Juncheng Shang to face Jordan Thompson in ATP Atlanta semis

The left-handed player from Beijing managed to overcome the rain interruptions in each set and will now face Australian fourth seed Jordan Thompson in the semi-final match scheduled for Saturday.

Thompson advanced by defeating Spanish wildcard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina with a score of 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3. Shang sealed his victory against the eighth-seeded Australian after a match that lasted two hours and one minute, ending with a service winner.

The young player expressed his satisfaction with the win, acknowledging the challenging weather conditions and emphasizing his focus and good performance throughout the match.

This achievement marks Shang's second career ATP semi-final, following his previous loss to Russian Andrey Rublev in Hong Kong earlier this year.

Shang expressed, "It has been quite a challenge coming from qualifiers, and the first two rounds were really tough." He added, "But tomorrow is the semifinals. It's not something that happens every week. I am just grateful to have made it to the weekend."

Thompson, a 30-year-old hailing from Sydney, clinched his first ATP title in February at Los Cabos by defeating Norway's Casper Ruud in the final.

In the upcoming quarter-finals, US third seed Frances Tiafoe will be up against Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka, while Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci will face France's Arthur Rinderknech.

Tiafoe is aiming for his fourth ATP career title and his second final appearance of the year, following his loss to Shelton while defending his US Clay Court crown in Houston.

Nishioka, on the other hand, is pursuing his third ATP title after victories at the 2018 Shenzhen Open and the 2022 Korea Open in Seoul.