Shang Juncheng of China made a remarkable debut at the 2024 U.S. Open, advancing to the third round after securing victories against the No. 27 seed Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan and Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain in the initial matches.
In the third round, Shang faced Casper Rudd of Norway, the tournament's No. 8 seed. He started strong, leading 2-0 before ultimately falling short of the win.
\"It's so exciting,\" Shang shared with reporters on August 30. \"From my five-set win in the first round to this long battle today, I feel satisfied. I still have a lot to learn. I hope I can find the problems and fix them as soon as possible.\"
Coming from an athletic family, Shang's father was a national football player, and his mother a world champion in table tennis mixed doubles. Although Shang chose tennis over his parents' sports, he credits their unwavering support for his success.
\"My parents have been very supportive,\" Shang said. \"My father trained with me every day when I was a kid and took me to every match I played. You could say that we grew and learnt new things together in tennis. I'm lucky to have them help and encourage me all the time.\"
At 19, Shang has reached the third round in both the Australian Open and the U.S. Open this year, climbing to a career-high No. 72 in the ATP world rankings. He is set to participate in a series of tournaments across Asia in the upcoming days.
\"I'm about to begin the 'Asia Season'. I guess I expected too much from myself last year and overthought it,\" Shang remarked. \"This year, I'm just gonna enjoy playing at home as well as all the applause and love from supporters. I will try to play every game well and see how it goes.\"
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
