Beijing time on January 12, 17-year-old young player Shang Juncheng made history, he won three consecutive matches in the Australian Open qualifying tournament, becoming the first post-00 Chinese men's tennis player to enter the Australian Open main event. After breaking into the Australian Open main draw, Shang Cheng's main draw signing was officially released.
Shang Juncheng landed in the 1/4 zone of the main tournament, and his opponent in the first round was German Ott. Ott is currently ranked 74th in the world, and his highest ATP ranking once reached 36th in the world. The 29-year-old has played in nine previous Grand Slam main draws, with an overall record of 8-9, and his best result in a Grand Slam was reaching the round of 16 at the US Open in 21 years. Ott has made five appearances in his career at the Australian Open, stopped qualifying four times, and reached the second round of the main draw for the first time last year.
If he can make it through the first round, Shang Cheng's opponent in the second round is likely to be 16th seed Tiafoo. Tiafoe, currently ranked 17th in the world, completed his transformation last season when he defeated Nadal at the US Open and made it all the way to the semifinals. At the beginning of the season, Tiafoe won all five games in the Union Cup and won the championship with the United States.
Assuming Shang can break through Round 2, his opponent in Round 3 is likely to be 18th-seeded Kachanov. Kachanov is currently ranked 20th in the world after a 48-23 Grand Slam main draw appearance in 23 appearances. Kachanov's best result at a Grand Slam was last year's US Open semifinals, with Khachanov playing six times in the main draw at the Australian Open, stopping in the third round of the past four times.
Think boldly, if Shang can win in the third round, he may have a chance to challenge 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal in the fourth round. Nadal is the top seed and defending champion at this year's Australian Open, having reached a total of six finals and won the title twice at the Australian Open. If you can get the opportunity to fight Nadal, it will be a great help to the growth of Shang Chengcheng.