{"id":259956,"date":"2026-05-10T00:14:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T15:14:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tenbizt.com\/en\/news\/uncategorized\/2026\/05\/10\/veteran-soft-tennis-star-seo-kwon-claims-first-national-title-at-age-36-whats-next-for-his-career\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T00:14:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T15:14:48","slug":"veteran-soft-tennis-star-seo-kwon-claims-first-national-title-at-age-36-whats-next-for-his-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tenbizt.com\/en\/news\/sports\/2026\/05\/10\/veteran-soft-tennis-star-seo-kwon-claims-first-national-title-at-age-36-whats-next-for-his-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Veteran Soft Tennis Star Seo Kwon Claims First National Title at Age 36: What\u2019s Next for His Career?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Translation result.<\/p>\n

\n
\"src=contents\/crawler-dev\/image\/2026\/05\/CP-2024-0038\/image-2917348e-a1c3-4711-9343-5c939db69d1d.jpeg\"
\n \u25b2 Veteran Seo Kwon, who claimed his first Dong-A Ilbo Cup title. Photo courtesy of the Korea Soft Tennis Association
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

At 36, veteran Seo Kwon \u2014 the second-oldest active soft tennis player in South Korea \u2014 leaned on experience and grit to capture the men’s singles crown at the 104th Dong-A Ilbo National Soft Tennis Championships.<\/p>\n

Seo defeated Jeong Jeong-il (Suwon City Hall) 4-2 in the men’s open singles final on the 9th at the Mungyeong International Soft Tennis Stadium in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province.<\/p>\n

Seo already boasts an impressive r\u00e9sum\u00e9 \u2014 including six national sports festival titles and numerous other victories \u2014 but this was his first gold at the country\u2019s longest-running tournament, adding extra weight to the achievement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m thrilled to win at this stage of my career and finally claim this title,\u201d Seo said. \u201cDuring the final, my coach and teammates believed in me and their support helped me deliver a strong performance.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cBecause of my age, I focused on staying competitive physically by training four nights a week, and that consistency paid off.\u201d
\u201cI expect to maintain my form through next year without problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seo was referring to the World Championships scheduled for September 2027 in Mungyeong, South Korea.<\/p>\n

His stated final goal is to get through the February selection trials, represent South Korea at the World Championships and finish on the podium.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the World Championships next year will be my last tournament as a player. I\u2019ll do everything I can to prepare and make sure I reach that goal,\u201d Seo said.<\/p>\n

Seo Gyu-jae, head coach of the Incheon Metropolitan City Sports Council, said, \u201cSeo was disappointed earlier this season after falling short at key moments, including the Asian Games selection trials, but this victory has shattered that barrier. He trains harder than anyone, so I\u2019m confident he\u2019ll achieve his final goal and end his career on a high note.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Incheon Metropolitan City Sports Council finished third in the men’s open team event.<\/p>\n

\/Reporter Lee Jong-man malema@incheonilbo.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Veteran soft tennis player Seo Kwon, 36, wins his first gold at the 104th Dong-A Ilbo National Tennis Championships.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/cdn-union.tenbizt.com\/contents\/crawler-dev\/thumbnail\/2026\/05\/CP-2024-0038\/thumb-7721c38a-a40a-4283-aef7-418b12022491.jpg","footnotes":""},"categories":[278095],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-259956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nVeteran Soft Tennis Star Seo Kwon Claims First National Title at Age 36: What\u2019s Next for His Career?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Veteran soft tennis player Seo Kwon, 36, wins his first gold at the 104th Dong-A Ilbo National Tennis Championships.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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