Matching Report
#NextGenATP Shang sinks Nishikori on home soil in Chengdu
Vukic saves MP against Coric
September 19, 2024
Getty Images
Shang Juncheng earns his 20th win of the season. (File Photo)
By ATP staff
#NextGenATP Chinese superstar Shang Juncheng delivered in front of a home crowd on Thursday at the Chengdu Open, where he moved past World No. 4 Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-4 in a top-ranked first-round match.
Shang is one of the most exciting prospects on the ATP Tour and the 19-year-old showed why against the 34-year-old Nishikori. He hit both wings and went deep as he set up in the second set, earning two break points before leveling the Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 1-1.
Shang was full of praise for Nishikori after his win.
“His comeback is unbelievable, one of the best in the world,” said Shang. “His game takes the ball early. He doesn’t give you a lot of time and he can defend anything that comes to him. All players are tactical but it’s hard to play him because he moves the way I move. . It was a great game and he’s a good guy and we get along off the court.”
Shang is bright in Chengdu 🪩
The 19-year-old continues to impress as he beats Nishikori 6-4 6-4!@ChengduOpen | #ChengduOpen pic.twitter.com/nNb1rapOss
– ATP Tour (@atptour) September 19, 2024
Shang has now achieved 20 tour-level wins in a season for the first time, highlighted by semi-final runs in Hong Kong and Atlanta. The lefty will be hoping to play well at home during the Asian Games in order to strengthen his chances of qualifying for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by the PIF, which will be held on December 18-22. Shang is currently third in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah.
“The goal of Asia is to be healthy and happy,” said Shang. “I don’t get to play much at home. The fans don’t get to watch the Chinese players much, so it’s fun.”
World No. 67 has won his last seven tour-level first-round matches and will next face either Roman Safiullin or Fabio Fognini.
Nishikori was making his debut in Chengdu. The 12-time tour-level player hit the ball well against Shang but struggled physically at times, receiving treatment on his left leg and right elbow.
Australia’s Alexsandar Vukic saved one match point to earn an emphatic 3-6, 7-6(9), 6-4 victory against World No. 12 former Borna Coric at ATP 250.
Vukic, who leads Coric 2-0 in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series, will aim to reach the quarter-finals on tour for the first time this season when he faces Spain’s Pedro Martinez in the second round. .
Chinese wild card Zhou Yi earned his first ATP Tour win after Chun-Hsin Tseng was forced to retire in the third set. Zhou was leading 2-6, 6-1, 3-1 when Tseng stopped. The number 531 player in the PIF ATP Rankings meets Adrian Mannarino or French qualifier Terence Atmane in the second round.
Elsewhere, qualifier Alibek Kachmazov advanced, beating American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 7-6(7), while Yannick Hanfmann defeated Japanese wildcard Shintaro Mochizuki 6-4, 7-6 (4). . Christopher O’Connell defeated Pavel Kotov 6-4, 7-5.
