In the third round of the 2024 Australian Open men's singles match that ended on January 20, Beijing time, the 18-year-old Chinese rising star Shang Zhongcheng was unable to persist due to injury after losing 2 consecutive sets and chose to withdraw. He was the No. 2 seed in the tournament. Alcaraz easily advanced to the top 16 without losing a fight. This is also the first time in Alcaraz's career that he has reached the top 16 of the Australian Open men's singles. His opponent in the next round will be Kecmanovic.
In the first two rounds, Shang Juncheng faced McDonald and Indian dark horse Nagar, playing 5 and 4 sets respectively, which also caused some problems in his thigh muscles. Facing world No. 2 Alcaraz, Shang Juncheng lost 5 games in a row after a 1-1 draw at the beginning, losing the first set 1-6.
In the second set, Shang Chengcheng still failed to stop the decline. After a 1-1 draw, he lost 5 consecutive games, and finally lost another set 1-6. In the third set, after Alcaraz came up to break serve, Shang lost 5 games in a row. Jun Cheng had no choice but to withdraw from the competition.
After deciding to withdraw from the competition, Shang Juncheng also received a sympathetic handshake and hug from Alcaraz. The Spanish genius also sent warm blessings to Shang Juncheng. Fans at the scene also gave encouraging applause for the conclusion of the meeting.
When Alcaraz was still being interviewed after the game, he mentioned Shang Juncheng again: "I am very happy to finally play against a player younger than me! Tennis is developing, and more young players are emerging. This pair of tennis It's great for both the fans and the fans! I believe that Shang Juncheng and I will play against each other again. I hope he stays healthy and recovers soon!"
Although he was stopped in the top 32 due to injury, the young Shang Juncheng still successfully set a new record in mainland China. The male player has the best result in the history of the Australian Open. He also received 100 points and a bonus of 255,000 Australian dollars (1.21 million yuan). His immediate ranking rose to 139th. He will only turn 19 next month. The future is still promising.
