-year license granted to Seoul due to COVID cancellations in China)
Gwangju Open Challenger (ATP)
Seoul Open Challenger (ATP)
Busan Open (ATP Challenger)
Changwon (women's ITF W25 [5/30-6/5] & men's ITF/Futures M15 [8/22-8/28])
Incheon (ITF W25)
Anseong (ITF M15)
Goyang (ITF W25)
Daegu (ITF M15)
Yeongwol (ITF W15, two separate weeks/editions)

So more events than I expected. And the 250 Seoul Open had a fab crowd... including a BTS sighting! Yet more reason to make it permanent!



Seoul open challenger is finished at last week.
Tu win this tour.

Busan open (Challenger level) is keep going in this week.
Soonwoo Kwon and Chris Millman are keep going to next stage
I haven`t noticed Chris Eubanks in Busan open now.

ITF tour got no idea.
 
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