| Country | South Korea |
|---|---|
| Residence | Seoul, South Korea |
| Born | January 3, 1976 Hoengseong, South Korea |
| Height | 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Turned pro | 1995 |
| Retired | November 1, 2009 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Career prize money | US$2,257,901 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 156–156 |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Highest ranking | 36 (August 6, 2007) |
| Grand Slam results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2003, 2008) |
| French Open | 3R (2004, 2005) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2007) |
| US Open | 4R (2000, 2007) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 40–69 |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Highest ranking | 95 (January 16, 2006) |
| Last updated on: 13 January 2010. | |
| Lee Hyung-taik | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 이형택 |
| Hanja | 李亨澤 |
| Revised Romanization | I Hyeong-taek |
| McCune–Reischauer | I Hyŏngt'aek |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tennis | ||
| Competitor for South Korea | ||
| Asian Games | ||
| Gold | 1998 Bangkok | Team Event |
| Silver | 1998 Bangkok | Men's Doubles |
| Silver | 2002 Busan | Men's Singles |
| Silver | 2002 Busan | Men's Doubles |
| Silver | 2002 Busan | Team Event |
| Gold | 2006 Doha | Team Event |
| Silver | 2006 Doha | Men's Singles |
| Summer Universiade | ||
| Silver | 1995 Fukuoka | Men's Singles |
| Gold | 1997 Catania | Men's Doubles |
| Gold | 1999 Palma | Men's Singles |
Hyung-Taik Lee (Korean: 이형택, born January 3, 1976) is a retired professional tennis player from South Korea. Lee's career-high ranking in singles is World No. 36, which he achieved in August 2007.
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Lee was born in a potato-farming village in Hoengseong County, South Korea. He began playing tennis at age nine with a school teacher. After retirement, he is running his own academy named “Lee Hyung Taik Tennis Academy” in Gangwon Province.[1]
Lee made a splash at the 2000 U.S. Open tournament, reaching the fourth round before losing to Pete Sampras. En route to his fourth round appearance against Sampras, Lee defeated Jeff Tarango, thirteenth seed Franco Squillari, and 2003 Australian Open runner-up Rainer Schüttler.
In 2003, Lee became the first Korean to win ATP Tour singles and doubles titles by winning the singles tournament at the Adidas International in Sydney as a qualifier (beating Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final) and the doubles tournament at the Siebel Open in San Jose (partnering with Belarusian Vladimir Voltchkov).
In the second round of the 2006 Wimbledon, Lee was defeated by former champion and two-time semi-finalist Lleyton Hewitt in five sets, including three tie-breakers. Lee had set points in the third set tie-breakers, but went on to lose the set after an incorrect line call. As Lee went on to win the fourth set the call probably prevented him winning the match against the eventual quarter-finalist.
Lee matched his best Grand Slam performance in 2007 by making the fourth round of the 2007 U.S. Open tournament. In the first round, Lee was forced to five sets before defeating Dominik Hrbatý. Lee was pit against Guillermo Cañas, who was the fourteenth seed in the tournament, in the second round. Lee defeated Cañas in three sets, setting up a third round showdown against nineteenth seed Andy Murray. Lee got out to a quick two set advantage against Murray, eventually winning in four sets. In the fourth round, Lee played fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko, who defeated the Korean in three sets.
His fourth round showing at the US Open capped a very successful open series. During the 2007 US Open Series, Lee reached the semifinals at the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles, the quarterfinals at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships and at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.
Lee set personal bests in a handful of categories, including match wins and money earned. Lee won a career-high 25 matches and earned $386,230. Overall, Lee compiled records of 16-15 on hard, 5-5 on clay, 3-3 on grass and 1-0 on carpet. In August, Lee achieved his career best ranking in singles as World No. 36.
In the 2008 season, Lee had a disappointing losing streak and eventually fell out of the top 100 ranked tennis players. In 2009, during the Davis cup playoff between Korea and China, Lee announced his retirement after the Davis Cup match where he will play one final time for Korea. Korea beat China 3-2, and Lee retired from pro tennis.
He opened the “Lee Hyung Taik Tennis Academy” in the tennis center at Song-ahm Sports Town in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province on 12 September 2009.[1]
Lee has sometimes appeared in doubles with Korean-American player Kevin Kim. The pair reached the third round of the French Open 2005.
Lee is right-handed and uses a single-handed backhand. He considers his backhand as his best shot. His favorite surface is hardcourt, even though the most common surface in Korea is clay court. He was coached by countryman and former ATP professional Yoon Yong-il (since March 2006).
| Legend (Singles) |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Masters Series (0) |
| ATP Tour (1) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| 1. | January 6, 2003 | Sydney, Australia | Hard | Juan Carlos Ferrero | 4–6, 7–6(6), 7–6(4) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partnering | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | February 10, 2003 | San Jose, United States | Hard (i) | Vladimir Voltchkov | Paul Goldstein Robert Kendrick |
7–5, 4–6, 6–3 |