Shang upsets Tiafoe, sets up Rublev rumble in Hong Kong

The "best" wins of his career just keep on coming for Chinese #NextGenATP star Shang Juncheng during a dream week at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open.

Saving match points in marathon Top 50 victories over Laslo Djere and Botic van de Zandschulp set the tone. Now the teenage wild card has soared into title contention with a commanding 6-4, 6-4 triumph over World No. 16 Frances Tiafoe. The 18-year-old Shang heads into a maiden ATP semi-final with top seed Andrey Rublev on Saturday.

"Really tough match, as expected against Frances. Played him twice, went down both times. Today was really a mindset change for me. Sometimes you have to respect the opponent a little bit less when trying to get chances," said Shang, the No. 149 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. "By respect, its nothing negative, it's about positivity on my side, to believe in myself more.

"Obviously, he's been in the Top 10, he's an amazing player, an amazing person, hopefully we can play more this season. Getting these amazing wins at home in China means a lot to me. To play in front of these fans, I've been having such a blast."

Shang's elasticity and force on his forehand wing was causing Tiafoe a range of problems and the wild card teased errors from the American for a 3-2 break advantage early. At 5-4, Shang produced a trio of remarkable points to close out a mature and assertive opener. A wrong-footing inside-out forehand, a point dragging Tiafoe side to side capped by a neat volley and then a backhand passing shot on the run combined to send the ardent home crowd into raptures.

Shang kept Tiafoe off his strike zone and the Chinese youngster earned another 3-2 break scoreline with another acrobatic airborne forehand ripped down the line. The teenager's composure never wavered and he completed a third statement victory at Victoria Park. His home heroics have even taken Shang himself by surprise.

"Coming here I was pretty confident. I had a very good pre-season in Florida, training with great players and altering the way I work," said Shang. "I was thinking I could do some good things this year, but I definitely didn’t expect to play two three-hour epics and these three wins. It means I keep on leaning more, but I just want to be a happy kid on the court in 2024. Having fun means everything to me."

Closing out a captivating day on Centre Court, top seed Rublev prevailed 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with eighth seed Arthur Fils.

"That was the opposite to last night (versus Liam Broady). I was feeling really comfortable on the court and played some really great tennis," said Rublev. "Arthur really hit the ball well too and it must have been a great match to watch."

Rollercoaster match! 🎢@AndreyRublev97 reaches an ATP Tour semi-final the 8th consecutive season after fighting past Fils 6-4, 1-6, 6-2!@Hkto_mens | #BOCHKTO2024 pic.twitter.com/s8XaWEdkKz

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 5, 2024

The top seed, into an ATP semi-final for the eighth successive season, knows he's got to be sharp on Saturday against local hero Shang.

"He's very talented, young, powerful, fast,” said Rublev. “He's playing the week of his life, beating really top players. He's showing great comebacks from match point down, so he has nothing to lose for sure. He will be playing free like all this week. We'll see."

In the bottom half of the draw, Emil Ruusuvuori fended off a late surge from Pavel Kotov to book his first hard court semi-final since October 2022 in Stockholm. The World No. 69, who defeated second seed Karen Khachanov in the second round, continued his fine form to launch a set and 4-2 ahead.

However, Kotov found his range and reeled Ruusuvuori into a tie-break, where the Finn stormed through the last six points to secure a final-four spot.

"I was very good until the chance to serve it out (5-4), but I didn't play well enough," reflected Ruusuvuori. "Just very relieved to finish the job in straight sets."

The 24-year-old was particularly effective at closing the angles and applying the pressure by transitioning forward to win 21 of 26 net points. The World No. 69 also won 75 per cent (33/44) of points behind first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The Finn would welcome another authoritative display on Saturday.

"I just want to come out in the semi-final and show my best tennis. I got there in the tie-break, when it really mattered."

Standing between Ruusuvuori and a place in Sunday's final is Sebasian Ofner. The Austrian outmanoeuvred Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 6-4 with the help of 21 aces.

"I'm serving very well, I'm very pleased it's transferred from practice into the matches." said Ofner, who also fired down 16 aces in a three-hour triumph over fifth seed Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round.

"I played another great match, feeling very comfortable and confident on the court."