Champion Gauff comes from behind to beat Svitolina
Defending champion Coco Gauff comes back from a set down to beat Ukrainian Elina Svitolina and reach the fourth round of the US Open.
Defending champion Coco Gauff comes back from a set down to beat Ukrainian Elina Svitolina and reach the fourth round of the US Open.
Jimmy Arias first met Shang Juncheng when the Chinese player was competing in the 12-and-under clay-court national championships in Orlando, Florida. Arias, the former No. 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings who is now Director of Player Development at IMG Academy, was commentating on the match, which ‘Jerry’ won.
“Jerry killed the guy, like one and two, and I had to interview him after the match,” Arias told ATPTour.com. “At that age, he was actually a bit bigger, stronger than the kid he was playing against. What has always stood out to me with Jerry is he is very Marcelo Rios-like in the control of the ball that he has.”
That is high praise from someone who has been around the best players in the sport for decades. Rios is one of only 29 players who has reached World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
One year later, Shang moved to the IMG Academy and has been on the rise ever since. The third-placed player in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah will face 2022 finalist Casper Ruud in the third round of the US Open on Friday to reach the second week of a major for the first time.
This week last year, Shang was World No. 178. But his team, led by coach Martin Alund, fully believed he would soar in 2024. Arias recalled a conversation he had with Alund ahead of the season.
“I was talking to Martin early in the year and I said, ‘What do you think? Has he worked harder? Where do you think he is going to get to this year?’” Arias recalled. “He pretty much told me — I can’t remember the breakdown, but Top 100 at a certain point, Top 70 by now I think and Top 50 by the end of the year. That was his assessment and so far he’s hit both of the benchmarks that Martin said.”
Shang is at a career-high No. 72 and continuing to climb. It has been an impressive journey for the 5’11” lefty, who still believes he is growing. Arias, a five-time ATP Tour titlist, hit with Shang a few times when he was younger.
“He would swing and hit a rally ball and then with a similar-looking swing, suddenly the ball just takes off and goes with a lot more pace and you’re not sure why that happened when you’re playing against him,” Arias said. “You don’t see it. That’s a talent he has and as he got older, I got more and more impressed because obviously when you are 13, 14, you’re maybe not that fast yet.”
Former World No. 84 Alund remembers visiting the IMG Academy in Florida to meet everyone before beginning his role as head of pros at the academy. He noticed a 15-year-old Shang.
“I saw Jerry playing. I said, ‘Holy crap, that kid is good’,” Alund said. “I remember him being very tiny. Same as now, kind of like the quality, very good hands, very good feel, but he was very tiny, absorbing the pace so good, practising with some pros. Being able to sustain their pace is something you don’t find very often for someone so young.”
According to Alund, those are “very rare”qualities to find in players. He explained that it has helped having parents who were athletes. Shang’s father, Yi, was a professional football player. His mother, Na, was a world champion table tennis player.
“First, to find someone with his qualities, with his talent. And I think even more rare having the environment he had, that he’s been having since he was born because his family has been doing a great job on that,” Alund said. “Sometimes you have kids that play good, but their family take it [too seriously] from a young age and then the kid cannot develop that much. Then, with the ability that Jerry has of always improving. So it’s a mix of things that makes him very unique.”
The first tournament for which Alund traveled with Shang was the 2022 BNP Paribas Open, just after Jerry’s 17th birthday. They were connecting through Denver.
“We missed the connection and we had to sleep on the floor because the next flight was at like 5 a.m. and at that point it was already like 12. The hotel that they gave us was like one hour away,” Alund said. “So I said, ‘Okay, let’s stay here’. And I was thinking, ‘Geez, this kid for me is going to be super good. He’s very young. Going to play Indian Wells for the first time in his life and he’s sleeping on the couch in the airport’.”
At the time, Shang had not yet cracked the world’s Top 500. Ever since he has made steady progress in his game.
“As he got older, his movement and his balance while he’s moving stood out to me,” Arias said. “The best players in the world are the ones that even if you’re hitting the ball 100 miles per hour in the corner, you can not just get to it but get to it with their body not leaning or falling over.”
[ATP APP]A lot has changed for Shang in the past year. In the final round of 2023 US Open qualifying, the Chinese teen won just one game in the final set against Otto Virtanen. “I ran out of gas pretty bad,” he admitted.
This edition, Shang won a five-setter in the first round against Alexander Bublik and followed the victory with a triumph against the gritty Roberto Carballes Baena. It is just the latest example of the improvement he has made in 2024.
Shang’s standout results include semi-final showings in Hong Kong and Atlanta and a trip to the third round of the Australian Open.
“He took off the last couple months of last year. And I said to him, ‘Okay, you have two months. What do you need to work on? When you lose matches, what is it that’s causing you to lose matches? You have two months, let’s do something about it’,” Arias said. “He said, ‘It’s never been tennis that causes me to lose matches. It’s physical’. So I said, ‘Well okay, let’s work really hard to become bigger, stronger, faster’.”
That work has paid off and now Shang is No. 66 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. Just how much is Jerry capable of?
“Sometimes I believe there are some things that you don’t have to say,” Alund said. “I believe he has good potential and I know he hasn’t achieved his full potential. He has many more things to give to tennis, to people, himself, his family who have been with him since day one. He has a lot to give.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Carlos Alcaraz’s unexpected second-round defeat at the US Open has presented Jannik Sinner with a big opportunity to extend his advantage in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.
Sinner (7,100 points) holds a healthy 1,090-point lead over second-placed Alcaraz in the Live Race, which is also an indicator of who is in the running to finish as ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF. After Alcaraz fell to a shock second-round defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp on Thursday night, the World No. 1 Sinner knows he could extend his Live Race lead from Alcaraz to 2,990 points by lifting the trophy at the hard-court major.
Pure SINNER-MA 🎬
World No. 1 @janniksin notches his 50th win of the season with a scintillating 6-4 6-0 6-2 demolition job over Michelsen! @usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/kEEpyCCSs4
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 29, 2024
With Alexander Zverev still alive in the New York draw, Sinner must still reach his maiden US Open semi-final to guarantee he remains in top spot once the hard-court major is done. If Sinner loses in the fourth round or at the quarter-final stage, the third-placed Zverev could claim the Live Race lead by claiming his maiden major title. The German will jump above Alcaraz into second if he reaches at least the quarter-finals.
PIF ATP Live Race To Turin
| Player | Points |
| 1) Jannik Sinner | 7,100 |
| 2) Carlos Alcaraz | 6,010 |
| 3) Alexander Zverev | 5,815 |
| 4) Daniil Medvedev | 4,120 |
| 5) Casper Ruud | 3,695 |
| 6) Andrey Rublev | 3,380 |
| 7) Novak Djokovic | 3,260 |
| 8) Alex de Minaur | 3,005 |
The five players behind Sinner, Alcaraz and Zverev in the Live Race all remain in contention at the US Open. They include seventh-placed Novak Djokovic, who has eased into the third round at Flushing Meadows as he chases his record-extending 25th Grand Slam men’s singles title. Should the Serbian achieve that feat, it would also boost his standing in the Live Race: the seven-time Nitto ATP Finals champion could rise as high as fourth by clinching the title in New York.
Alex de Minaur (3,005 points) consolidated eighth place by beating Otto Virtanen to reach the third round. Ninth-placed Stefanos Tsitsipas made a first-round exit in New York, but there are three players within 500 points of De Minaur still alive at Flushing Meadows.
Home favourites Taylor Fritz (2,690 points) and Tommy Paul (2,635 points), as well as Grigor Dimitrov (2,535 points) will all be eying deeper runs to ramp up the pressure on the Australian, who currently holds the final qualification spot for the Nitto ATP Finals. In 14th, Lorenzo Musetti is also in contention. The Italian is on 2,225 points, 780 behind De Minaur.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
Novak Djokovic continues his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title against Alexei Popyrin in the third round at the US Open, with Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka also in action.
Watch Carlos Alcaraz suffer a shock defeat to unseeded Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round of the US Open.
Third seed Carlos Alcaraz suffers a seismic second-round exit at the US Open with a thumping defeat by unseeded Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.
Two-time champion Naomi Osaka says it feels like “my heart dies every time I lose” after her second-round defeat by Karolina Muchova at the US Open.
Carlos Alcaraz gave full credit to his opponent, Botic van de Zandschulp, on Thursday evening after the Dutchman stunned the four-time major champion in the second round of the US Open. But the third seed also pointed the finger at himself.
“It was a fight against myself, in my mind, during the match,” Alcaraz said. “In tennis you are playing against someone that wants the same as you, to win the match, and you have to be as calm as you can just to think better in the match and try to do good things.”
The 21-year-old explained there were emotions he was unable to control against van de Zandschulp, who converted six of his nine break points in the match.
“I was up in some points. Then I lost some points, I got down. It was a roller coaster, let’s say, in my mind,” Alcaraz said. “So I can’t be like that if I want to think about big things, so I have to improve it. I have to learn about it.”
STATEMENT MADE 💪@Boticvdz stuns Alcaraz to advance in the Big Apple 🍎@usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/p17tGKtg0s
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 30, 2024
Alcaraz admitted to not feeling well striking the ball. When he pushed to come back, it was too late. The Spaniard hit just 21 winners compared to 27 unforced errors.
“I don’t know what to say right now. First of all, I think he played great. He played really good tennis,” Alcaraz said. “I thought he was going to give me more points. I’m going to say more free points. He didn’t make a lot of mistakes that I thought he was going to do. So I was confused a little bit. I didn’t know how to manage that, how to deal with it. I couldn’t increase my level.
“I think my level stayed at the same point all the match, and it wasn’t enough to win the match or to give myself the chance to get into the match or try to give myself chances. So what can I say?”
[ATP APP]The No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings has enjoyed another standout season, winning back-to-back major titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. He also claimed the silver medal at the Paris Olympics, but has now lost three of his past four matches.
“I’ve been playing a lot of matches lately with Roland Garros, with Wimbledon, Olympic Games,” Alcaraz said. “I took a little break after the Olympic Games. I thought it was enough. It was really helpful for me. Probably it wasn’t enough.
“But yeah, probably I came here with not as much energy as I thought that I was going to come. But, I mean, I don’t want to put that as excuse.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Alexei Popyrin was watching Broadway show Hamilton in Manhattan last week when he stepped away from his seat during intermission.
“I went to the toilet, but there was this huge line, and this one guy came up to me and said, ‘Hey, well done in Montreal’,” Popyrin, who will face Novak Djokovic Friday in the third round of the US Open, told ATPTour.com. “[It was] in the middle of a huge crowd, so it was quite cool.”
The fan was congratulating the Australian on his recent breakthrough at the Omnium Banque Nationale présenté par Rogers, where he won his first ATP Masters 1000 title. Previously, the 25-year-old had made just one quarter-final at the level. He has lately been stopped by fans a couple of times per day on the street.
“I think not as much as obviously [Carlos] Alcaraz and all the top guys, but I get stopped once or twice a day, three times a day sometimes. But every day I get recognised at least once or twice when I’m walking on the streets,” Popyrin said. “Off the court, I’m a relaxed guy. I like to just go about my business and not speak out or speak out of turn or anything like that. I think anybody likes attention when they get it.
“I have enjoyed the extra attention after Montreal. But honestly, it’s not what I play for. It’s not what I like. It’s not my focus at the end of the day. For me, it’s just to play out there, be the centre of attention on the court and then off the court I am who I am.”
Watch Montreal Final Highlights:
Off the court, Popyrin is a simple man. He enjoys spending time with his loved ones and playing golf. In New York, the Australian likes the restaurant scene.
“I like to go to different restaurants. The other night, actually, we went to this fried chicken [restaurant]. It was funny. Coqodaq it’s called. I think Reilly [Opelka] is an investor in that,” Popyrin said. “We went there. One of [coach Xavier Malisse’s] friends actually provides the caviar for the restaurant. It was unbelievable food. You get a bucket, and then you have the plain chicken, and then you have the soy glaze or the spicy chicken. But the guy who we were with ordered all three, so we had two buckets of huge chicken.”
Not all trips to New York have been quite as fun for the Australian. The first time he was in the state came when he was eight years old while connecting through an airport.
“It was a one-day layover, and my younger sister, she was about two years old, she was really sick,” Popyrin said. “She kind of fainted at the airport and we had to go to the hospital here in New York, so that was my first experience here in New York. I was eight, nine. We were on the way to play [the] Nike Junior Tour in Punta Cana.”
[ATP APP]The next time Popyrin returned to New York was in 2016 for the boys’ singles event. The Aussie lost in the second round to eventual champion Felix Auger-Aliassime in three sets.
“My first time we were in here in the main grass area, there were hamburgers for lunch, and that’s what we were having for lunch every single day, me, my brother and my mom,” Popyrin said. “And then sometimes we’d go and have the fried chicken in the public, where the public people eat their food, and we would just sit with the public and eat our food, and then I’d go play the match. Nobody knew who I was at the time, so we’ve made the most of it.”
Popyrin added that New York “is probably one of the most hectic cities in the world”. Between the noise and the traffic, he said two weeks or so is the maximum he can spend here. But the 28th seed has been taking advantage of the city’s entertainment, like when he went to see Hamilton, which he greatly enjoyed.
“[It was] unbelievable. I think theater is slowly becoming one of my favourite things to go and watch. In London, we went to Book of Mormon, which was so funny. It was unbelievable. I enjoyed it a lot. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but it’s funny,” Popyrin said. “Then here we went to Hamilton, and they’re all so talented. The people who sing and act there are unbelievable.
“I do enjoy my history. I do enjoy watching TV shows that are back in time. I actually learned during Hamilton, as much as I think you can learn. But I actually learned a little bit about American history and how it was formed, the backstory of Alexander Hamilton.”
The backstory of Popyrin’s relationship with his next opponent, Djokovic, began when the Australian was 12. Training under Riccardo Piatti at the time, he took a photo with the Serbian in Monte-Carlo.
More than a decade later, they have met three times in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, with Djokovic taking all three. Two of their clashes came this year, with the veteran triumphing in four sets at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
“I think he’s just super solid. He doesn’t give you anything at all. I don’t think anybody enjoys playing him, to be honest. It’s not new news, I think. But I give myself a shot,” Popyrin said.
“Now that I’m here, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to try and exact some revenge from the last two times I’ve played him. If I win, I’ll be like, ‘F yeah’. But if I lose, I’ll be probably [thinking], ‘Oh, not again’.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Botic van de Zandschulp scored one of the biggest upsets in recent memory Thursday when he stunned 2022 champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in the US Open second round, spoiling the Spaniard’s hopes of a third consecutive major title.
The World No. 74 in the PIF ATP Rankings struck the ball with conviction and looked for early opportunities to move forward and disrupt the Spaniard’s usual baseline rhythm. By defeating the World No. 3, the Dutchman earned the highest-ranked win of his career.
“I’m a little bit lost for words. It’s been an incredible evening, the first night session for me on Arthur Ashe. The crowd was amazing,” van de Zandschulp said.
“I got a lot of confidence from my last match [against Denis Shapovalov]. I played really solid and from point one tonight, I believed I could have a chance and you see how it sometimes turns out.”
Alcaraz suffered his first loss in the second round of a major since 2021 at Wimbledon, where the then-World No. 75 fell to second seed Daniil Medvedev. The 15-time tour-level titlist committed 27 unforced errors, 12 of which came on his forehand, several missing by a great distance.
Van de Zandschulp came flying out of the blocks and rarely looked back. He skillfully absorbed the heavy hitting of Alcaraz, who did not hit a winner throughout the first set.
“I was defending well and I think I saw some of the stats: I won an unbelievable amount of points at the net,” said van de Zandschulp, who converted 28 of his 35 net points. “My coach wanted me to be a little more aggressive and I think I did it really well today.”
While the four-time major champion struggled to find a successful ‘plan B’ when he was unable to overpower van de Zandschulp, it was the 28-year-old who refused to give Alcaraz free points on return. Van de Zandschulp, who won 43 per cent of his return points, earned a decisive break at 5-5 in the second set and served out the set to love.
The tension rose inside Arthur Ashe Stadium when van de Zandschulp let slip a break lead in the third set at 3-2, during which he double faulted down break point. Alcaraz then asked for support from the crowd and flashed several large smiles in the heat of battle, as if to say he was enjoying the late-night fight.
[ATP APP]But the 2021 quarter-finalist, who reached the last eight that year as a qualifier, remained levelheaded. Van de Zandschulp rose to the occasion, earning a crucial break at 4-4 in the third set and serving out the two-hour, 19-minute match to love.
“Of course I had some nerves. But if you want to beat one of these guys you have to be unbelievably calm and keep your head there, otherwise they will take advantage,” said van de Zandschulp, who won 78 per cent of his first-serve points, compared to Alcaraz’s 60 per cent.
Van de Zandschulp improved to 1-2 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Alcaraz. He will next play 25th seed Jack Draper in the third round Saturday.
Last week, van de Zandschulp lost in the first round of the Winston-Salem Open, his first hard-court tournament since Miami in March. The former World No. 22’s most recent tour-level win before New York came on the Gstaad clay in mid-July. He entered Thursday’s match with a 6-10 season record on hard courts.
Alcaraz leaves the season’s final major with a 39-9 match record this year. The 21-year-old has won three titles in 2024: Indian Wells, Roland Garros and Wimbledon. He also claimed the silver medal at the Paris Olympics. Alcaraz has now lost three of his past four matches.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]STATEMENT MADE 💪@Boticvdz stuns Alcaraz to advance in the Big Apple 🍎@usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/p17tGKtg0s
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 30, 2024