Rising Chinese tennis star and world number 50, Shang Juncheng, helped his team claim first prize at yesterday’s MGM Macau Masters by defeating his Japanese opponent Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-4 in the final men’s singles event.
Shang and Kei were playing on behalf of Team Li Na and Team Michael Chang respectively. Both teams bore the namesake of their captains and consisted of four professional tennis players.
According to an official statement, 19-year-old Shang and 34-year-old Nishikori had a friendly match at the Macao Forum that was characterised by “trick shots, comedic antics, and infectious laughter.”
“Exhibitions are always special,” Shang said. “Kei and I talked before the match and decided to use the opportunity to practice some shots we wouldn’t normally try in a competitive setting.”
The rising tennis star also described Macao as “incredibly fun” and said that he would be “back in no time.”
This is not the first time that Shang and Nishikori have faced off, as they also recently competed against each other at the Chengdu Open in September, with Shang defeating his Japanese opponent.
[See more: Here’s where to learn tennis in Macao]
Other players who competed during the final session of the two-day MGM Macau Masters, included Wang Xinyu (Team Li Na) of China and Karolína Muchová (Team Michael Chang) of the Czech Republic, who competed in the women’s singles.
Muchová, who is ranked world number 22, defeated world number 37 Wang 6-3, 7-5.
After the match, the Czech Republic player noted that “in Macao, it’s been such a great experience – they treat us so well, and there are so many fans. I really enjoy my time here.”
Other major highlights during yesterday’s event included a men’s singles match between world number 6 Casper Ruud (Team Li Na) and world number 8 Andrey Rublev (Team Michael Chang), which ended with the latter clinching victory 6-4, 7-5.
Team Michael Chang ultimately claimed victory over Team Li Na with a final tally of 11-6.
Organised by MGM and the tennis management company, IMG, the MGM Macau Tennis Masters was first held last year. This iteration of the tennis competition was dubbed “Asia’s first mixed-gender format tournament.”
