The achievements are beginning to add up for Shang Juncheng, the 17-year-old who qualified for the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday. The teen will be the first Chinese man to play in the main draw at Indian Wells and the first player from his country to qualify for an ATP Masters 1000 event among other accomplishments.

Any time you do something that puts you in the same sentence as Rafael Nadal — Shang is the youngest Masters 1000 qualifier since a 16-year-old Nadal in Hamburg in 2003 — things are probably going well.

“It’s always special to see what I’ve accomplished,” Shang, who advanced past Francisco Cerundolo and Mats Moraing in qualifying, told ATPTour.com. “But for me, it’s more important to move forward.”

Shang, who will play fellow qualifier Jaume Munar on Friday, will move forward with plenty of eager followers, especially in China. CCTV-5 News, which broadcasts to more than one billion consumers across the country, shared an interview about his Indian Wells qualification on Thursday.

According to Zhang Bendou, who won the 2013 Ron Bookman Media Excellence Award in the ATP Awards, fans in China are eager for a man from their country to crack the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings for the first time.

“Right now every move of Juncheng is big news and being closely watched among tennis fans here,” Zhang said. “Men’s tennis in China has been a myth for many years. China can send rockets to space, among many other great things, but we just haven’t been able to produce even one ATP Top 100 player all along. We have been waiting too long. Now, we hope the wait will soon be over.”

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Shang’s tennis journey began just more than a decade ago. His father, Shang Yi, and mother, Wu Na, were both professional athletes. Shang played football and Wu was a world-championship winning table tennis player. They both enjoy tennis and introduced their son to the sport when he was six.

“I remember it was in an indoor facility and you could hear a lot of players hitting and the ball sound was really loud. I thought it was really cool you could hit with another player. It’s just more intense with the competition,” Shang said. “My parents really loved tennis. They both were athletes, so sports to them were just daily things. They got me into tennis and I really loved it, especially the competition.”

Like most kids who grew up in recent years, Shang’s favourite players were the ‘Big Three’ — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. But early on, he was most interested in getting on court himself.

“Playing was the most fun,” Shang said. “I always thought when I was playing on court, it was cool, more than just watching the guys play. But as I got more into tennis when I was older and watching the big names play was very fun for me. I think when I was eight, I started loving it.

“For every player when they are little, when they pick up a racquet, they dream of being on the biggest stages in tennis. I was one of those kids and playing just makes me very happy.”

Shang trained at the Academia Sanchez-Casal Nanjing in China, a branch of the academy run by Spanish legend Emilio Sanchez. Shang’s father played football in Spain, so in that sense there was familiarity.

“He really trusted the process of how Spanish players were made and we were actually going to Spain,” Shang recalled. “But we heard that Emilio Sanchez moved to the United States, so that’s why we got into the academy there in Naples.”

At age 12, ‘Jerry’ and his father moved to Florida, where he immediately made an impression on Sanchez, who reached World No. 7 in singles and No. 1 in doubles.

“He was always a super nice kid. He always had his way of doing things, it seemed he always had one more gear,” Sanchez said. “He played at a pace, then he played another match at another pace, he always had an extra gear to play with.”

Shang began training at the IMG Academy, also in Florida, when he was nearly 15. At 16, he became the No. 1 junior in the world. The Chinese teen has proven comfortable against the pros, winning four ITF World Tennis Tour events. Sanchez believes he has a complete game. But if there is one thing he can improve, it is gaining more of an advantage from his serve.

“Everybody will see him and say, ‘This kid is effortless’. It will be very difficult to break him down. Normally kids, they don’t have the physical power, but he has the physicality to be very low,” Sanchez said. “It doesn’t matter how good the player is on the other side. He will not bend, he will always stay straight. He has a super strong core. He does things smoothly and he will absorb any type of power from the opponents in a very, very nice way.”

^{Shang Juncheng reached the 2021 US Open boys’ singles final. Photo Credit: Sarah Stier/Getty Images}
Shang could become a trailblazer for men’s tennis in China the way Li Na, a two-time major winner, was for the sport as a whole.

“She was one of my idols growing up and watching her win the Slams is the most special thing ever,” Shang said. “Especially seeing Chinese players can do it gave me a lot of hope.”

Zhang Bendou added that anticipation for Shang’s future is growing. “Juncheng Shang has created history and is a big hit among his Chinese fans and on social media. Since our gold medal in the Athens Olympics in 2004, Chinese tennis fans are really spoiled by their players, but just on the women’s side, led by Li Na and her colleagues,” Zhang said. “You should always have balance between yin and yang, right? They are really looking forward to have a tour-level men’s player, now they might get one.”

Sanchez believes that there is no doubt Shang will ascend into the Top 100 and make national history. The Spaniard is not concerned with the pressure on the teen.

“He doesn’t have pressure from China. He’ll have the pressure globally whenever he arrives, but not because he’s going to be the best Chinese player,” Sanchez said. “He wants to really be on top and he has that capacity to be on top.”

This is a massive moment for the highly touted youngster. But you would not have known it Thursday. Shang did both American and Chinese media before taking a seat inside Stadium 1 to watch a WTA match between Caroline Garcia and Dayana Yastremska.

Shang is like many out there, a kid who loves tennis. Off the court, he likes playing golf and reading books. The Harry Potter series is “by far” his favourite — Harry is his favourite character — and he has recently been reading Sandworms of Dune. But for now, he is focussed on the opportunity at hand against Munar.

“I’m just really happy to even play in this tournament and qualifying was one of the biggest goals for me this year,” Shang said. “I’m excited. Hopefully, I can give him a fight.”

Fabio Fognini made history on Thursday afternoon in Indian Wells.

By rallying past Spaniard Pablo Andujar 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the second round of the BNP Paribas Open, Fognini passed former World No. 4 Adriano Panatta for the most wins by an Italian male in history with 392.

“It’s nice for sure. I didn’t know before the match, believe me,” Fognini told ATPTour.com. “They are just statistics, but of course I’m happy. Now they compare me to the big ones. Adriano was an idol when I was young, so I’m really happy. It’s not the end. I’ll continue fighting and let’s see what happens.”

Most Wins By An Italian Male

Fognini claimed his first tour-level win in 2006 in Amersfoort. Since then, he has lifted nine ATP Tour trophies, including an ATP Masters 1000 triumph at the 2019 Rolex Paris Masters. The 34-year-old, who has climbed as high as No. 9 in the ATP Rankings, did not necessarily expect to accomplish all he has.

“If I have to be honest, not really. But you go day by day, tournament by tournament, year by year. If I’m looking back at my career, I did something great. Probably in the past two months, especially after Australia I started enjoying a little more my tennis, even if it’s difficult traveling without my family,” Fognini said. “This job is not going to go forever, so I’m trying to enjoy my last years of competition and we’ll see. But at the moment I’m happy for sure.”

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The Italian, who will next face 2021 finalist Nikoloz Basilashvili, is trying to regain his form following arthroscopic surgery on both his ankles in May 2020. Now he feels motivated and it showed in his comeback against Andujar.

“It was not easy because the conditions were not great conditions. It’s windy, it’s cold. It changes constantly,” Fognini said. “But I’m happy the way I’m fighting and of course that at the end I won my match.”

Another Italian who advanced Thursday was #NextGenATP star Lorenzo Musetti, who eliminated American Marcos Giron 6-3, 7-5.

Musetti, who competed in last year’s Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, has already reached quarter-finals in Rotterdam and Pune this year. The 20-year-old next faces another home favourite, 17th seed Reilly Opelka.

Jenson Brooksby wasted no time in making a winning start at the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday. The home favourite eased past Roberto Carballes Baena 6-1, 6-4 to reach the second round in Indian Wells.

The American thrilled the California crowd with a ruthless display against the solid Spaniard. The 21-year-old lost serve just once in his one-hour, 27-minute victory.

On his BNP Paribas Open debut last October, Brooksby impressed by pushing two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev in a tight three-set defeat in the second round. The American will try to go one step further this year when he plays 25th seed Karen Khachanov.

In qualifying at last year’s Rolex Paris Masters, Brooksby needed three sets and more than three hours to eliminate Carballes Baena. There was no such struggle in the California desert.

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Just TOO good from Brooksby 👌#IndianWells pic.twitter.com/Uc0NOIdYUp

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 10, 2022

Brooksby held strong behind his second serve, which proved pivotal in the match. The two-time ATP Tour finalist, who recently advanced to the championship match at the Dallas Open, lost just two of his second-serve points.

In other action, American Mackenzie McDonald clawed past Hungarian Marton Fucsovics 7-6(11), 7-5 in two hours and 22 minutes. It is the third consecutive BNP Paribas Open in which he has reached the second round.

McDonald will next play reigning Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion Carlos Alcaraz, the 19th seed. It will be their first ATP Head2Head clash.

Wild card Jack Sock joined his compatriots in the second round with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Juan Manuel Cerundolo. The former World No. 8 will next face fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas for the first time. Sock reached No. 130 in the ATP Rankings in February, his highest position since returning from a thumb injury in 2019.

Borna Coric made his return from shoulder surgery on Thursday, facing Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the Croatian’s first match in just over a year. The Spaniard spoiled the comeback with a 6-7(5), 6-0, 7-5 victory. After defeating the former World No. 8, he will challenge 13th seed Denis Shapovalov in the second round.

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Rafael Nadal believes that his ability to adapt his game during matches has been a crucial factor behind his dominant start to the year, with the Spaniard arriving at the BNP Paribas Open holding a perfect 15-0 record on the season.

The 35-year-old has captured tour-level titles at the Melbourne Summer Set and the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, while he won a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open, edging Daniil Medvedev in a five-set classic in the final.

“I have always been able to find a way to adapt my game when I have needed to become better,” Nadal said in his pre-tournament press conference in Indian Wells. “Some days I have played aggressively, some days I have played a little more defensively and more tactically.

“My serve has been working well, which is important at this stage in my career. Then I think I have been brave enough to play with the right determination when needed. I am just working hard to continue to improve, but I am happy with the level of tennis and intensity I am showing on court.”

Nadal has enjoyed a career-best start an ATP Tour season and has won his past 20 sets in a row, dating back to the Australian Open.

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However, the World No. 4’s strong start to the year has been even more impressive given the struggles he had with his foot in 2021, with the injury sidelining Nadal for five months.

“I tried to stay as positive as possible and that is it,” Nadal said when reflecting on his recovery. “We didn’t practise running or movement work [last year]. After Roland Garros, I couldn’t walk for two weeks. Then I was not ready to go to Washington or Toronto but I wanted to try. But the two months of training before that were terrible.

“Winning [at the Australian Open] was so important. But being competitive and enjoying the competition was what was so emotional for me, being able to play in a huge stadium with fans again.”

Nadal has fond memories in Indian Wells at the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the year, having lifted the trophy in 2007, 2009 and 2013. The fourth seed, who will begin his campaign against Australian qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis or American Sebastian Korda, said that he has relished the opportunity to compete regularly on Tour again in recent months.

“I have been here for more than a week,” Nadal added. “I always enjoy it here. It is one of my favourite tournaments without a doubt. I take it day by day, just trying to enjoy the moment. It is unexpected for me to be in this position, so I am enjoying it every day and trying to enjoy the fact I am playing well. I have already won three titles this year and that is amazing for me.”

Following the release of the BNP Paribas Open men’s doubles draw, Australian Open champions Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios could face top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in a crunch second-round match in Indian Wells.

The Australian wild cards are teaming for the first time since their dream run to the title in Melbourne and will play Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo in a tough first-round test.

Croatians Mektic and Pavic won nine tour-level titles in 2021, including three ATP Masters 1000 crowns. However, they are seeking their first trophy of the season in the California desert and play American wild cards John Isner and Jack Sock in their opening match.

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Second seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, who captured their maiden Masters 1000 title together in Toronto in August, will face a stiff opening test against German pair Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies.

The American-British tandem are in the same half of the draw as third seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, who begin their campaign against Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Fabrice Martin. Mahut lifted the trophy in Indian Wells in 2016 with countryman Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

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Reigning champions John Peers and Filip Polasek are the fifth seeds and will take on Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer in the first round. The Slovakian-Australian team could meet fourth seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in the quarter-finals, with the Colombians starting against ATP Tour singles stars Sebastian Korda and Jannik Sinner.

Other singles players in action include Stefanos Tsitsipas, who will partner Feliciano Lopez, Hubert Hurkacz, who teams with Lukasz Kubot and Carlos Alcaraz, who joins forces with fellow Top 20 Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta.

Maxime Cressy, Marcos Giron and Mackenzie McDonald were just metres from the BNP Paribas Open locker room on Wednesday afternoon when they cracked up while posing for a group picture. It was just like old times.

This week, they are all competing in the main draw of the season’s first ATP Masters 1000 event, one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world. But not long ago, all three were student-athletes at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a little more than a two-hour drive away.

“It’s pretty amazing that we have three guys in the Top 75 from the same school. We haven’t seen that in a while, I don’t think,” McDonald said. “It’s pretty cool. We have a little bit of variety with Max being a very different player than Marcos and I. I think it shows how strong of a school UCLA is, but also how strong college tennis can be. I think it’s a great route and I’m a big advocate for college tennis.”

There were several months when the trio was on campus at the same time. In the spring of 2016, former NCAA singles champion Giron was a volunteer assistant coach for the team while rehabbing from hip surgery. McDonald was a junior, who went on to win the NCAA singles title that year and Cressy was a freshman, who roomed with McDonald.

Now they are all in the Top 75 of the ATP Rankings and excited to put on a show on familiar turf in California.

There are plenty of former college players on the ATP Tour, including John Isner, Kevin Anderson and Steve Johnson. But having three players from the same school who were on campus together enjoying so much success has been a special experience for the former Bruins. According to Giron, it was not necessarily a given.

“It’s tough to say. I knew that we were good, I knew they were very good in college. But to what level we would get to on the Tour, you just don’t know,” Giron said. “There’s so many guys from juniors that were phenomenal — that you think they’re going to be like Top 30 in the world, no question — that didn’t make it.

“I knew the potential was there, but I didn’t know to what extent. And I still think the best is yet to come, to be honest.”

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World No. 72 Cressy has intrigued the tennis world in recent months with his aggressive serve-and-volley game, which helped him reach his maiden ATP Tour final at the Melbourne Summer Set, where he played Rafael Nadal.

But when he began his career at UCLA, he was not immediately touted like Giron and McDonald. Cressy was at the very bottom of the lineup his freshman year.

“I was recruited to be a doubles player. I was mainly playing doubles and most people saw me as a contributor to the team in doubles and not singles. Obviously I was not the one training on the bigger courts, Cressy said. “I was at the end playing on the back courts, but I always had the determination to get to the top part of the lineup. The fire within me was always there.”

Giron and McDonald — as well as other former UCLA student-athletes — have enjoyed watching Cressy’s rapid rise.

“It’s pretty interesting. I think it’s unexpected for sure. We all knew he had such a powerful game. I remember freshman year, his athleticism was remarkable. But the way he’s mentally put things together, found his way, really honed in on his skills and taken his own direction is admirable,” McDonald said. “He’s a very hard worker, he’s always been a hard worker. To see him put it all together and have the success he is having now is pretty amazing.”

While Cressy grew up in France, Giron and McDonald are both Californians. They were also UCLA teammates when Giron was a junior and McDonald was a freshman. They remain close friends and competing at home this week makes the experience even more special.

“I think it’s really cool for Marcos and I. I grew up playing tennis all over California and traveling to Southern California when I was super, super young, and I always looked up to Marcos,” McDonald said. “He went to UCLA before I did, and I remember being on the team and really looking up to him a lot and then watching him win NCAAs. That motivated me to do the same, follow his path and go pro. I think it’s so cool that we went through a lot of the same processes.”

Grant Chen was an assistant coach and then the associate head coach at UCLA during the time Giron, McDonald and Cressy were at the university. And the current Southern Methodist University head coach said that there is an unspoken bond on the professional tennis circuit.

“I think college tennis and team tennis are unlike any other component of tennis, which is normally such an individual sport,” Chen said. “I know some of Marcos’ greatest memories are when he goes on the road in Europe and sees an old UCLA classmate at events out there. I think it’s nice for these guys to have people whom they’re really familiar with and knew them long before they were Top 100 in the world to know how much they love this, how much they’ve wanted this.”

Chen added there is a UCLA tennis alumni WhatsApp chat featuring more than 130 former student-athletes from the school, including current doubles star Jean-Julien Rojer. The Bruins all support each other, which is something that has helped continue to motivate today’s stars.

“When you go to UCLA you’re inspired. I think we’re all inspired by the previous UCLA generations, by the coaching staff. I think also we push each other to succeed,” Giron said. “Whenever we see another guy do well, we’re happy for them and it makes us believe that we can do it also.”