CHENGDU, China, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese tennis player Shang Juncheng reached his first ATP Tour final after a hard-fought victory over Yannick Hanfmann of Germany at the ATP Chengdu Open on Monday.
The 19-year-old Shang clinched a 6-4, 6-4 victory at the Sichuan International Tennis Center, showcasing a 78% first-serve win rate and never allowing a break point.
"I played great tennis tonight," said Shang, currently ranked 67th in the world and poised to break into the top 50. "Yannick is a tough opponent."
Shang's achievement marks a historic week for Chinese tennis following Zhang Zhizhen's final appearance in Hangzhou. They became the second and third mainland Chinese male player to reach the ATP Tour finals, succeeding Wu Yibing's win in Dallas last year.
In the other semifinal, top-seeded Lorenzo Musetti of Italy defeated Alibek Kachmazov 6-4, 6-2 to reach his fifth ATP Tour final.
In the doubles, the third-seeded pair Yuki Bhambri of India and Albano Olivetti of France continued their strong season, defeating second-seeded Ivan Dodig and Rafael Matos 6-3, 7-6 (9) to advance to their fourth final this year. ■
