Shang, 20, is youngest Chinese man to reach Shanghai third round

China's Shang Juncheng earned the biggest win of his career Saturday night on home soil by beating Karen Khachanov at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. With his 7-6(3), 6-3 victory, Shang notched his first win against a Top 10 opponent in the PIF ATP Rankings and advanced to the third round at an ATP Masters 1000 for the first time.

"Unbelievable match today against Karen. He's a very solid Top 10 player," said the 20-year-old #NextGenATP star, who was a perfect three-for-three on break points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. "Coming into the match, I didn't think too much, just wanted to put on a show for the people. I didn't start perfectly in the match, but kept fighting, kept focusing every point, was playing really happy, no matter winning or losing.

"I'm glad that I got the win. But overall, just happy with the performance."

Shang is the youngest of three Chinese players who have reached the Shanghai third round, with all three instances coming since 2023. Zhang Zhizhen advanced to that stage that year, while Wu Yibing accomplished the feat in 2024. Shang is also the second Chinese player to earn a Top 10 win on home soil, after Buyunchaokete beat Andrey Rublev last year in Beijing.

Shang and Khachanov twice traded breaks in the opening set. In the second set, Shang rode a string of winners to victory, claiming the final three games from 3-3 and rattling off the final six points of the match.

"I think overall just, like I said, didn't think too much. Sometimes the winner comes without thinking," added Shang, who was cheered on by family in the crowd, including his grandmother. "If you think too much, you might be tight at that moment, I thought, 'OK, time to work, time to get it done.'

"Against players like Karen, you might only have one chance to close it out. If I don't, it might be the match, it might be a grind in the third set, you never know. But I'm glad that I kept the focus. And at the end it went smoothly."