The idol of the Chinese tennis fans Juncheng Shang will be Carlos Alcaraz's first opponent at the Shanghai Rolex Masters. The Chinese defeated Coleman Wong with a double 6-4 in his debut, giving himself a highly anticipated match against the Spaniard, fresh from winning the China Open in Beijing.
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At the press conference, Shang joked about his only precedent with Alcaraz. At the beginning of the season, specifically at the Australian Open, he was forced to retire at the start of the third set due to a physical problem.
"I remember the only time I played against him on Rod Laver Arena and I didn't finish the match. So in the on-court interview I said that if I finish the match I've already taken a step forward! Obviously the result won't matter. Right now I'm just trying to play my best tennis. It will definitely be fun to play against him in Shanghai. Carlos is a super nice person. I see it as a nice opportunity to measure myself against one of the best players in the world," he explained.
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In 2024, Shang defeated Alexander Bublik twice in a row and, about that, the Chinese said:
"He's a great person, we get along very well off the court. We talk about everything. Playing against him is never easy, he has one of the best serves on Tour. Winning against him at the US Open was very important for me and gave me confidence. He showed me that I can compete against the top seeds."
