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Juncheng Shang vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina: ATP Madrid – Second round

Home player Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will take on Juncheng Shang in the second round of ATP Madrid on Friday.

Juncheng Shang Profile

Juncheng Shang is the highest-ranked Chinese player, being 111th in the world, which is his career high. The 19-year-old is 13-7 for the season and 4-2 on clay courts.

Shang is coming off a 6-7, 6-2, 7-6 win over Corentin Moutet in a match that lasted over four hours.

Last week in Barcelona, Shang came out of the qualifiers only to lose 6-4 to Tomas Machac in the first round of the main draw.

Shang’s best result this season was the third round at the Australian Open, where he retired against Carlos Alcaraz after previously defeating Sumit Nagal and Mackenzie McDonald. He also reached the semifinals in Hong Kong, where he lost to Andrey Rublev in three sets.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Profile

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is 28th in the ATP rankings, seven spots lower than his career-high. The Spaniard is 8-9 for the season and 0-2 on clay courts.

The 24-year-old is coming off a 7-6, 3-6, 6-1 loss to Dusan Lajovic in the second round in Barcelona. Previously, he lost in the opening round in Monte Carlo to Sebastian Korda, winning only three games in that match.

Davidovich Fokina’s best results this season were the quarterfinals in Dubai and Marseille.

This is his sixth appearance in Madrid, and his best result was the round of 16 last year.

Head-to-Head – Davidovich Fokina leads 1-0

• Davidovich Fokina vs Shang 6-3, 7-5 (2024 ATP Miami, second round)

Prediction and Conclusion

Shang is one of the rising stars in the world of tennis, and it is just a matter of time before he makes it to the top 100 in the rankings. The Chinese are coming off a difficult win over Moutet, prevailing 12-10 in the decisive tiebreak after more than four hours of play. That was a huge boost to his confidence, but at the same time, it was a match that was hard to recover from. Recovery is exactly what Davidovich Fokina needs, as he has a losing record for the season. Playing at home in Madrid will bring him the support of the fans, which is something that will give him high spirits. Davidovich Fokina defeated Shang earlier this season in Miami, and the same will be the case on Friday in the Spanish capital.