The 58th-ranked South Korean defeated a top-five opponent for the first time with his 5-7, 7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 victory over the German at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.
After the match, he said in an exclusive interview with SBS, “I did my best in the 3rd round, and will continue to do my best whoever I will have to face.”
Chung is only the third South Korean, male or female, to reach the last 16 at a Grand Slam tournament. Lee Duk-hee reached the round of 16 in the women's singles at the U.S. Open in 1981. Then at the 2000 and 2007 U.S. Opens, Lee Hyung-taik went to the final 16 in the men's singles.
Next up for Chung on Monday is former No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who counts six Australian Open titles among his 12 Grand Slam victories. Djokovic, who has dropped to 14th in the world rankings while battling injuries, defeated Albert Ramos-Vinolas on Saturday 6-2, 6-3, 6-3.
In their only previous meeting, Djokovic beat Chung in the first round of the 2016 Australian Open, going on to win his sixth Australian Open crown.
