Jerry Shang Juncheng showcased his emerging talent with a commanding 6-3, 6-1 victory over Pedro Martinez in the second round of the Bank of China Hong Kong Open on Thursday. The Chinese teenager, who defeated Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong Chak-lam in the first round, delivered a near-perfect performance at Victoria Park Tennis Centre.
Shang faced little resistance throughout the match, saving two break points in the seventh game of the first set before breaking Martinez’s serve. The 19-year-old, who received substantial local support, secured the opening set 6-3 with an ace.
In the second set, Shang continued his dominance, breaking Martinez twice to lead 4-0. Although Martinez, ranked No 43, managed to break back in the fifth game, Shang recovered from 0-40 and saved four break points to extend his lead to 5-1. Martinez ultimately dropped his serve again, handing Shang the match in just 1 hour and 17 minutes.
Shang now awaits the winner of the final Centre Court match between defending champion Andrey Rublev and Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan. Should Rublev win, he will face Shang in a rematch of last year’s semi-final, which Rublev won after coming from a set down.
Earlier in the day, second seed Lorenzo Musetti secured a 6-4, 6-3 win over qualifier Gabriel Diallo in one hour and 26 minutes. Musetti, the world No 17, broke early in both sets to gain control. Diallo, who had fought through two rounds of qualifying and a lengthy first-round match, could not handle the Italian’s consistent play. Musetti now moves on to face Jaume Munar, who triumphed over Portugal’s Nuno Borges with a 6-3, 7-5 win.
Borges, ranked No 36, had defeated Chinese player Bu Yunchaokete in the first round but struggled against the unseeded Munar, ranked No 62. The Spaniard’s victory sends him into the quarter-finals.
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