Sound is no barrier for deaf tennis pro, who notches 143 in world rankings

Asan, South Korea

TO IMPROVE its chances in the boys' team tennis event at the National Sports Festival in Asan, Mapo High School in Seoul brought in a ringer from Jecheon, two hours south-east of the capital. His name is Lee Duck-hee, and he had first caught the coach's eye when he was in elementary school.

Mapo High's players pressed against the fence along the dusty hardcourts and chanted their support while Lee crushed forehand winners past his bespectacled opponent in the final. The 6-1, 6-1 win took little time - no surprise, given that Lee is the best teenage player in South Korea, and a professional ranked 143rd in the world.