Hyeon Chung vs. Enzo Couacaud prediction: Best bet for Wednesday’s tennis action

Once one of the most promising prospects on the ATP Tour, Hyeon Chung has faded into the tennis abyss over the last half-decade.

Chung, who won the 2017 NextGen Finals and then went to the semifinals at the 2018 Australian Open, has dealt with a laundry list of injury issues since 2019 and has fallen out of the rankings. 

There have been some fits and starts at a comeback attempt from the 27-year-old South Korean, but injuries always got in the way.

His latest attempt to break back onto the tennis scene will come at Wimbledon, where he’s looking to qualify for his first Grand Slam since the 2019 US Open.

Hyeon Chung vs. Enzo Couacaud pick

It would be quite the story if Chung qualifies for the Wimbledon main draw.

The 27-year-old was basically inactive between 2020 and 2023, so just seeing him back on the court is already a massive step in the right direction.

It was a while ago now, but there was a time when Chung was considered as part of the “Next Generation” along with the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev.

That’s how good Chung was during his salad days.

But the fact that Chung is a +170 underdog to Enzo Couacaud, a player who has bounced around between 150 and 200 for the better part of a year in the world rankings, tells you just how far he’s fallen since his peak.

But that doesn’t mean that Chung can’t make good on his comeback attempt.

Tennis is a grueling sport and it’s not uncommon for players to spend long periods of time on the sidelines because of injuries or other issues.

Andy Murray’s career was thought to be over until a couple of years ago when he battled his way back onto the ATP Tour and, more recently, the sport got behind Lucas Pouille, a former top-10 player in the world who had to step away from the game to deal with addiction issues, during his run through French Open qualifying.

Get the lowdown on the Best USA Sports Betting Sites and Apps

And Chung has caught a bit of a break with his draw in qualifying.

There are some dangerous, high-ceiling players in this group but Couacaud is a gettable opponent that is not in great form.

The Frenchmen was riding a five-match losing streak before his win over Raul Brancaccio on Monday and he’s 7-8 in his last 15 matches overall. 

With a win already under his belt at Wimbledon Qualifying, I’m confident to back Chung as an underdog based on his talent advantage over Couacaud. 

Our pick: Hyeon Chung (+170, PointsBet)