Court 9 in Cincinnati was the setting on 11 August 2026 for a closely contested three-set battle in the first round of Western & Southern Open qualifying. Quentin Halys, entering the draw as the second seed in qualifying, needed a lengthy three-set journey despite his strong recent form before defeating Kwon Soon-woo 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 and booking his place in the second qualifying round.
Kwon starts strongly – Halys fights back
Kwon Soon-woo set the early tone. The South Korean, who claimed three hard-court titles on the Challenger circuit during leave periods from his military service in 2026 — climbing in the process from around No. 582 to approximately No. 153 in the rankings — played purposeful, decisive tennis in the opening set. He converted his chances efficiently, took the set 6-4, and put himself in a comfortable early position.
Halys regrouped after dropping the first set. The Frenchman, who had claimed his first ATP title in Kitzbühel just weeks earlier and pushed himself close to the top 50 in the process, steadied his serve and kept the second set level throughout. A tiebreak was needed to separate the two players, and there Halys held his nerve, claiming the breaker 7-6 (5) to level the match.
Halys takes control in the deciding set
In the deciding third set, Halys imposed himself from the baseline and gave Kwon very little in the way of break points. He converted his own opportunities more cleanly than he had earlier in the match and closed out the set 6-4 — completing a comeback that had looked far from certain after he dropped the opener.
The statistics underline just how tight the contest was: both players held serve on 94 percent of their service games and produced strong numbers on first serve — Halys won 93 percent of points behind his first serve, Kwon 85 percent. Halys struck 18 aces to Kwon's nine. On unforced errors, Halys made 43 to Kwon's 35, a reflection of how evenly matched the two were. Break point conversion rates told a similarly fine-margined story: Halys converted 17 percent of his break points, Kwon 14 percent — small margins that ultimately proved decisive.
Into the second qualifying round
The victory keeps Halys in contention for a main-draw place at one of the season's most prestigious Masters events — and a key preparatory tournament ahead of the US Open. Kwon, who arrived in Cincinnati having won seven of his last ten matches, exits in the first qualifying round and returns to the Challenger circuit, where he has already produced some impressive performances this season.
