Shang Juncheng of China made waves at his first ever U.S. Open in 2024, cruising into the third round after impressive victories over No. 27 seed Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan and Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain. 🎉
In the third round, Shang faced off against the tournament's No. 8 seed, Casper Ruud of Norway. Starting strong, he led 2-0 before Ruud made a comeback. Despite the loss, Shang remained upbeat about his performance.
\"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.\" 💪
Born into a family of athletes, Shang's father was a Chinese national team football player and his mother a world table tennis mixed doubles champion. But Shang chose his own path with tennis, receiving unwavering support from his parents.
\"My parents have been very supportive,\" he 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 just 19, Shang reached the third round at both the Australian Open and the U.S. Open this year. He has climbed to a career-high No. 72 on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) world rankings and is gearing up for a series of tournaments in Asia.
\"I'm about to begin the 'Asia Season'. I guess I expected too much from myself last year and overthought it,\" Shang reflected. \"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.\" 🌟
With his talent and positive attitude, Shang Juncheng is definitely a rising star to watch in the tennis world! 🌏✨
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
