Shang Juncheng of China celebrates his 6-4, 6-4 victory over Yannick Hanfmann of Germany at the Chengdu Open in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, September 23, 2024. /CFP
Shang Juncheng of China has reached his first Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour final after defeating Yannick Hanfmann of Germany 6-4, 6-4 in the men's singles semifinals at the Chengdu Open in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Monday.
Shang claimed both sets in similar fashion after converting break points in the third games of both frames and closing out both sets with powerful serves.
"I felt that I was in good form when I woke up this morning," Shang said at the post-match press conference. "I want to thank every spectator for helping me advance to the final. I'm glad to make it to an ATP Tour final for the first time in my career."
Shang will face Lorenzo Musetti of Italy in Tuesday's final. The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics bronze medalist beat Alibek Kachmazov of Russia 6-4, 6-2 in the other semifinal match. He has won two ATP Tour titles so far in his career, both in 2022, at the Hamburg European Open and Napoli Cup.
"I will take a break first to prepare for tomorrow," Shang said. "Musetti has been performing well this summer. It will be an exciting match. I trained with him one or two years ago in Miami. He was already a world top-class player when I was 17 or 18. He is several years older than me. He's great, both as a person and a player, and I look forward to playing with him."
The final in Chengdu will be the first match between Shang and Musetti.