Nakashima Defeats Defending Champ Shang while Tabilo Ousts Darderi in Chengdu
Chinese wild card pairs record thrilling victories in doubles first round; Top seed Musetti and third seed Griekspoor set to make much-anticipated debuts tomorrow
Chinese wild card pairs record thrilling victories in doubles first round; Top seed Musetti and third seed Griekspoor set to make much-anticipated debuts tomorrow
American fourth seed Brandon Nakashima got off to a winning start at the Chengdu Open, ousting defending champion Shang Juncheng 7-5, 6-3 in one hour and 41 minutes in today’s featured Center Court match.
The 24-year-old world No.33 was first to lose his serve in the third game of the match but levelled matters in the eighth game and then converted the third of three break points in the 12th game to take the first set. Shang, making his comeback on the Asian Swing after missing much of the season due to injury, applied pressure in the second set but could not convert his three break opportunities in the third game. Nakashima then secured a crucial break in the eighth game, at the fourth time of asking, to take the lead and close out the encounter.
“Going into it, I knew it was going to be a tough match. Jerry has had a lot of success here, and it’s great to see him back and playing healthy again. I think I served really well and got more used to the conditions on Center Court after the first few games,” said Nakashima, who fired 13 aces during the match.
Earlier in the day, Chilean qualifier Alejandro Tabilo produced a stunning performance to shock second seed Luciano Darderi, 6-4, 6-3, in one hour and 26 minutes. The 28-year-old world No.112 hit 12 aces, saved all four break points he faced, and clinically converted the only break opportunity he created in each set to reach his first quarterfinal of the season.
“I’m so happy. I knew Luciano has had a great year and that it was going to be a tough match. I just tried to stay solid and thankfully my fitness held up. It’s been a year full of injuries, so being in another quarterfinal is really motivating, and hopefully I can keep going,” said Tabilo.
Australia’s Christopher O’Connell ended the hopes of Chinese wild card Zhou Yi, defeating the 20-year-old 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 43 minutes to reach the quarterfinals in Chengdu for the second time, and his second quarterfinal this year. The 31-year-old world No.103 fired 14 aces and converted four of seven break points, while Zhou saved three match points in a tense finish.
“I thought I played really well from the start. I maybe struggled a little in closing out, but I knew it was going to be a tough match. I watched him play here in the second round last year and knew he was a good player, so I wasn’t surprised,” said O’Connell.
Eighth seed Lorenzo Sonego also exited at the hands of American Marcos Giron, losing 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 43 minutes. Giron applied constant pressure on the Italian’s serve, creating eight break chances and converting one in each set, while saving the only two breaks he faced. The 32-year-old improves on his previous best Chengdu performance, having reached the second round in 2023.
In the doubles draw, two Chinese wild cards advanced to the second round after delivering thrilling upsets today.
In the day’s first match on Center Court, Cui Jie and Te Rigele staged a remarkable comeback from a set down to defeat Brazilian duo Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo 4-6, 7-6(6), 10-7 in one hour and 45 minutes. The victory marked their first main-draw win as a team at a Tour-level event and also represents Cui’s maiden ATP Tour victory.
Later in the evening, Zhou partnered with Wang Aoran to overcome New Zealand-American pair Matthew Christopher Romios and Ryan Seggerman 6-7(5), 6-3, 13-11 in one hour and 32 minutes. The duo, who claimed their first ATP Tour main-draw win as a team by defeating Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul in Shanghai last year, created 11 break opportunities, converting two, and held their nerve in a dramatic super tie-break, saving two match points to clinch the win.
There were a cascade of upsets in other doubles first round matches as the top three seeded pairs were all eliminated. American-Dutch duo Nathaniel Lammons and Jean-Julien Rojer knocked out top seeds Christian Harrison and Evan King 7-6(7), 7-6(4) in one hour and 42 minutes. Another American-Dutch pair, Bart Stevens and Vasil Kirkov, ousted defending champions Doumbia and Reboul 7-6(6), 4-6, 10-7 in one hour and 55 minutes, while Ecuador-American duo Diego Hidalgo and Patrik Trhac defeated third seeds Alexander Erler and Robert Galloway 6-2, 4-6, 10-7 in one hour and 20 minutes.
The only seeded pair remaining in the doubles draw is fourth-seeded British-American duo Luke Johnson and Austin Krajicek, who defeated Indian pair Siddhant Banthia and Ramkumar Ramanathan 7-6(9), 6-4 in one hour and 26 minutes.
The remaining four second-round singles matches are scheduled for tomorrow, alongside all four doubles quarterfinals.
Top seed Lorenzo Musetti will make his highly anticipated debut against NextGen contender Dino Prizmic in the second match scheduled for Center Court. The Italian, who reached the semifinals in his Chengdu Open debut in 2023 and was runner-up last year, is currently eighth in the Race to Turin and will be looking to defend his points while building momentum for the season’s final stretch.
Third seed Tallon Griekspoor will also begin his campaign tomorrow, facing Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel in the opening Center Court match. The world No.31 has defeated Daniel in both of their previous encounters and will aim to continue that dominance in his Chengdu Open debut.
In the day’s final Center Court match, sixth seed Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard will take on Kazakh Alexander Shevchenko in their first Tour-level meeting, having split victories in their previous Challenger encounters.
Tickets for the 2025 Chengdu Open are available via the Damai App, as well as through the WeChat and Alipay Mini Programs.
The tournament is organised by the Chinese Tennis Association and Chengdu Municipal Government, co-organised by the Chengdu Sports Bureau, Shuangliu District Government, the Chengdu Culture and Tourism Group, promoted by IMG and the Sichuan Investment International Tennis Centre Development Co., Ltd, and operated by the Chengdu Sports Events Industry Development Co., Ltd.
The Chengdu Open is also very proud to have the support of our distinguished partners, including Chengdu Rural Commercial Bank, CSWADI Photon Technology Co., People’s Insurance Company of China, Bank of Chengdu, Li-Ning, the ATP Tour’s Premier Partner Emirates, Yonex, Jingdong Logistics, Gran Melia Chengdu, Lynk & Co, Damai, Yi-Mian, COFCO Coca-Cola, Chengdu Radio and Television, Youku Sports, Tencent Sports, Migu and Bilibili.
