Washington (AFP) – Chinese teen tennis qualifier Shang Juncheng overcame two rain delays and advanced to the ATP Atlanta Open semi-finals on Friday by defeating Australia’s Max Purcell 7-6 (7/3), 6-4. The 19-year-old left-hander from Beijing shrugged off rain stoppages late in each set to reach a Saturday semi-final match against Australian fourth seed Jordan Thompson, who ousted fifth-seeded Spanish wild card Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-3.
Shang captured the match against the eighth-seeded Aussie after two hours and one minute on a service winner in the first US hardcourt tune-up event on the path to the US Open, which begins on August 26. “Tough conditions. It rained twice, especially the first time in the tie-break it was crucial,” Shang said. “I kept my mindset together, played really good tennis. Just super good match and happy to be through.”
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Shang, who ousted US top seed Ben Shelton in the round of 16, reached his second career ATP semi-final, having lost the first to Russian Andrey Rublev at Hong Kong earlier this year. “Coming from qualies has not been easy and the first two rounds have been challenging, really hard,” said Shang. “But tomorrow it’s semis. You don’t get that every week. Just happy to be in the weekend.”
Saturday’s other semi-final will send Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka against France’s Arthur Rinderknech. Nishioka ousted US third seed Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 in 84 minutes while Rinderknech outlasted Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-1 after two hours and 23 minutes. Nishioka chases his third career ATP title after the 2018 Shenzhen Open and 2022 Korea Open in Seoul. Thompson, a 30-year-old from Sydney, won his first ATP title in February at Los Cabos, defeating Norway’s Casper Ruud in the final.
© 2024 AFP
