Match Report | ATP Hong Kong: Shang Juncheng Defeats Sonego Convincingly, Reaches Quarterfinals for Third Consecutive Year

On January 8th Beijing time, the 2026 ATP Bank of China Hong Kong Open continued with the men’s singles second round. Chinese wildcard Shang Juncheng spent 1 hour and 22 minutes to beat the 5th seed Sonego in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, advancing to the quarterfinals in Hong Kong for the third year in a row.

Shang Juncheng (Photo credit: Bank of China Hong Kong Open)

This was their first meeting on the professional circuit. Although Shang Juncheng’s start was somewhat uneven, he kept pace with his opponent on the scoreboard, with both players holding serve in the first seven games of the opening set. Near the end of the set, after leading 4-3, Shang broke and then held serve consecutively to take the set 6-3. Riding the momentum, Shang broke serve early in the second set and maintained aggressive forehand shots. After holding serve to lead 2-0, he faced a 15-40 deficit in the sixth game but saved three break points with resilience. Shang then dominated his service games to preserve the lead and closed out the match 6-4 in the second set.

Shang Juncheng’s quarterfinal opponent will be decided between the 2nd seed Bublik and Dutch player Van der Schulp. Shang holds a winning record against both players (2-1 vs. Bublik, 1-0 vs. Van der Schulp), including a victory over Bublik during his title run at the 2024 Chengdu tournament.

Before this event, Shang Juncheng’s world ranking was only No. 406. After two consecutive wins, his live ranking has risen to No. 311. Over the past two years, Shang has reached the semifinals at the ATP Hong Kong Open, and now he aims to make it three times in a row. Let’s wait and see if he can achieve this feat.

“It was a tough match, but I think I played really well, almost perfectly. Maybe he didn’t perform as well on some break points,” Shang said in an on-court interview. Looking ahead to the next round, he added, “Both of them are excellent players, and I have played against them before. Alex (Bublik) is a good friend of mine, so I hope their match lasts four hours (laughs).”

(Text and editing by Wang Fei)