By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday January 3, 2024
China’s Juncheng Shang is one in every of six youngsters contained in the ATP’s Prime 200 and customarily considered a rising expertise that may very well be a future prime participant. The previous junior No.1 is a gifted ball striker who certified for 3 of the 4 majors final yr and even earned two spectacular wins over Ben Shelton final summer season.
On the Citi Open final yr, the place he finally reached the spherical of 16, Shang turned the primary Chinese language man to ever win a match on the US Open.
Shang has not produced a meteoric rise like fellow younger weapons Carlos Alcaraz (19, and ranked second) and Holger Rune (20 and ranked eighth), however the present World No.183 been rising steadily below the radar since he turned professional. He solely received 4 matches at tour-level in 2023, however notched 29 throughout all ranges.
In 2024, he has hit the bottom operating, notching two dramatic victories to achieve his first ATP quarterfinal.
Shang, coached by Kei Nishikori’s former coach Dante Bottini, hails from Beijing however has spent a lot of his junior days at IMG Academy in Florida.
The quickly to be 19-year-old (birthday: February 2) saved a pair of match factors within the first spherical as he defeated Thirty third-ranked Laslo Djere of Serbia, and on Wednesday in Hong Kong he saved one other match level to get previous gifted Dane Botic Van de Zandschulp, 6-7(5), 7-6(2), 7-6(2).
Again-to-back prime 50 wins to begin a season? Not dangerous in any respect…
“My first ATP quarter-final, hopefully there’s extra to return,” Shang advised the gang in Hong Kong. “That is residence, so it is further particular for me. I am simply tremendous glad, with these wonderful followers too and having fun with the second.”
✨ 𝑺𝒖𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈 ✨
Shang Juncheng reaches his first ATP Tour quarter-final after defeating van de Zandschulp!@Hkto_mens | #BOCHKTO2024 pic.twitter.com/cPoyKiHttW
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 3, 2024
Shang, who confronted a match level with Van de Zandschulp main 6-5 in set two, says that each wins need to be referred to as the very best of his profession. He’ll face Frances Tiafoe within the quarterfinals.
Shang misplaced to Tiafoe in each of their earlier conferences, on the Australian Open final January and at Washington, D.C final August. He has by no means received a set from the American.
The primary Chinese language man to ever win a match at #MubadalaCitiDCOpen now has two 👏
Shang Juncheng defeats Ben Shelton 6-2 3-6 6-3 to achieve the spherical of 16. pic.twitter.com/t1arNpMtHH
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 1, 2023
The Beijing native is proud to be taking a web page from the legends of the got here along with his Houdini theatrics, and sees his success this week as a direct product of his laborious work and dedication.
“You see all the good gamers, they’ve moments saving match factors,” Shang stated. “It’s an awesome worth for me to by no means quit, that is how I need to play tennis into the longer term, to maintain that perspective and to be myself.
Shang takes a philosophical method to his tennis, and to life, seeing them as one and the identical.
“I feel it is from the build-up on this pre-season. I have never all the time been this calm in necessary moments. On courtroom time is just three hours and 32 minutes of the day, however you might have 24 hours within the day. That simply builds how you might be as an individual, not simply in tennis, however in life too.”
