Hong Kong Tennis Open: China’s Shang Juncheng savours career-best win as he stuns Frances Tiafoe in quarter-final
- Teenager Shang credits the ‘amazing’ Hong Kong support and ‘keeping a straight head’ after prolonging his remarkable run at the tournament
- Finnish surprise package Emil Ruusuvuori will meet Sebastian Ofner in semi-finals, after respective victories over Pavel Kotov and Roberto Bautista Agut
Chinese teenager Shang Juncheng plans to continue “having a blast” at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open, after reaching the semi-finals with a flawless straight-sets victory over No 3 seed Frances Tiafoe on Friday.
World No 183 Shang, who meets world No 5 Andrey Rublev in the last four on Saturday, had not taken a set from Tiafoe in two previous meetings. But the new hero of Victoria Park beat him 6-4, 6-4 and completely outplayed the American, who created only one break point in the one hour and 29 minutes of the contest.
The 18-year-old had already achieved what he called the “two best wins of my career” to reach the last eight, surviving marathon battles with top-50 players Laslo Djere and Botic van de Zandschulp.
But Florida-based Shang stepped up another level against Tiafoe, breaking once in each set and closing out the match with a volley that clipped the sideline and brought a nearly full Centre Court to its feet.
“To get these amazing wins back in China means a lot to me,” said Shang, who gained prominence by winning four matches to reach the second round of last year’s Australian Open. “Playing in front of these fans is amazing. I have been having a blast this week.