Shang Juncheng holds the winner's trophy after beating Italy's Lorenzo Musetti, a Wimbledon semifinalist, 7-6 (4), 6-1 in the Chengdu Open final on Tuesday, thrilling the home crowd and joining Wu Yibing as the nation's only ATP Tour winners. YIN GANG/FOR CHINA DAILY
So fast, so furious and so much more to come — the rise of Chinese men's tennis has tilted the booming sport toward a long-awaited balance, setting high expectations for a successful China Swing.
With a home favorite crowned for the first time and a surging pack of youngsters coming up strong, the recent progress of China's male aces has almost found parity with their traditionally strong female compatriots, as fans brace themselves for more history-making moments during four weeks of top-flight tennis in China.
Getting the home run off to a flying start was China's teen sensation Shang Juncheng, who stunned top seed Italy's Lorenzo Musetti in the final of the ATP 250 Chengdu Open on Tuesday, claiming a career first title on the competitive men's circuit at the tender age of 19.
The straight-sets win against the world No 18 also made Shang the first Chinese man to win a Tour-level tournament on home soil, and the first player from anywhere born in 2005 or later to triumph on the Tour.
"I am speechless now. To win my first crown at a home tournament feels so good. There is no better occasion to get it done than here and tonight," Shang said after upsetting Olympic bronze medalist Musetti, 7-6 (4), 6-1, in 100 minutes.
"It's always special to play at home, not to mention winning a title. I never thought that I would do it this early in my career, but I'm grateful for this one. It's just a super special week," said Shang, who's climbed to a career-high ranking of 52 after winning on his Chengdu debut.
Musetti congratulated Shang on a "convincing" win and predicted a bright future for the Chinese prodigy.
"He was the best one on court (this week) so he deserved to win tonight," said the Wimbledon semifinalist.
"I am happy for him and for his team. I think it will be the first of many titles in the future for him. I wish him the best for his season and his career."
By lifting the trophy in Chengdu, Shang became just the second Chinese player to win an ATP Tour singles title after Wu Yibing triumphed in Dallas in 2023.
The country's top-ranked men's star Zhang Zhizhen could've doubled Chinese tennis fans' delight on Tuesday night in his final against Croatian veteran Marin Cilic at another ATP 250 event in Hangzhou.
Cilic prevailed with his strong serve and finesse, winning two tiebreakers 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) to deny Zhang's attempt, in his first ATP Tour final appearance, to make it a memorable brace of titles for Chinese tennis.
The first week of the China swing, though, went well beyond expectation with another young prospect Buyunchaokete, a 22-year-old hailing from the Mongolian ethnic group in Northwest China, cracking the top-100 last week in Hangzhou by fighting into the semifinals at an ATP tournament for the first time.
China's Zhang Zhizhen hits a backhand return to former US Open champion Marin Cilic of Croatia in the final of the ATP 250 Hangzhou Open on Tuesday. Zhang lost 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5), falling just short of claiming his first ATP tour title. NI YANQIANG/FOR CHINA DAILY
With the men's tour switching its focus to the ATP 500 China Open, which kicks off its main draw on Thursday, history looks set to be made soon, with three top-100 Chinese men entering the Beijing tournament for the first time — and they all seem quite motivated to do their home crowd proud again.
"The China Open is very special to me. The first time I saw professional tennis was here," Shang, a Beijing native, said at the National Tennis Center in the capital on Wednesday.
"I played my first time here last year, I felt the pressure playing at home. This year, I've learned to focus more on myself and to enjoy every moment.
"For the whole year, I've been trying to adjust my mentality, trying to relax. I think being relaxed will help raise my level. I hope I can do this again at this tournament."
To the excitement of fans in Beijing, Shang was drawn against Buyunchaokete in the opening round on Friday, guaranteeing at least one Chinese man advances to the second round at the Diamond Court.
The 41st-ranked Zhang opens his Beijing campaign against Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, the current world No 64.
With their women's counterparts traditionally enjoying a much bigger fan following and greater recognition off the court, during the home stretch, both Shang and Buyunchaokete take pride from the collective surge of the men in recent years.
"Having really steady performances recently, and so many Chinese players in the top 100, is indeed very good news for Chinese tennis," said Shang, who grew up loving the sport, watching tennis as a toddler at the China Open with his parents.
"If I can inspire any other young player, I will be really happy."
Buyunchaokete, known as Bu to his fans, also attributed his own meteoric rise this season to the impact and camaraderie of role models and senior compatriots like Zhang.
"You'll be brave enough to have bigger dreams and ambitions," Bu said of earlier breakthroughs by Zhang and Wu, winner of China's first ATP title.
"If nobody has achieved it, it would be really hard to believe in yourself. If nobody has done it, I would be hesitant to believe I could do it, or whether I can set a goal like this.
"If somebody has made the breakthrough, that will give me self-confidence and determination to follow my goals. This kind of impact is very mutual and is very positive to the whole younger generation."
