Junior tennis player Juncheng Shang has won the hearts of tennis fans worldwide after he saved a young ball kid who became unwell during the Lexington tournament.
In his quarterfinal match in Lexington, an ATP challenger tournament, played on hardcourts, Juncheng Shang of China was observed asking the ball boy if he was alright, and when he felt that he wasn't, he ran over and picked him up. Shang brought him to his player bench and gave him some water.
He then took the kid's hat off as well to help him get some more air and waited until the physio arrived.
Fans in the crowd appreciated Shang's actions and gave him a round of applause. The 17-year-old went on to defeat Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin in straight sets in the round of 16 of the Lexington Challenger to reach the quarterfinals.
Shang reached the semifinals after defeating top seed Roman Safiullin in the last four and will face Aleksandar Kovacevic for a spot in the final.
Juncheng Chang is a rising tennis player from China who holds a career-high ITF junior ranking of No. 1. He was also a runner-up in the junior US Open final in 2021.
He received a wild card into the main draw of the 2022 Rio Open where he made his professional tennis debut earlier this year. However, his run was cut short at the hands of Pedro Martinez in the first round, 6-3, 6-4.
Juncheng Shang became the youngest player to qualify for Masters 1000 event since Rafael Nadal in 2003
Earlier this year, Juncheng Shang made history by becoming the youngest player to qualify for a Masters 1000 event since Rafael Nadal in 2003.
After defeating Francisco Cerundolo in the first round of qualifying, he achieved his first victory over a player ranked in the top 100. The Chinese teenager overcame Mats Moraing in the final qualifying round to reach the main draw of the 2022 Indian Wells Masters.
He was ranked 543rd in the world when he defeated then World No. 76 Cerundolo 7-6, 6-4 to make his debut at the BNP Paribas Open this year. With that, he also made history by becoming the first ATP player from China to compete in the Indian Wells main draw.
However, the teenager's fairytale run came to an end at the hands of Spaniard Jaume Munar in the first round of the prestigious hardcourt tournament, losing 6-3, 6-4.