#NextGenATP Q3 Review: Alex Michelsen, Shang Juncheng, Jakub Mensik continue successful seasons | ATP Tour

Next Gen ATP Finals

#NextGenATP Q3 Update: Michelsen, Shang, Mensik continue successful seasons

Tien, Fonseca in Jeddah; Fils leads the PIF ATP Live Race to Jeddah

September 10, 2024

Several #NextGenATP stars have impressed at the major stages of the ATP Tour in recent months, claiming top 20 victories and challenging for titles.

Alex Michelsen advanced to the ATP Tour finals in both Newport and Winston-Salem, Shang Juncheng secured a Top 20 win over top-seeded Ben Shelton in Atlanta and Jakub Mensik cruised to the third round of the US Open.

Student Tien and Joao Fonseca both broke new ground with their first ATP Challenger Tour crowns, while Arthur Fils continued his strong rise with his biggest ATP title to date in Hamburg.

ATPtour.com takes a look at the current standings in the current PIF ATP Live To Jeddah race ahead of the NextGen ATP Finals presented by PIF, which will take place from 18-22 December.

Watch live PIF ATP race to Jeddah

Michelsen has a solid throw in the home field
American Michelsen had a strong swing in North America ahead of the US Open, using home support to make finals in Newport and Winston-Salem. Michelsen cruised past Reilly Opelka and Maxime Cressy on his way to the final at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, losing in three sets to Marcos Giron.

The 20-year-old was also runner-up at the Winston-Salem Open, defeating Christopher Eubanks and Pablo Carreno Busta before falling to Lorenzo Sonego. Michelsen also reached the finals twice at the Cincinnati Open alongside Mackenzie McDonald, with the Americans losing 6-2, 6-4 to fourth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic.

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_{^{Michelsen reached his third final at Winston-Salem. (Photo credit: Grant Halverson/Getty Images)}}

At the US Open, Michelsen advanced to Eliot Spizzirri before falling to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Jannik Sinner.

After so much time spent traveling, Michelsen thought about the fond memories he had when he returned home.

“I will say [the most fun was] when I came back from Wimby, because I hadn’t seen my friends in three, four months, and everyone was at home for the summer,” said Michelsen. “I played a lot of pickleball, I went to the beach. There was a loud explosion. I can say that the past year has been the most fun I’ve had.”

Shang enjoys Flushing Meadows
Shang reached the semifinals as an Atlanta qualifier, upsetting top seed and home favorite Shelton 7-6(6), 6-4. The 19-year-old also reached the third round in Winston-Salem, defeating seventh-seeded Mariano Navone.

_{^{Shang Juncheng defeated Ben Shelton on his way to the semifinals in Atlanta. (Photo credit: Adam Hagy/Getty Images)}}

Shang advanced to the third round at the US Open, his best result in a Grand Slam career. He battled past Alexander Bublik and Roberto Carballes Baena before suffering a crushing loss to Casper Ruud in 8 out of five sets.

Shang explained to ATPtour.com how staying in the moment and doing things the right way has helped him stay strong.

“I take days off. Sometimes I don’t want to practice, like a normal guy,” Shang said at the US Open. “I try not to think too much about other things that happened in the past, I just focus on the present and what’s going to happen. and in the future.”

Fils reach new heights in Hamburg
Fils won his first ATP 500 title in Hamburg in July, knocking off the top three seeds en route to victory. The Frenchman defeated Holger Rune and Sebastian Baez before facing home favorite and top seed Alexander Zverev. Fils saved 21 of 22 break points against the German according to Infosys ATP Stats to clinch the biggest title of his career.

At the US Open, the 20-year-old battled Tien and outlasted the #NextGenATP star in four sets in the opening round. Fils then suffered a tough four-set loss to Canada’s Gabriel Diallo in the second round.

On the court Fils impressed and off the court he took the time to enjoy the experience the tour had to offer.

“I’m still young, so I’m enjoying it [travelling]. It is possible [it’s not] for guys who are 35 or 40 years old they do it because they play tennis,” Fils told ATPTour.com. “But me, I’m still young so I like to travel, sometimes with my friends, sometimes with my family, and always with my coach.”

Mensik and Fonseca are still fighting each other
Mensik advanced to the semifinals in Umag, defeating fifth-seeded Luciano Darderi and Montreal champion Alexei Popyrin before losing to eventual winner Lorenzo Musetti. The 19-year-old also impressed at the US Open, matching his performance at Flushing Meadows last year. The Czech upset 19th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the opening round and saved two match points against Tristan Schoolkate before defeating the Australian in five sets. Mensik felt shorthanded in the third round against Nuno Borges, but held three match points in the fourth set.

Outside the court, Mensik focused on his education, explaining his academic aspirations, “I was also doing the final exams at school, so that was a big part of my life, because before the Grand Slam. [Roland Garros] I had final exams, and I got an elbow [injury],” said Mensik. “I was very happy to play on the field, without pain. And obviously, with straight A’s in school.”

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_{^{Jakub Mensik saved a match point to defeat Tristan Schoolkate at the US Open. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)}}

18-year-old Fonseca captured his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Lexington. The Brazilian, who did not drop a set, defeated Gabriel Diallo and Hugo Grenier in the round.

Fonseca’s athletic ability was evident to his parents from an early age.

“When he was two years old, we were like, ‘This boy is different,'” said Fonseca’s father, Christiano. “I remember my yoga teacher came here and started playing football with Joao and said to me, ‘This boy is different. He has more sense and communication than usual.’ He’s so young, we knew he was different.”

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Tien resumes
American Tien claimed his first ATP Challenger Tour title in July at Bloomfield Hills, defeating compatriot Nishesh Basavareddy 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. He followed this up with a semi-final appearance at another Challenger event in Chicago, knocking out second seed Benjamin Bonzi along the way.

The 18-year-old also had an impressive run in the quarter-finals of the Winston-Salem Open as a qualifier, defeating Fabian Marozsan and Thiago Seyboth Wild. At the US Open, Tien faced fellow #NextGenATP star Fils, losing in four sets in his third major appearance at Flushing Meadows.

Tien played a semester of college tennis at the University of Southern California before turning pro last year. He wrote about the impact the experience had on him and the gratitude he felt.

“To my brothers, thank you for taking me as an uneducated child and opening my eyes to see that there is a much bigger part of tennis than just me,” Tien wrote on social media last year. “More than anything else, I’m thankful for the long memories and friendships. You guys will always support me, and I look forward to seeing you all spend next year.”

Van Assche, Gaubas in the mix
Luca Van Assche, Vilius Gaubas, Henrique Rocha and Coleman Wong all remained in contention at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

Van Assche and Gaubas both reached the third round of qualifying for the US Open and Rocha made the last 16 at the Challenger event in Porto. Wong advanced to the final of the Challenger event in Lincoln, losing to Jacob Fearnley.

Gaubas, Rocha and Wong are all looking to make their Jeddah debut this year.