September 24, (THEWILL) – In a landmark achievement for Chinese tennis, 19-year-old Shang Juncheng claimed his first ATP Tour singles title at the Chengdu Open on Tuesday. Shang defeated top seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy in the final with a score of 7-6 (7/4) 6-1.
This victory makes Shang only the second player from China to win an ATP Tour singles title, following Wu Yibing’s triumph in Dallas in 2023. Shang’s win is particularly notable as he becomes the first player born in 2005 or later to capture an ATP Tour title.
The young Chinese player’s success thrilled the home crowd in Chengdu, who witnessed a dominant performance against Musetti, a Wimbledon semi-finalist. After a closely contested first set, Shang pulled away in the second to claim a convincing win.
However, hopes for a double Chinese celebration were dashed in the Hangzhou Open final. Home favourite Zhang Zhizhen fell to Croatian Marin Cilic in a tight match, with both sets decided by tiebreaks. The final score stood at 7-6 (7/5),7-6 (7/5) in favour of the experienced Cilic.
Remarkably, Cilic entered the event ranked 777th in the world, making him the lowest-ranked player ever to clinch an ATP title. This victory marked Cilic’s first tournament win in three years and his 21st career title overall, underscoring his enduring quality and competitive spirit.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
