Shang leaves with head held high

Even with his amazing Melbourne run ending abruptly, China's tennis prodigy Shang Juncheng has left fans with plenty to cheer about, as he exits the Australian Open showing clear signs of a stellar career to come.

The scintillating form that had carried him into the third round for the first time wasn't there. His forehand wasn't sharp and his movement uncharacteristically sluggish. What was billed as a "battle of future" in Shang's round of 32 clash against world No 2 Carlos Alcaraz at the Aussie Open on Saturday was stopped before either player could bring out their best, after Shang retired injured with the Spanish title favorite leading 6-1, 6-1, 1-0 in the third set.

Still, as the youngest player in the men's draw, the 18-year-old Shang has done more than enough to turn heads at what is just his third major tournament — one where he left an indelible mark on record books as the first Chinese mainland player to reach the third round in Melbourne.

While obviously disappointed by the fact that, going up against the mighty Alcaraz, he wasn't physically ready, Shang remained pragmatic, summing up his trip Down Under as an invaluable learning experience.

"I had expected a lopsided score before the match because I wasn't at my best, not even 80 percent physically," Shang said after the match, which lasted only 66 minutes at the Rod Laver Arena.

"It was a pity that I didn't even finish the match, it's not the way I wanted to leave. But I am pretty satisfied with the overall experience over the past week and the beginning of the season," said Shang, who entered the match with his right thigh strapped and received treatment during a second-set medical timeout.

"I pulled off my first five-set win here, played several top-50 guys, learned a lot and got used to competing against the world No 2 on the center court for the first time.

"If you told me a month ago that I would end up where I am now, I wouldn't have believed you," said Shang, who had also reached his first ATP semifinal at the Hong Kong Open before arriving in Melbourne.

As part of China's next generation of talent, developing their game inspired by 2014 AO women's champion Li Na, Shang minced no words about his ambition to notch up more "firsts" for himself and Chinese tennis as a whole.

"I looked up for her (Li's) name until I found it among many other past champions, which was pretty cool. Hopefully, one day I will see my name there as well," Shang said, recalling his first time walking through the player tunnel into the Rod Laver Arena.

Saturday's match also marked a rare first for the 20-year-old Alcaraz, with the reigning Wimbledon champion facing a younger opponent for the first time on the professional circuit.

Alcaraz, who entered the round of 16 for the first time in Melbourne with the win over Shang, showed no mercy on court, winning 86 percent of his first-serve points without facing a single break point, cruising into a fourth-round meeting with Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic on Monday.

Off the court, Alcaraz offered nothing but praise for his young opponent.

"We will play again. Stay strong! I wish a speedy recovery!" the Spanish star wrote on the broadcast camera after the match.

"He wasn't at the level that he was playing in the beginning of the year ... Obviously he didn't play at his best," said Alcaraz, who, at 19, became the youngest man to take the world No 1 ranking after winning his maiden major title at the 2022 US Open.

"I would love to play a better match against him. I can see he hit the ball so easily. He's a really good ball striker.

"I am sure that we are going to play more than once on the big stage. My advice for him is: don't rush things."

Born with a strong athletic gene from his mother, a former table tennis world champion, and father, who used to play professional soccer in China's top league, Shang picked tennis for the sport's dynamic nature. At age 11, he took his talent to the IMG Academy in Florida.

At the academy, guided by Argentine coach Martin Alund, Shang's game flourished in the junior ranks, taking him to the boys' No 1 spot in the International Tennis Federation system in 2021.

His transition to the pro game went smoothly as well, winning his first ATP Challenger crown in Lexington, United States, in August 2022, and then coming through qualifiers to make the main draw at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros last year to cement his place on the ATP Tour.

As proof of his fast progress, Shang has already avenged respective defeats in the second round at last year's Aussie Open and the Zhuhai Open in September to higher-ranked American duo Frances Tiafoe (No 17) and Mackenzie McDonald (No 42). Just three weeks into the new season, Shang has posted two solid wins over the pair, first over Tiafoe in the quarterfinals in Hong Kong, and then over McDonald in the first round in Melbourne.

"He's going to be an unbelievable player, he is already a really good player. It's tough playing someone that young. You know they're coming for you," Tiafoe said of Shang, a good friend of his on the tour.

Off the court, the always smiling Shang, adorning his neck in gold chains and sporting a eye-catching stud in his left ear, has also racked up surging popularity on social media, as well as marketing potential, representing a new demographic in the sport.

Yet he knows where his focus should be.

"Ever since I started playing tennis, I wanted to be one of the best players in the world. And I think that's what every little kid, when they start a sport, that's what they think about," he said.

"It's not something I put pressure on myself to achieve. Tennis is just my favorite hobby, now it's my job. So I just try to make it fun every day."

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn