Shang becomes second Chinese to win ATP title

The ex-Juniors number one is the youngest title winner at 19 years of age.

BEIJING:

Teenager Shang Juncheng beat Italy's Olympic bronze medallist Lorenzo Musetti 7-6(4) 6-1 in the Chengdu Open final on Tuesday to become the second ever Chinese player to win an ATP title.

It is the first ATP Tour title for Shang, who is currently China's number two and ranked 55 in the world. The former Juniors number one is also the youngest ATP winner of the season at 19 years of age.

Li Na remains China's most successful singles player with Grand Slam wins at the French Open in 2011 and the Australian Open in 2014, while there are several women hoping to emulate her including Paris Olympics gold medallist Zheng Qinwen.

But success on the men's side has largely eluded the nation, and Wu Yibing became the first Chinese player to capture an ATP trophy when he won the Dallas Open last year.

Shang has also strengthened his push to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals for the first time. The competition, hosted in Saudi Arabia in November-December, will feature the world's top 20-and-under singles players of the ATP Tour season. (Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru Editing by Christian Radnedge)

Olympic champ Zheng embraces big expectations

Paris Olympics champion Zheng Qinwen said Tuesday she hopes to use the fervent support of the home crowd to propel her to a first China Open title.

The world number seven is back in Beijing fresh from making history as the first Chinese player to win an Olympic singles tennis gold.

The China Open, which begins on Wednesday, is a WTA 1000 event and among the most prestigious in the women's tennis calendar.

"People start to get tired at the end of the season. For me it's different," said the 21-year-old Zheng, finalist at the Australian Open.

"I'm really motivated to come and play in China, in front of my people. I know they're going to support me."

With that comes pressure, but Zheng says she is physically fresh, has prepared well and has "big expectations" of herself.

After Beijing, the player dubbed "Queen Wen" will play the Wuhan Open.

"I think I don't consider that like big pressure," she said of the support she will receive in the coming weeks.

"I will consider it like big support. Especially when I'm feeling down, I see all the people support me.

She added: "It is quite different to play in China compared to rest of the world. I know basically all of them, going to be 95 percent of the crowd, they are going to support me.

"It is a big confidence. Is also a big energy there when I'm playing on court."

Zheng sees a difference now compared to before she was the Olympic champion.

"When I was at the airport, people wouldn't recognise me if they're not interested in tennis. My fame was only within the tennis circle," she told a packed press conference in the Chinese capital.

"But now when I go to a restaurant, people ask me for autographs.

"I feel the impact. I feel a sense of responsibility now here in China."

Chief among Zheng's title rivals at the China Open will be the top seed Aryna Sabalenka, who comfortably beat her in the Australian Open final at the start of the year.