Shang Juncheng Explained

Shang Juncheng
Residence:Bradenton, Florida, U.S.
Birth Date:2005 2, df=yes
Birth Place:Beijing, China[1]
Height:1.8m (05.9feet)
Turnedpro:2021
Plays:Left-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach:Martin Alund (2022–),[2]
Dante Bottini (2023)[3]
Careerprizemoney:$1,069,641
Singlesrecord:21–23
Singlestitles:0
Highestsinglesranking:No. 73 (29 July 2024)
Currentsinglesranking:No. 78 (5 August 2024)
Australianopenresult:3R (2024)
Frenchopenresult:1R (2023)
Wimbledonresult:2R (2024)
Usopenresult:1R (2024)
Doublesrecord:0–1
Doublestitles:0
Frenchopendoublesjuniorresult:2R (2021)
Wimbledondoublesjuniorresult:2R (2021)
Usopendoublesjuniorresult:1R (2021)
Updated:5 August 2024
Shang Juncheng
S:商竣程
T:商竣程
Order:st
Collapse:yes
P:Shāng Jùnchéng

Shang Juncheng (; also known as Jerry Shang; born 2 February 2005) is a Chinese professional tennis player.[4] He reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 89 on 20 May 2024. He is the current No. 2 Chinese player.[5] In July 2021, he reached No. 1 in the ITF junior rankings.

Personal life

Shang currently trains and lives at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.[6] There he is coached by Martin Alund, an accomplished former top 100 player who took a set off Rafael Nadal on clay in 2013.

Shang is the son of former national footballer Shang Yi and former table tennis world champion Wu Na.[7]

Junior career

2019: First ITF title

In 2019, Shang was the first player born in 2005 to win a tournament on the ITF Junior Circuit.[8]

2021: Major Junior finalist

Shang played in the French Open and reached the quarterfinals, in which he lost to Sean Cuenin in two sets.He also played in the Wimbledon Junior Event and reached the semifinals. He lost to Victor Lilov in two sets.In the US Open Junior Event, he reached the final and lost to Daniel Rincón in two sets (2–6, 6–76).

Professional career

2022: ATP and historic Masters and top 200 debuts

Shang made his debut on the professional tour, after receiving a wildcard to play in the main draw of the ATP Tour 500 event at the 2022 Rio Open, after Juan Martín del Potro announced his retirement from professional tennis. Shang was defeated by Pedro Martínez in the first round.He received a wildcard into the qualifying draw of Indian Wells, where he beat Francisco Cerúndolo in the first round and his opponent Mats Moraing retired in the second. Having qualified into the main draw, he became the first Chinese man to play at Indian Wells and the first player from his country to qualify for an ATP Masters 1000. He was defeated by Jaume Munar in straight sets.[9] He also received a wildcard for the main draw at the 2022 Miami Open.

He won his first title in Lexington, United States becoming the youngest Chinese player to win a trophy in the Challenger Tour history and the youngest since Carlos Alcaraz in 2020 Alicante.[10] He reached the top 200 at world No. 195 on 19 September 2022.

2023: Historic Grand Slam debut and first win, top 150

Shang made his Grand Slam debut by qualifying at the Australian Open, after defeating Fábián Marozsán, 16th seed Fernando Verdasco and Zsombor Piros, becoming the youngest male player at the tournament and the youngest Grand Slam men's qualifier since 17-year-old Carlos Alcaraz at the 2021 Australian Open.[11] [12] He became the 10th Chinese mainland player to reach the main draw at this Major in 2023.[13] It was the first time a male Chinese trio was set to compete in a major singles draw in the Open era (since 1968) and the first in all of Australian Open history (since 1905).[14] [15] Shang defeated Oscar Otte in the first round, becoming the first Chinese male player to win a match at the Australian Open in the Open Era.[16] He then lost in straight sets to Frances Tiafoe in the second round.He received a wildcard for the main draw at the 2023 Miami Open.At the French Open, he qualified for his second Grand Slam in a row by defeating Pablo Cuevas, Marozsán and Renzo Olivo.[17]

He reached the top 150 on 17 July 2023. The following week, he competed at the 2023 Atlanta Open where he lost to Kei Nishikori in the second round and his second ATP 500 in Washington D.C. defeating Emilio Gómez and 14th seed Ben Shelton before losing to second seed Frances Tiafoe.[18]

He played his first ATP tour event in his homeland at the 2023 Zhuhai Championships[19] where he lost to Mackenzie McDonald.[20] He received a wildcard for the next Asian tournaments the China Open in Beijing, where he lost to Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka, and the 2023 Rolex Shanghai Masters,[21] where he lost to Japanese Yosuke Watanuki, both in the first round.

2024: First two ATP semifinals and Major third round, top 75

Having received a wildcard for the 2024 ATP Hong Kong Tennis Open tournament, he reached his maiden ATP quarterfinal with wins over seventh seed Laslo Djere, and then Botic van de Zandschulp in a 3 and 1/2 hours, close match with three tiebreaks 6–7(5) 7–6(2) 7–6(2).[22] Next he defeated third seed Frances Tiafoe in straight sets to reach his first career ATP semifinal,[23] before losing to eventual champion Andrey Rublev in a three-set match.[24]

He received a wildcard for the Australian Open[25] where he defeated Mackenzie McDonald in the first round and qualifier Sumit Nagal in the second to reach the third round of a Major for the first time in his career.[26] He retired in the third set in his next match against world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz.In March, he qualified for the 2024 BNP Paribas Open defeating Yoshihito Nishioka and Facundo Bagnis and recorded his first Masters main draw win over Jordan Thompson after a fifth match point.[27] He was awarded a wildcard into the main draw at the 2024 Miami Open and in April, he also received a wildcard for the 2024 Madrid Open where he defeated qualifier Corentin Moutet in a four hour epic match.[28] [29] At the 2024 Italian Open he replaced 13th seed Ugo Humbert as a lucky loser directly in the second round. He reached the top 100 at world No. 89 on 20 May 2024.

At the 2024 Atlanta Open he reached his second ATP semifinal of his career as a qualifier, defeating two Americans, wildcard Andres Martin and top seed Ben Shelton,[30] and then eight seed Max Purcell.[31] As a result he reached the top 75 in the rankings on 29 July 2024.

Performance timeline

Singles

Tournament2021202220232024SRW–LWin %
Grand Slam tournaments[32]
Australian OpenAA2R3R0 / 23–2
French OpenAA1RQ10 / 10–1
WimbledonAAQ12R0 / 11–1
US OpenAAQ30 / 00–0
Win–loss0–00–01–23–20 / 44–4
ATP Masters 1000
Indian Wells MastersA1RQ22R0 / 21–2
Miami OpenQ11R1R2R0 / 31–3
Madrid OpenAQ1A2R0 / 11–1
Shanghai MastersNH1R0 / 10–1
style=text-align:leftWin–loss0–00–20–23–30 / 73–7

Junior Grand Slam finals

Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)

ATP Challenger and Futures/ITF World Tennis Tour finals

Singles: 6 (5 titles, 1 runner-up)

Legend (singles)
ATP Challenger Tour (1–1)
Futures/ITF World Tennis Tour (4–0)
Finals by surface
Hard (2–1)
Clay (3–0)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScore
Win1–0M15 Fayetteville, U.S.World Tennis TourHard Mark Whitehouse6–3, 6–0
Win2–0M15 Naples, U.S.World Tennis TourClay Duarte Vale6–3, 7–6(7–3)
Win3–0M15 Vero Beach, U.S.World Tennis TourClay Ricardo Rodríguez-Pace7–6(8–6), 6–4
Win4–0M15 Naples, U.S.World Tennis TourClay Felix Corwin7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–1)
Win5–0bgcolor=moccasinLexington, U.S.bgcolor=moccasinChallengerHard Emilio Gómez6–4, 6–4
Loss5–1bgcolor=moccasinGranby, Canadabgcolor=moccasinChallengerHard Gabriel Diallo5–7, 6–7(5–7)

Record against other players

Shang's record against players who have been ranked in the top 10, with those who are active in boldface. Only ATP Tour main draw matches and Davis Cup matches are considered:

Playerwidth=60Recordwidth=60Win %width=60Hardwidth=60Claywidth=60GrassLast match
Number 1 ranked players
Carlos Alcaraz0–10–1style=background:#ebc2af;text-align:leftLost (1–6, 1–6, 0–1 ret.) at 2024 Australian Open
Number 4 ranked players
Kei Nishikori0–10–1style=background:#ebc2af;text-align:leftLost (4–6, 6–7(3–7)) at 2023 Atlanta
Number 5 ranked players
Andrey Rublev0–10–1style=background:#ebc2af;text-align:leftLost (6–4, 2–6, 3–6) at 2024 Hong Kong
Number 10 ranked players
Frances Tiafoe1–21–2style=background:#cfc;text-align:leftWon (6–4, 6–4) at 2024 Hong Kong
Total1–51–5
0–0
0–0
  • Statistics correct .

Notes and References

  1. Web site: JERRY SHANG ON THE RISE: A TENNIS STUDENT-ATHLETE WITH BIG DREAMS. imgacademy.com. 18 March 2021. 12 April 2021. 16 January 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230116015221/https://www.imgacademy.com/news/jerry-shang-rise-tennis-student-athlete-big-dreams. live.
  2. Web site: Who is Jerry Shang? Meet the "gem" facing Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 Australian Open. 19 January 2024. 2 April 2024.
  3. CGTN Sports Scene . CGTNSportsScene . 1612642659511963653 . 10 January 2023 . Exclusive x Shang Juncheng China's 17-year-old on his new coach Dante Bottini & parents ahead of his Grand Slam debut He faces Hungary's Fabian Marozsan in 1st-round qualifier of #AusOpen later today Full Ver: https://t.co/l8LGLyS3I5 #AO2023 #tennis @xuejianosaka @CaoYi_MFA https://t.co/S7OXDJN3Eu . en . 17 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230127200951/https://twitter.com/CGTNSportsScene/status/1612642659511963653 . 27 January 2023 . live.
  4. Web site: Juncheng Shang | Overview | ATP Tour | Tennis . 2023-01-26 . 2022-03-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220331223644/https://www.atptour.com/en/players/juncheng-shang/s0re/overview . live .
  5. Web site: Rankings | Singles. ATP Tour.
  6. Web site: Top seed Juncheng "Jerry" Shang wins 2021 Easter Bowl boys' 18s singles title. www.usta.com. 2021-04-12. 2021-04-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20210412041436/https://www.usta.com/en/home/stay-current/national/top-seed-juncheng--jerry--shang-wins-2021-easter-bowl-boys--18s-.html. live.
  7. Web site: 前国安前锋:儿子选网球因兴趣 盼他成职业网球手. junengjituan.com. Chinese. 2021-05-17. 2022-10-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20221009121124/http://www.junengjituan.com/sports/ouguan/20210214/15638.html. live.
  8. Web site: Juncheng Shang writes history for 2005 generation as the first player... tennisworldusa.org. 10 May 2019. 12 April 2021. 12 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210412041438/https://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/news/Rising_Stars/70371/juncheng-shang-writes-history-for-2005-generation-as-the-first-player/. live.
  9. Web site: Li Na Inspired Shang Juncheng; Now Shang is Stepping into the Sun | ATP Tour | Tennis . 2022-09-16 . 2022-09-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220916032829/https://www.atptour.com/en/news/juncheng-shang-indian-wells-2022-feature . live .
  10. Web site: Shang and Zhang Create Chinese Challenger History | ATP Tour | Tennis . 2022-09-27 . 2022-09-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220927221153/https://www.atptour.com/en/news/shang-and-zhang-create-chinese-challenger-history . live .
  11. Web site: Shang Juncheng: 17-Year-Old Charges into Australian Open Main Draw | ATP Tour | Tennis . 2023-01-13 . 2023-01-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230131133642/https://www.atptour.com/en/news/shang-piros-australian-open-qualifying-2023-thursday/ . live .
  12. Web site: Five Challenger Tour Players to Watch at the Australian Open | ATP Tour | Tennis . 2023-01-14 . 2023-02-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230202214523/https://www.atptour.com/en/news/challenger-tour-five-to-watch-australian-open-2023/ . live .
  13. CGTN Sports Scene . CGTNSportsScene . 1613457153100238851 . 12 January 2023 . ⚡️Qualified for the main draw in his major debut 17-year-old Shang Juncheng beat Zsombor Piros 6–3, 6–4 in the final round of #AusOpen qualifying He is the 10th player from the Chinese mainland reaching #AO2023 main draw in Melbourne #tennis @xuejianosaka @ChineseCon_Mel https://t.co/dP69xJId3J . en . 17 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230115200336/https://twitter.com/cgtnsportsscene/status/1613457153100238851 . 15 January 2023 . live.
  14. Web site: 17-Year-Old Shang Joins Countrymen to Make Chinese History at Australian Open | ATP Tour | Tennis . 2023-01-16 . 2023-01-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230116005041/https://www.atptour.com/en/news/chinese-history-australian-open-2023 . live .
  15. Web site: Rising star Shang chasing history in Australian Open debut . 2023-01-16 . 2023-01-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230116031635/https://ausopen.com/articles/news/rising-star-shang-chasing-history-australian-open-debut . live .
  16. Web site: 'Amazing' 17-Year-Old Shang Taking Australian Open by Storm | ATP Tour | Tennis . 2023-01-18 . 2023-01-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230118062907/https://www.atptour.com/en/news/shang-juncheng-australian-open-2023-feature . live .
  17. Web site: Former Top 10 Star Lucas Pouille Qualifies for Roland Garros | ATP Tour | Tennis . 2023-05-26 . 2023-05-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230526045949/https://www.atptour.com/en/news/roland-garros-2023-thursday-qualifying . live .
  18. Web site: The Juncheng Shang Train Is Back Up & Running ATP Tour Tennis . 2024-01-10 . ATP Tour . en . 2023-09-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230925201740/https://www.atptour.com/en/news/shang-washington-2023-feature . live .
  19. Web site: Shang Juncheng: The #NextGenATP Star Ready To Ride Chinese Surge To The Very Top ATP Tour Tennis . 2024-01-10 . ATP Tour . en . 2023-10-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231005173113/https://www.atptour.com/en/news/shang-juncheng-taking-the-baton-feature-september-2023 . live .
  20. Web site: Mackenzie McDonald Gives Hobbled Shang Juncheng Piggy-Back In Zhuhai ATP Tour Tennis . 2024-01-10 . ATP Tour . en . 2023-10-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231002012955/https://www.atptour.com/en/news/mcdonald-shang-zhuhai-2023-funny . live .
  21. Web site: Trio of rising stars ready to shine on home court. 2023-09-27. 2023-09-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20230927154325/https://www.shine.cn/sport/2309271128/. live.
  22. Web site: Shang saves MP again in Hong Kong, reaches first QF. 2024-01-03. 2024-01-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20240103173801/https://www.atptour.com/en/news/shang-hong-kong-2024-wednesday. live.
  23. Web site: Shang upsets Tiafoe, sets up Rublev rumble in Hong Kong. 2024-01-05. 2024-01-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20240105202413/https://www.atptour.com/en/news/shang-tiafoe-hong-kong-2024-friday. live.
  24. Web site: Rublev rallies past Shang into Hong Kong final. 2024-01-07. 2024-01-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20240106150209/https://www.atptour.com/en/news/rublev-shang-hong-kong-2024-saturday. live.
  25. Web site: Saville, Kubler, McCabe among latest AO wildcards . 5 January 2024 . 5 January 2024 . 5 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240105071811/https://ausopen.com/articles/news/saville-kubler-mccabe-among-latest-ao-wildcards . live .
  26. Web site:
    1. NextGenATP pair Michelsen, Shang charge into AO R3
    .
  27. Web site: Mensik's momentum continues, captures first Masters 1000 win; Shang downs Thompson after fifth match point.
  28. Web site: Jerry Shang and Corentin Moutet: Chaos, coffee, and clay in Madrid. 25 April 2024.
  29. Web site: Shang wins rollercoaster 4-hour battle with Moutet. 24 April 2024.
  30. Web site: Shang breaks new ground with Shelton stunner in Atlanta. ATPtour.com. 25 July 2024. 27 July 2024.
  31. Web site: With ice cream looming, #NextGenATP Shang beats rain & Purcell in Atlanta. ATPtour.com. 27 July 2024. 27 July 2024.
  32. Web site: Juncheng Shang Player Activity ATP Tour Tennis . 2023-01-25 . ATP Tour . 2022-03-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220331223644/https://www.atptour.com/en/players/juncheng-shang/s0re/overview . live .