After the first two singles matches, Argentina draws 1-1 against South Korea in the first round of the 2026 Davis Cup Qualifiers.In the first round at the Gijang Gymnasium in Busan, Thiago Tirante (95th in the ATP ranking) defeated Hyeon Chung (392nd) by 2-6, 7-5 and 7-6 (5).Then, MarcoTrungelliti (134th) lost to Soon-Woo Kwon (343rd) 7-6 (6) and 6-2.
The series will be defined starting at 01:00 on Sunday (Argentine time), with the doubles match that will face Guido Andreozzi (32nd in doubles) and FedericoGómez (134th in that modality) with Ji Sung Nam (167th) and Uising Park (248th).
Subsequently, the reverse singles will be played: Tirante against Kwon and, if necessary, Trungelliti against Chung.All matches will be broadcast by TyC Sports and DSports.
In Single 1, Tirante showed fighting spirit and turned around a difficult match against Chung, whom he defeated in a 2 hour and 52 minute battle.
The player from La Plata felt the nerves of his debut in the national team and was down 3-4 with the serve in favor of his rival.But he never gave up and had a reward.
Chung dominated the first set.Starting in the fifth game, the local showed some glimpses of the one who was 19th in the world and eliminated Novak Djokovic from the 2018 Australian Open in straight sets. He stood better from the back of the court against a bewildered Tirante.Chung was firm with the serve and did damage with his forehand.It was his formula to achieve two consecutive breaks and close the set 6-2.
In the second game of the next set, the Korean showed his first doubts: he committed three double faults and Tirante reached his first break in the match.It was not enough for the Argentine to settle in.Chung achieved another break and served with the chance to be within striking distance of victory.However, he was hesitant when he had to take over the lead.
The Argentine gained confidence and showed greater effectiveness in decisive moments.Until, in the twelfth game, Chung left a volley in the net after an open serve and Tirante took the set.
For Tirante it was more than matching the score: it was removing doubts from the first time and strengthening his spirit.It was also confirmation that it was not going to be easy and that I would have to fight until the end to stay afloat.
In the third set, parity reigned and showed two players solvent on serve, to the point that there were no breaks.The first point of the series was decided in the tie-break, where the player from La Plata was more precise: in his third match point – the first with his serve – he took a risk with an inverted forehand and sealed the 1-0 for Argentina.
Tirante continued his good moment since the beginning of the year.Last month he achieved his first victory in a Grand Slam on fast courts by defeating local Aleksandar Vukic (77th) in straight sets, in the first round of the AustralianOpen.That day, the player from La Plata achieved the fastest ace of the tournament: 228 kilometers per hour.
The week before his arrival in Busan, and as part of his preparation for the Davis Cup series, Tirante had a good participation in the 125 Challenger in Manama, in Bahrain, where he reached the quarterfinals.
In the second point, Kwon confirmed that his current ranking is far from his true level.After a mostly balanced match, the Korean found ways to surpass Trungelliti (134th) and give his country a tie.
The first set exhibited almost absolute parity.Neither of them managed to prevail and both shared successes and errors.Trungelliti got a break in the fourth game, although Kwon recovered it in the next.
Thus they reached the tie-break, where the drama stretched to the end.Kwon, on his fourth opportunity, managed to close the set and took the lead on the scoreboard.
The first passages of the second set also showed parity, until, in the sixth game, Kwon saw the chance and took advantage of it: he broke Trungelliti’s serve, held his own and found the confidence to go for all the loot.
In the eighth game, the Korean again imposed pressure on Delargentino’s serve and the plan went well: he sealed the set and the match, to establish 1-1 in the series.
Kwon confirmed his good start to the season.After playing just eight tournaments last year – with three trophies and one final – due to having to join mandatory military service in his country, the tennis player opened 2026 in an unbeatable way by winning the Phan Thiet Challenger (category 50), in Vietnam.After starting from the qualification, Kwon won seven consecutive victories without giving up sets and won his first title on that circuit since February 2019.
The 26 nations participating this week in the first round of the Qualifiers are looking for a place in the second phase, scheduled for September.The 13 winning teams will advance to that stage and will join Spain, which will await the winner of the series between Chile and Serbia, to play seven qualifying rounds under the home and away format.Then, the seven countries that pass that phase will access the Final 8 in Bologna, where they will join the host Italy for the direct elimination stage, scheduled for November.
This week’s series will be developed to the best of five points, distributed over two days of competition.
On the first day, the number one singles player of the local team will face the number two of the visiting team, and then the match will be repeated in reverse.
The second day will open with the doubles match.Then the number one players from each country will face each other and, finally, the series will close with the duel between the number two singles players.
All matches will be played in the best of three sets, with a tie-break.
The 13 teams that fail to advance in this first round of the Qualifiers will compete in World Group I in September, along with the countries that win the World Group I Play-offs, which are played this weekend.
