2024-01-02 02:15:00
The Incredible Match Point Saved By Jerry Shang
“We started the year with a match point saved like that, how is it?” This is how the account on the social network X (ex Twitter) of the ATP Tour in Spanish prefaced the play. “Don’t try it at home,” he joked at the end of the post. The tennis player Juncheng Shang (nicknamed Jerry) did magic in the duel once morest Laslo Djere (seventh ranked) for the Hong Kong Open. His rival had two match points to close the fight, but he resisted and ended up winning 6-7, 6-3 and 7-6 to advance to the round following having walked off the ledge. And boy did he do it with class…
The thing is that with the score 7-8 in the tie break, he showed all his ability to avoid the fall. The Chinese, barely 18 years old, served and sought to attack the net aggressively. But halfway there he encountered a complicated backhand cross, which forced him to return as best he might. Well planted, Djere drew a first lob, which already destabilized his young opponent. However, faced with a second attempt that surpassed his humanity, Shang arched back and dispatched himself with an impossible volley, which left his rival with no chance, even though he tried to defend in vain.
“That shot! It will surely enter the summary,” the commentator was heard saying, while Shang, incredulous at his work, looked at the result with bewilderment and opened his arms. Currently at number 183 in the ATP ranking, the Asian hit the experienced Serbian, a professional since 2013 and in step No. 33 on the list of the Tennis Players Association.
Chang became No. 1 on the junior circuit (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)
Shang was No. 1 in the junior ranking, resides in the United States, and turned professional in 2022, the year in which he won his first Challenger. In 2023 he stopped his evolution following suffering from mononucleosis. “You’re doing something you love and suddenly you can’t do it anymore. I would say, for three or four months, that’s not the best feeling in the world. However, I recovered, pushed myself to the limit, my entire team paddled with me and contributed and now here we are, back on the course. Most of the time I was very bored, I watched my teammates compete on TV. That was curious, I learned a lot of things,” he commented in statements to the ATP.
He is the son of two renowned athletes: Shang Yi, a former soccer player who played in Spain’s Second Division, and Wu Na, a former table tennis player. Today is Jerry’s turn to shine, who decided not to wait for the almanac to run and on January 1st he already gave away a dose of his talent.
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