November 21, 2024
Shang Juncheng stormed to his first ATP title at the Chengdu Open on Tuesday.
The 19-year-old Chinese sensation stunned top seed and Olympics bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti 7-6 (4), 6-1, becoming the first player born in 2005 or later to win an ATP title.
“Ever since I started playing tennis, I want to be one of the best players in the world,” Shang told TENNIS.com ahead of the 2024 season. “I think that’s what every little kid, when they started one sport, that’s what they think about. For me along the way, a lot of coaches, my parents, they’ve helped me a lot to achieve this and we’re still working on it.
“It’s something that I don’t put any pressure on, it’s just, tennis is my favorite hobby. Now it’s my job. So I just try to make it fun every day.”
Shang Juncheng, who also goes by “Jerry,” dropped just one set en route to his first ATP title, completing a sweep of the Top 2 seeds over Lorenzo Musetti and Alexander Bublik.
With his straight sets to victory over Lorenzo Musetti, Shang have now close in on a Top 50 debut in the ATP Rankings and remain in the hunt for a berth at the Next Gen ATP Finals.
The result keeps Shang, a former junior US Open finalist who goes by Jerry, in the hunt for a maiden berth at the Next Gen ATP Finals, an annual event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia that spotlights ATP stars aged 20 and under.
According to the ATP website, Shang will ascend to No. 2 in the PIF ATP Live Race to Jeddah.
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