Australian Open: Chinese teenager Shang Juncheng ‘aiming big’ after making history in Melbourne
- 17-year-old beats Germany’s Oscar Otte in four sets, could face American 16th seed Frances Tiafoe next
- China has three men in the main draw of the year’s first grand slam, with Zhang Zhizhen and Wu Yibing also taking part
Teenager Shang Juncheng created a slice of history on Monday by becoming the first male Chinese player to win an Australian Open main draw singles match.
The gifted 17-year-old, a qualifier, battled past Germany’s Oscar Otte 6-2, 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 in nearly three hours of intense tennis to progress.
And afterwards, Shang said he was aiming to “do something big in the future” after advancing to the second round.
Shang will play number 16 seed Frances Tiafoe next, and after his win acknowledged what a big moment it is for men’s tennis in China.
“I think it’s huge for Chinese men’s tennis,” he said. “We have had really good players from the women’s side but not really big names in the men’s, so I think we are very lucky that I’m part of it, and I’m very lucky that I’m part of this team. Hopefully we can do something big in the future.”
Shang said he was not sure why it had taken so long for the country’s men to find success at the tournament, but called it “a complicated thing”.
