Trailblazer Zhang, #NextGenATP Shang lead Chinese stars seeking Shanghai success
While Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz will headline the field at the 2024 Rolex Shanghai Masters, many of the eyes in China will be on their homegrown stars at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
Led by Zhang Zhizhen, Shang Juncheng and Wu Yibing, Chinese tennis has undergone an eye-catching rise on the ATP Tour over the past two years.
The impressive progress of the Asian nation’s male stars was reflected earlier this month in Chengdu and Hangzhou. At the Chengdu Open, #NextGenATP star Shang became the first Chinese player to win an ATP Tour on home soil, while Zhang and Buyunchaokete made history at the Hangzhou Open by setting the first all-Chinese semi-final in ATP Tour history.
As they head to Shanghai, ATPTour.com assesses the Chinese contenders now aiming to make a splash on their home ATP Masters 1000 stage.
[ATP APP] Zhang Zhizhen
Zhang has relished being the leading man of Chinese tennis for the past two years, becoming the first player from his country to crack the Top 100 (October 2022) and Top 50 (January 2024) in the PIF ATP Rankings.
The 27-year-old has been mixing it with the best in the business and has proven more than capable of competing at the top level. He has reached five ATP quarter-finals in 2024 alone. With an explosive all-court game, it is no surprise that Zhang soared to a career-high of World No. 31 in July following his run to the semi-finals in Halle.
Zhang has previously played well at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. In 2023, he produced an awe-inspiring run to the fourth round before falling to eventual champion Hubert Hurkacz. The Chinese No. 1 will be eager to build on that run and his 2024 form when he leads the charge in front of his home crowd this year.
Zhang Zhizhen in action during his fourth-round run at the 2023 Rolex Shanghai Masters. Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Shang Juncheng
#NextGenATP star Shang isn’t just one of China’s most exciting prospects — he is one of the ATP Tour’s fastest-rising stars overall.
At this year’s Chengdu Open, Shang defeated top seed Lorenzo Musetti to clinch his maiden tour-level title at the age of just 19. He is currently in a see-saw battle with Alex Michelsen for second place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, but is in a strong position to qualify for his Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF debut regardless.
With his flashy lefty game that has proved a nuisance to peers, Shang has also reached ATP Tour semi-finals in Hong Kong and Atlanta this year. He is now on the brink of the Top 50 in the PIF ATP Rankings, raising the possibility he could soon surpass his countryman Zhang as the country’s leading star.
Wu Yibing
Wu carved his name into the history books at the Dallas Open in 2023 when he became the first Chinese player to lift a trophy on the ATP Tour.
The 24-year-old’s attempts to build on that momentous triumph have been hindered by extended periods spent off court due to injury, but Wu shook off those setbacks and returned to the winner’s circle in August 2024, when he clinched an ATP Challenger Tour title on home soil in Jinan.
Despite his absence from the ATP Tour for the majority of the season, the Chinese star has shown glimpses of the form that he is capable of producing and will be raring to push back up to his career-high of No. 54 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
Wu Yibing reached a career-high No. 54 in the PIF ATP Rankings in May 2023. Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Buyunchaokete
The most recent Chinese player to crack the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings is Buyunchaokete. The 22-year-old hit the milestone after reaching the semi-finals at the Hangzhou Open, where he fell to his countryman Zhang in the first all-Chinese ATP Tour semi-final.
Much of Buyunchaokete’s success has come on the ATP Challenger Tour, where he is a three-time champion, but in 2024 he has enjoyed three notable breakthroughs at Tour-level. In August, he qualified for a major for the first time at the US Open, where he defeated former Top 20 player Aslan Karatsev to seal his main-draw spot before falling to Casper Ruud in the first round.
Buyunchaokete backed up that display in New York by claiming his maiden Davis Cup singles win for China in a tie against Romania, and then defeated Hugo Gaston, Karen Khachanov and Mikhail Kukushkin en route to the last four in Hangzhou. Can the 22-year-old continue his momentum into his home Masters 1000 event?
Buyunchaokete in action at the 2024 US Open. Photo Credit: Mike Stobe/Getty Images
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