Carlos ALCARAZ dominates an injured Juncheng SHANG and secures fourth round at Australian Open
ATPSaturday, 20 January 2024 at 06:37
Carlos
Alcaraz (No. 2) secured his spot in the fourth round of the 2024 Australian
Open after defeating Juncheng Shang (No. 140) in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1, 1-0
(retired). The 2-times Grand Slam champion needed just an hour and six minutes to overcome the young Chinese player.
Shang, an
18-year-old left-handed player, made his first appearance in the third round of
a Grand Slam by defeating Mackenzie McDonald (No. 42) in five sets. However,
his journey ended abruptly against the formidable Alcaraz. In the first round,
Alcaraz eliminated Richard Gasquet (No. 131) in straight sets, and in the
second round, he triumphed over the challenging Lorenzo Sonego (No. 46) in four
sets.
Despite
Shang's credentials as a young talent, he proved to be no match for 'Carlitos.'
In the first set, Shang managed to hold his service in the opening game, but
Alcaraz quickly dominated, winning six consecutive games to take a comfortable
6-1 lead.
Alcaraz
capitalized on Shang's serving troubles, as the Chinese player had a first
serve percentage of only 54%, winning just 57% of those points and a mere 25%
with the second serve. In contrast, Alcaraz had a 60% first serve,
significantly outperforming Shang by winning 78% of points with the first serve
and 83% with the second. Alcaraz exploited his backhand and took advantage of
Shang's errors with the forehand to gain the upper hand in cross-court
exchanges.
In the
second set, Shang again struggled to defend his opening service game, and
physical problems became apparent. Alcaraz continued his dominance, winning the
set 6-1 once again. Midway through the set, Shang called for a medical timeout,
and the physiotherapist was summoned to address issues with a bandage that was
later removed. The doctor then treated him for quad pain. Although Shang
returned to the match, he faced serious mobility issues, and Alcaraz did not
ease up.
At the
beginning of the third set, it was clear that Shang was not in a condition to
compete. After conceding the first game to Alcaraz, Shang decided to retire
from the match, granting Alcaraz passage to the fourth round of the Aussie Open
with a score of 6-1, 6-1, 1-0 (retired). The world No. 2 will face Miomir
Kecmanovic (No. 60) in the fourth round, who staged a remarkable comeback
against Tommy Paul (No. 14).
Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist
Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.
His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.
In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.
claps 0visitors 0
Just In
Popular News
Latest Comments
- Raducan'tdo and the media's love affair with her may be due to her looks. Since she does nothing for tennis, what else is going on with the 'love'?? She is best at maintaining a "presence" via anti-Social Media and maintaining her sponsorships.
mandoist14-09-2026 - As soon as someone makes a statement like this we are all waiting for the inevitable outcome of the EXACT OPPOSITE!!! He’s got a lot of work to do if you’re both the fitness AND mental coach and your client loses her mind when she’s losing.DaveyWavey14-09-2026
- Endless intentional ball-bouncing is a ploy. Extended screaming in competition (but never, ever on the practice courts) is a ploy. Neither of these things are a "strategy". Bottom Line: WTA + ATP do not care. They consider these things free marketing and advertising issues.mandoist14-09-2026
- YAWN! Thank Dog for women’s tennis because the men’s tournament was quite boring. Not a fan of Zverev and Ben played poorly compared to his QF and SF matches.DaveyWavey14-09-2026
- Congrats Rybakina! Hopefully she can keep the top ranking for the remainder of the year. Not sure why we need to keep mentioning Raducanu in these ranking posts. Your ranking will drop when you don’t play for months on end.DaveyWavey14-09-2026
- "This of course a stark change to Rybakina who is obviously more timid..." That just may be the dumbest thing ever written about Lena. For a CCO, Mr. Gill seems to have either made an error in judgement -- or needed filler for this article -- to say something so ridiculous.mandoist13-09-2026
- “The way I like to put it – no disrespect to anybody – is that this is her house, and all the other girls are just guests, and it’s time for them to go home” Well now... seems John Stacy has made a complete ass of himself. Doubt he'll be receiving any invitations to Lena's "house" any time soon.mandoist13-09-2026
- I am sorry, but Sabalenka has NO EXCUSE for her despicable behaviour. She lacks self and mouth control! The message is being sent but Saba isn't getting it! She is full of arrogance and pride. Hopefully, after this defeat she will be on the way to becoming a humble lady LIKE ELENA! I hope she never regains the world No. 1 until she develops some humility.Rapunzel13-09-2026
- Sabalenka began showing signs of her game gradually 'changing' since last season. I predicted her fascination with posting endless Selfies, participating in commercial media distractions and constant Social Media nonsense could impact her in a negative way. Her off-court Life was sure to interfere with her performace level. Visions of Raducanu, Giorgi, Bouchard come to mind. The Final yesterday was a weird case of polar-opposites. Sabalenka and Rybakina could not be any more different in personalities! Saba often portrays a somewhat fake persona, including her Phony Screaming. Her usual habit of acting like the nice girl with a sense of humor is a misconception. People take her lack of intellect as "cute" and "funny". So anyway... yesterday viewers witnessed that Fake Scream be reduced to a whimper and sometimes no vocal gymnastics at all once she knew the jig was up. We all saw her look into the camera post-match and say "F... You". Also, pretty hard to not see Saba making untoward facial expressions, rolling her eyes, etc., behind Rybakina while on the podium. Elena Rybakina, on the other hand, was her usual 'in-control' self as she spoke clearly and calmly, without making faces nor any ill-will toward anyone = 100% Class Act. Lena appeared more than aware of Saba's sour attitude and made a point of not looking in her direction most of the time. FWIW: I have never -- not ever -- heard Sabalenka make any sounds on practice courts. So it is indeed a nonsensical ruse as she thinks (incorrectly) it affects opponents. It does not. In fact, as was the case yesterday, I saw Lena occasionally take a side-eye glance at Saba on her way to the bench... as if to calculate her emotions. Saba is actually a very easy 'read'.mandoist13-09-2026
- WTA really, really hates this sort of thing. They surely are satisfied to make believe no such thing happens (or happened).mandoist13-09-2026
Loading
