Teenager Shang Juncheng made history by defeating Italy’s Olympic bronze medallist Lorenzo Musetti with a score of 7-6(4) 6-1 in the final of the Chengdu Open, becoming the second Chinese player ever to win an ATP title. This victory marks Shang’s first ATP Tour title, establishing him as China’s number two player and currently ranked 55th in the world. At just 19 years old, he is also the youngest ATP winner of the season.
While Li Na remains the most successful singles player in China with Grand Slam victories at the French Open in 2011 and the Australian Open in 2014, several women, including Paris Olympics gold medallist Zheng Qinwen, aspire to follow in her footsteps. However, men’s tennis success has been less prominent in China, with Wu Yibing being the first Chinese player to win an ATP trophy, capturing the Dallas Open title last year.
Shang’s win also enhances his chances of qualifying for the Next Gen ATP Finals for the first time. This event, set to take place in Saudi Arabia from November to December, will showcase the top 20-and-under singles players from the ATP Tour season.
In another noteworthy event at the Hangzhou Open, Croatian wild card Marin Cilic became the lowest-ranked champion in ATP Tour history after winning his first tour-level event since February. Cilic, who turns 36 soon, secured his first title since 2021 with a victory against China’s number one seed Zhang Zhizhen, with both sets finishing 7-6(5). Cilic, who had previously suffered from a knee injury, saw a significant jump in the ATP rankings, moving from 777th to 212th following his win. This achievement marks the 21st title of Cilic’s career, as the Hangzhou Open replaces the Zhuhai Championships on the ATP calendar.