Getting off to a Shang-tastic start

So fast, so furious and so much more to come — the rise of Chinese men's tennis has tilted the booming sport toward a long-awaited balance, setting high expectations for a successful China Swing.

With a home favorite crowned for the first time and a surging pack of youngsters coming up strong, the recent progress of China's male aces has almost found parity with their traditionally strong female compatriots, as fans brace themselves for more history-making moments during four weeks of top-flight tennis in China.

Getting the home run off to a flying start was China's teen sensation Shang Juncheng, who stunned top seed Italy's Lorenzo Musetti in the final of the ATP 250 Chengdu Open on Tuesday, claiming a career first title on the competitive men's circuit at the tender age of 19.

The straight-sets win against the world No 18 also made Shang the first Chinese man to win a Tour-level tournament on home soil, and the first player from anywhere born in 2005 or later to triumph on the Tour.

"I am speechless now. To win my first crown at a home tournament feels so good. There is no better occasion to get it done than here and tonight," Shang said after upsetting Olympic bronze medalist Musetti, 7-6 (4), 6-1, in 100 minutes.

"It's always special to play at home, not to mention winning a title. I never thought that I would do it this early in my career, but I'm grateful for this one. It's just a super special week," said Shang, who's climbed to a career-high ranking of 52 after winning on his Chengdu debut.

Musetti congratulated Shang on a "convincing" win and predicted a bright future for the Chinese prodigy.

"He was the best one on court (this week) so he deserved to win tonight," said the Wimbledon semifinalist.

"I am happy for him and for his team. I think it will be the first of many titles in the future for him. I wish him the best for his season and his career."

By lifting the trophy in Chengdu, Shang became just the second Chinese player to win an ATP Tour singles title after Wu Yibing triumphed in Dallas in 2023.

The country's top-ranked men's star Zhang Zhizhen could've doubled Chinese tennis fans' delight on Tuesday night in his final against Croatian veteran Marin Cilic at another ATP 250 event in Hangzhou.

Cilic prevailed with his strong serve and finesse, winning two tiebreakers 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) to deny Zhang's attempt, in his first ATP Tour final appearance, to make it a memorable brace of titles for Chinese tennis.

The first week of the China swing, though, went well beyond expectation with another young prospect Buyunchaokete, a 22-year-old hailing from the Mongolian ethnic group in Northwest China, cracking the top-100 last week in Hangzhou by fighting into the semifinals at an ATP tournament for the first time.