atp Men's Professional Tennis Tour Hong Kong Tennis Open kicked off on New Year's Day. China's rising star Shang Chengcheng and world No. 33 Jere battled fiercely on the center court for 2 hours and 51 minutes. In the end, with the overwhelming support of the audience, they won in two sets. The total tiebreaker score was 2:1, and he defeated the top 40 golfers in the world for the first time in his career and advanced to the second round.
The 18-year-old rising star Shang Chengcheng, who received a wild card to participate in the tournament, took the lead in today's singles main event against Jere, who is ranked 150th in the world.
Shang Juncheng, who was underestimated in the first line, did not lag behind. The two sides maintained serve in the first set and tied at 6:6. Shang Juncheng led 5:3 in the tie-break, but Jere immediately counterattacked and won 7:5. A narrow win, one set ahead. Shang Juncheng, who was cheered by the home audience, continued to hold on to the score in the second set. Taking advantage of his 28-year-old opponent's weakened physical strength, he made consecutive mistakes and regained the victory at 6:3.
Shang Juncheng, who played proactively, fell behind in the third set and overtook 3:2. After that, the two sides were in a stalemate. In the end, the young player managed to maintain serve in the 11th game, but was tied by his opponent 40:0 in the 12th game: 6: 6; In the end, the game ended with a set of 10:8 in the tie-break, and he raised his arms to celebrate excitedly.
Although Shang Juncheng played as a wild card, he entered the adult Grand Slam for the first time last year and reached the second round of the Australian Open. He was the first Chinese men's singles player to win the Australian Open main draw. He defeated the American player Sheldon, who was ranked 41st in the world at the ATP Atlanta station last summer, and today he defeated the top 40 player in the world for the first time in his career.
This Chinese player is loved by fans. After the game, many spectators flocked to the front row to ask for his autograph and photos. He thanked everyone for their support after the game, "A wonderful victory. I hope to make more progress in 2024. The audience and The venue is perfect, Jere is a very determined opponent, and it is a difficult victory."
Shang Juncheng, ranked 183rd in the world, said frankly that after defeating Jere, who is ranked top 40 in the world, he has strengthened his mind for the season. Needle, "It can increase my confidence. I can be more confident and relaxed when playing. I hope I can enjoy the game more."
Shang Juncheng was ranked fourth in the youth world rankings at the age of 16 and entered the professional ranks. Last year, he advanced to the main draw through the qualifiers at the Australian Open and French Open, but stopped in the qualifying rounds at Wimbledon and the US Open. Regarding this season’s goals, he laughed and said that he doesn’t like to set career goals, but he will set small goals for himself every day, “For example, when you get up and write a small goal, you can’t be angry when playing today, etc. On the first day of 2024, I will set a small goal for myself every day. Write "Enjoy every moment" and have a good start to the new year."
Shang Juncheng's father is former Chinese international Shang Yi, and his mother is former table tennis doubles world champion Wu Na. His father Shang Yi is also here to watch the game today. He admitted that he was not under pressure as he came from a sports family. “There was never any pressure because the sports were different. My parents gave me a lot of experience. One of them played team sports and the other was an individual project. They gave me a lot of experience both in life and in tennis. You won't interfere too much with me."
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