Joan Gosa/Xinhua – Photo by Icon Sport
Juncheng Shang vs Pedro Martinez: Bordeaux Challenger – semifinal
Juncheng Shang is looking for a place in the top 100 in the rankings when he meets Pedro Martinez in the semifinal at the Bordeaux Challenger.
Juncheng Shang Profile
Juncheng Shang has the best ranking of his career, being 105th in the world. The Chinese are 17-10 for the season and 8-5 on clay.
Shang is coming off a 7-6, 6-4 win over Daniel Evans in the quarterfinal. Earlier in the tournament, he defeated Roberto Carballes Baena and Hugo Gaston.
Last week, Shang lost in the second round in Rome to Stefano Napolitano.
His best result of the season was the semifinal in Hong Kong, where he lost to Andrey Rublev, and he also made it to the third round at the Australian Open, where he retired in the match against Carlos Alcaraz. In Melbourne, he defeated Sumit Nagal and Makenzie McDonald.
Pedro Martinez Profile
Pedro Martinez is 51st in the ATP rankings, and his career high is No. 40 in the world. The Argentinian is 22-11 for the season and 16-7 on clay.
He is coming off a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 quarterfinal win over Roberto Bautista Agut. In the previous round, he defeated Stan Wawrinka.
Martinez won the challenger race in Girona, defeating Radu Albot. The following week, he reached the final in Estoril, where he lost to Hubert Hurkacz. In the first month of the season, Martinez lost in the final in Tenerife to Brandon Nakashima.
Head-to-Head Martinez leads 1-0
- Martinez vs Shang 6-3, 6-4 (2022 ATP Rio de Janeiro, first round)
Prediction and Conclusion
Shang and Martinez are two of the players who are having a breakthrough season. The Argentianian has been very active on the challenger tour, especially on clay courts, and he has a total of 14 titles on lower-level tournaments. Shang is only 19 years old and is seen as a future star of Asian tennis. Still, no matter how talented he is, Martinez is on another level, and with his experience and quality, he will find his way to the final.
