ATP Tour

Mannarino sinks former champ Shang, Shapovalov earns 250th win in Chengdu

Adrian Mannarino spoiled Shang Juncheng’s return to China on Thursday, when he downed the home favourite 7-6(9), 6-2 to reach the second round at the Chengdu Open.

Chinese wild card Shang lifted the trophy on home soil at the ATP 250 event in 2024, but suffered an early exit this week in his fifth event back from injury. The 21-year-old had four set points in the opening set tie-break, but Mannarino fended off the danger to lead. The Frenchman then raced through the second set to advance.

Mannarino, who arrived in Chengdu having won just one of his past six tour-level matches, will next meet third seed Alejandro Tabilo.

In other action, Italian lucky loser Federico Cina moved past Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-3, 6-2 to record his second tour-level win of the season. The 19-year-old Italian is currently fourth in the PIF ATP Live Next Gen Race To Reggio Calabria and is aiming to make his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals.

Cina will play Alexandre Muller in the second round in Chengdu after the Frenchman defeated #NextGenATP Frenchman Moise Kouame 6-4, 6-0.

Seventh seed Shapovalov, a former semi-finalist in Chengdu, beat Tallon Griekspoor 6-4, 7-6(3) to record his 250th tour-level win. Shapovalov is the third Canadian man to reach that landmark, joining Milos Raonic (383 wins) and Felix Auger-Aliassime (300).

Shapovalov earned his first tour-level win at The Queen’s Club in 2017 and has lifted four tour-level trophies. Earlier this year, the 27-year-old advanced to the title match in Los Cabos.

Lorenzo Sonego, Nikoloz Basilashvili and fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz also advanced to the second round at the ATP 250. Sonego downed James Duckworth 6-4, 6-4 and Basilashvili sunk Miomir Kecmanovic 7-6(3), 6-4.

Hurkacz defeated Aleksandr Shevchenko 6-3, 7-6(10) on his tournament debut. Last month, the Pole won an ATP Challenger crown in Cancun. The former Top 10 star will next face Martin Damm, who beat Shintaro Mochizuki 6-1, 6-4.