CHENGDU, September 23, 2024 (Press Release)
In-form Chinese rising star Shang Juncheng‘s remarkable journey continued at the Chengdu Open being held at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre as the 19-year-old triumphed over German Yannick Hanfmann 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 29 minutes to move into his first ATP Tour final.
In front of a passionate home crowd, Shang played with precision and aggression, breaking early in the third game and holding serve strongly to take the first set. The second set unfolded in a similar fashion, with Shang racing to a 40-0 lead against Hanfmann’s serve in the third game. Despite the German saving three break points, Shang eventually converted to go 2-1 up and held on for the momentous victory. Dominant throughout, the Chinese won 78% of his service points and faced no break points in the entire match.
FINAL BOUND 🤩
The moment 19 year-old Shang reached his first ATP final!@ChengduOpen pic.twitter.com/F8X90Di8fH
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) September 23, 2024
“A lot of emotions are going through my head right now. I played some great tennis tonight. Yannick is a tough opponent—he’s been playing well this week, just like I have. On the court, it may have looked easy on the scoreboard, but it was definitely not an easy battle. I’m just super excited and happy,” said the world No. 67, who will be knocking on the door of the Top 50 after earning 165 points.
With Zhang Zhizhen also reaching the final in Hangzhou, Shang’s victory marks a historic week for Chinese tennis, with the duo becoming the second and third Chinese men to reach ATP Tour finals after Wu Yibing’s triumph in Dallas last year.
“Three players making finals in history—that’s fantastic for Chinese tennis. For me, I want to focus on becoming a better player and person. Tomorrow, Lorenzo will be a tough opponent. We get along off the court, so I think it’s also going to be a fun battle and, hopefully, I’ll be ready. I’m just super pleased with this week,” added Shang.
Earlier, top seed Lorenzo Musetti stormed into his fifth ATP Tour final and second on hard courts with a commanding performance against the surprise semifinalist Alibek Kachmazov, clinching victory 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 41 minutes.
The 22-year-old Italian converted a crucial break in the seventh game of the first set, becoming the first player to take a set off his in-form world No.252 opponent all tournament, while saving all three break points he faced. Musetti sealed the match with an ace after Kachmazov saved the first of three match points.
“He started very aggressively from the get-go, but I held strong on my serve. I think that was the key to the match—serving really well— and it was probably one of my best performances on serve. I’m really happy to be in the final for the first time here in Chengdu. All week I have felt so much support from the crowd, and I’m thrilled to showcase my game,” said the world No. 19, who will be hoping to solidify his position in the Top 20 after improving upon his points haul from last year’s semifinal.
In the doubles, third-seeded Indian-French pairing Yuki Bhambri and Albano Olivetti continued their impressive season in Chengdu, triumphing 6-3, 7-6(9) over second seeds Ivan Dodig and Rafael Matos in one hour and 31 minutes.
The duo faced just one break point, which they saved, but had to fend off three set points during a tense second-set tiebreak to secure the straight-sets victory. This marks their fourth final of the year, and they will be looking to claim their third title after triumphs in Munich and Gstaad.
Bhambri and Olivetti will clash with defending champions Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul for the second time this year in the final, having previously defeated the French duo on their way to the Lyon final in May. Their match is set to begin at 4pm local time on Tuesday, followed by the first-time meeting between Musetti and Shang, which will start no earlier than 7pm.
