#NextGenATP Shang downs Musetti, wins maiden ATP Tour title in Chengdu
If Shang Juncheng was feeling the weight of home expectation on Tuesday at the Chengdu Open, the 19-year-old certainly did not show it.
The #NextGenATP star produced a stunning championship-match performance to overwhelm top seed Lorenzo Musetti and lift his maiden ATP Tour title at the hard-court ATP 250. Shang prevailed 7-6(4), 6-1 after 99 minutes to become the first player born in 2005 or later to win an ATP Tour title.
First time feeling at home 🇨🇳🏆
Shang becomes the first player born in 2005 or later to win an ATP Tour title after taking down Musetti 7-6(4) 6-1!@ChengduOpen | #ChengduOpen pic.twitter.com/9w8t4Alnlp
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 24, 2024
By lifting the trophy on his event debut in Chengdu, Shang became just the second Chinese man to win an ATP Tour singles title after Wu Yibing triumphed in Dallas in 2023. Zhang Zhizhen could become the third player on that list later on Tuesday if he can defeat Marin Cilic in the final at the Hangzhou Open.
The key to Shang’s victory against Musetti was how quickly he recovered from the disappointment of being broken when serving for the first set at 6-5. He held firm in the subsequent tie-break to move ahead and then unleashed a series of stunning winners across the second set to accelerate to an ultimately commanding victory.
Shang finished the match having converted three of five break points he earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats. His victory was greeted with ecstasy by the crowd, who roared the home favourite on throughout his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Musetti.
Shang has also boosted his bid to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF for the first time with his title run on home soil. The Chinese lefty has leapfrogged Alex Michelsen into second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah.
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