Alexander Zverev is setting his sights on ATP World Tour history after his recent breakthrough title.

The 19-year-old #NextGen star is trying to become the first teenager to finish the year in the Top 20 of the Emirates ATP Rankings since 2006. Zverev, currently ranked No. 24, would join an exclusive list of players if he were to accomplish the feat. Since 2000, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, World No. 2 Andy Murray, former Top 10 player Richard Gasquet and former World No. 1’s Rafael Nadal, Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick are the only players who have finished a year in the Top 20 as teenagers.

Zverev, who turned 19 in April, matched his career-best ranking of No. 24 with his first ATP World Tour title on Sunday. The Hamburg native beat top seed Stan Wawrinka at the St. Petersburg Open. Zverev had played in two previous finals, losing to Dominic Thiem at Nice and Florian Mayer at Halle.

The 6’6” right-hander, who is No. 19 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, is the fifth seed this week at the Shenzhen Open. He’ll look to improve on his 38-21 record when he faces fellow #NextGen star Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan on Wednesday. Zverev prevailed in their previous FedEx ATP Head2Head match-up, a 7-6(1), 6-3 win at Washington last season.

David Goffin learned to make traditional Chinese dishes during a private cooking lesson on Tuesday in Shenzhen. The Belgian joined chef Anthony Dong at Shang Palace restaurant at Shenzhen Shangri-La Hotel to whip up Tofu Soup and Peking Duck. 

“It was really special because I eat a lot of duck, but for me it was the first time that I cooked it,” said the World No. 14. “It was a really nice experience. The chef did it really well. You have to be very precise in how you have to cut the duck.

“It’s really nice when you come here to China, it’s nice to see how they make the duck and how they cook. It’s a different kitchen and it’s nice to see that.”

Goffin will make his Shenzhen debut against Malek Jaziri in the second round on Wednesday. It will be the first meeting between the pair.

“It’s the first time for me here in Shenzhen… I have a great feeling here in Shenzhen and I hope I can go really far in the draw. I hope I can play my best tennis here because it’s a great tournament.”

#NextGen star Karen Khachanov powered into the second round of the Chengdu Open on Tuesday as he ousted seventh seed Joao Sousa 7-6(3), 6-3.

The 20-year-old Russian advanced in 77 minutes, firing seven aces and converting two of his three break points. “It’s a very good match for me,” said Khachanov. “I’m very happy with my performance. I like the court, I like the crowd, so I was enjoying playing the match.”

Khachanov reached a career-high No. 81 in the Emirates ATP Rankings earlier this month after qualifying at the US Open and progressing to the second round (l. to Nishikori). The right-hander also reached his second ATP World Tour quarter-final in July in Kitzbuhel.

Khachanov goes on to face Adrian Mannarino, who battled past qualifier Denis Kudla 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-4 in two hours and 33 minutes.

Kevin Anderson set a second-round clash with No. 2 seed Nick Kyrgios as he dismissed another Australian, Jordan Thompson, 6-2, 6-4. The South African will face Kyrgios for the first time as he bids to reach his fifth ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season.

Meanwhile, third seed Grigor Dimitrov will open his Chengdu campaign against Dusan Lajovic after the Serbian rallied from a set down to beat Federico Delbonis 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Three matches were suspended because of rain: Marcos Baghdatis and Pablo Carreno Busta were tied at 5-5 in the third set; sixth seed Viktor Troicki was leading Norwegian wild card Casper Ruud 6-3, 3-2; and fifth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas was ahead of German qualifier Michael Berrer 6-4, 5-7, 3-1.

A host of ATP World Tour stars turned selfie-taking spectators on Tuesday, taking part in an excursion to the famous Giant Panda Breeding and Research Base in Chengdu.

Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, South African Kevin Anderson, Argentinian Diego Schwartzman and the New Zealand-American doubles pairing of Artem Sitak and Nicholas Monroe were fortunate to visit on a day when the weather was co-operating, allowing the baby pandas to also be brought out of their rooms. Third seed Dimitrov was taken by the cute black and white baby mammals.

“It’s amazing to see all those little ones and some of the big ones,” Dimitrov said. “It’s pretty rare to do that in the middle of a tournament, but we all enjoyed it a lot.”

Chengdu has long been famous for its pandas, and Panda Bay (as the research base is known) was set up in 1987 in an effort to conserve the population of China’s native mammal.

Jiri Vesely has made a winning return to the ATP World Tour in his first match since the US Open. The eighth seed saw off Pablo Andujar 6-2, 7-6(8) to advance to the second round of the Shenzhen Open.

The 23-year-old Czech lefty registered 13 aces, losing just six points on his first serve and breaking three times to secure his second FedEx ATP Head2Head victory over the Spaniard. It was a welcome return after he was forced to withdraw with a left arm injury ahead of his second-round clash with top seed Novak Djokovic at Flushing Meadows.

It had been an even longer spell between ATP World Tour matches for the 30-year-old Andujar, who was playing his first since undergoing right elbow surgery in March. He entered on a protected Emirates ATP Ranking having fallen to No.436 from a career-high of No.32 last July. Vesely next meets the winner of Spaniard Inigo Cervantes and Japanese wild card Akira Santillan.

American qualifier Ryan Harrison joined Vesely in the second round. The 24 year old defeated last year’s Shenzhen Open runner-up Guillermo Garciz-Lopez 7-5, 6-4. Harrison’s win sets up a meeting with fourth-seeded Bernard Tomic. The Australian has won the pair’s only prior FedEx Head2Head encounter four years ago at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati.

Tunisian Malek Jaziri booked a second round clash with No.2 seed David Goffin. Jaziri hit eight aces and broke three times on his way past Frenchman Stephane Robert 6-3, 7-6(5).

After an outstanding 2016 season, #NextGen star Frances Tiafoe is looking to put the final pieces of the puzzle together to crack the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings by the end of the year.

The 18 year old American has climbed more than 50 spots to reach his current career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 121. He won his first ATP Challenger Tour title last month at the $100,000 event in Granby, Canada, and finished runner-up at three Challenger events on U.S. soil. With the exception of Granby, all five of his other Challenger finals have come in the U.S.

Tiafoe is hoping for a repeat moment at this week’s $100,000 Challenger in Tiburon, California, where he is the fourth seed. He plays fellow American Alexander Sarkissian in the opening round.

“I don’t know why, but I always find myself playing so well in the U.S. It’s almost too easy here,” said Tiafoe. “You know everyone who works at the tournaments and know your way around. I feel more comfortable at them and that’s when I play my best tennis. But I’m also trying to change that and start to feel more comfortable playing abroad as well.”

The American has emerged as a promising standout on the ATP Challenger Tour, but introduced himself to a broader audience at this year’s US Open. Competing against John Isner in the opening round, he held two match points before falling in a fifth-set tie-break in front of a packed house on the Grandstand.

“It was an atmosphere I’ve never experienced before. The crowd was going absolutely wild,” said Tiafoe. “To be able to play like that on a court like that against one of the best Americans gave me a tremendous amount of confidence. I just want to run with that now.”

But while Tiafoe played without pressure last season, he’s now being touted as one of the favorites to win at every Challenger he plays. Although he admitted it took getting used to initially, being a top contender has quickly become a natural role for someone who thrives on playing big matches in front of packed crowds.

“It’s a different feeling. This summer was the first time I’ve been seeded in Challengers and now I’m supposed to be going deep every time I play,” said Tiafoe. “But at the same time, that means I’m playing well and getting closer to the Top 100. This is what I want.”