( LEAD ) S . Korean tennis star continues impressive run at Australian Open by beating Djokovic ( ATTN : ADDS details , comments from 7 th para ; photos ) SEOUL , Jan . 22 ( Yonhap ) -- Chung Hyeon continued his impressive run at the Australian Open on Monday after he beat former world No . 1 Novak Djokovic to become the first South Korean to reach the last eight at a Grand Slam event . Chung produced another upset at the Australian Open after he knocked out Djokovic 3 - 0 ( 7 - 6 ( 7 - 4 ) , 7 - 5 , 7 - 6 ( 7 - 3 ) ) in the round of 16 contest at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne . He reached the last 16 at the season ' s first grand slam event with a surprising win over world No . 4 Alexander Zverev on Saturday . This was Chung ' s second meeting with Djokovic . The two players previously met in the first round of the 2016 Australian Open , where Djokovic defeated Chung in three straight sets and went on to win his sixth Australian Open crown . Chung will next face 97 th - ranked Tennys Sandgren of the U . S . , who also had an upset win against fifth - seeded Dominic Thiem of Austria , in the quarterfinal on Wednesday . Chung is now the first South Korean tennis player to reach the last eight at a Grand Slam tournament . Previously , Lee Duk - hee in the women ' s singles at the 1981 U . S Open and Lee Hyun - taik in the men ' s singles at the 2000 and 2007 U . S . Opens had reached the round of 16 . Chung , currently highest - ranked South Korean male tennis player at No . 58 , had a good start by winning the first four games against Djokovic , who has dropped to 14 th in the world rankings while battling injuries . In this photo taken by the Associated Press on Jan . 22 , 2018 , South Korea ' s Chung Hyeon hits a forehand return to Serbia ' s Novak Djokovic during their round of 16 match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne , Australia . ( Yonhap ) Chung , currently highest - ranked South Korean male tennis player at No . 58 , had a good start by winning the first four games against Djokovic , who has dropped to 14 th in the world rankings while battling injuries . The 21 - year - old South Korean , appearing in his third Australian Open , took the opening game following a double fault by Djokovic and then went on to win the second game with a backhand winner . He made 4 - 0 as Djokovic struggled with unforced errors . Djokovic , who has 12 Grand Slam victories , however , started to find his rhythm as he won three straight games to make 4 - 3 . He failed to hold serve in the next game , but finally leveled the score at 5 - 5 . Djokovic then moved ahead 6 - 5 after Chung lost the break point with a forehand unforced error . Chung , however , managed to force the set to the tiebreak by taking the next game with a forehand winner . In the first set tiebreak , Djokovic drew the first blood , but Chung made the score 3 - 3 and went on to take three points . Chung then wrapped up the set with a backhand that drew an error from the 30 - year - old Serbian . Chung and Djokovic , who received treatment for his elbow and apparently for blisters on his feet after the first set , continued their intense rally in the opening of the second set . But it was Chung who secured the lead by saving four break points . The second set had a similar story to the first : Chung moving ahead first and Djokovic catching up later . Chung cruised to a 4 - 1 lead at one point , but Djokovic fought back to make it five - all . Chung , however , managed to secure the set in 61 minutes as he held his serve and breaks against Djokovic , who has 68 Association of Tennis Professionals ( ATP ) titles under his belt . In this photo taken by the Associated Press on Jan . 22 , 2018 , South Korea ' s Chung Hyeon reacts after earning a point against Serbia ' s Novak Djokovic during their round of 16 match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne , Australia . ( Yonhap ) Djokovic broke Chung , who only has one ATP win , to start the third set , but his lead didn ' t last long , as Chung took the next three games for a 3 - 1 lead . Djokovic , a five - time International Tennis Federation ( ITF ) champion , later made the score 3 - 3 , with his first serve ace coming 2 hours and 41 minutes into the match . The two players then each held their serves and entered another tiebreak . In the third set tiebreak , Chung earned three quick points , but surrendered the next three points . After a rally of more than 20 shots , Chung broke the 3 - 3 deadlock with Djokovic ' s unforced error and then went ahead with a forehand winner . Following a Djovokic forehand return that hit the net , Chung made history by earning the match point from his opponent ' s wide backhand . Chung said he was happy with his performance against his idol . " I just tried to copy Novak because he is my idol , " Chung said in the post - match interview on the court . " I ' m just really happy . " When asked about his third set , Chung said he didn ' t really feel any pressure . " I was up 2 - 0 , and even if I lose , I had another two sets to play , " he said . " I ' m younger than Novak , so I didn ' t care ( about losing the third set ) . " Chung said he will give a better performance in the next round against Sandgren . " In a Grand Slam event , everyone ' s playing good , " he said . " I still have a match to play , so I ' ll play better on Wednesday ( against Sandgren ) . In this photo taken by the Associated Press on Jan . 22 , 2018 , South Korea ' s Chung Hyeon ( L ) is congratulated by Serbia ' s Novak Djokovic after winning his round of 16 match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne , Australia . ( Yonhap ) kdon @ yna . co . kr ( END )