At the Shanghai Masters, 11 seeded players were eliminated, with Shang Juncheng causing a major upset and setting two records, earning the title of one of the "post-2005 Four Little Kings."

After the second round of the Shanghai Masters concluded, it was unexpected that Shang Juncheng, who had been widely doubted before the event, would bring such a tremendous shock, igniting widespread discussion!

Whether due to the underperformance of seeded players or the impact of Shanghai’s intense heat, as many as 11 seeded players were knocked out early: No. 6 Shelton, No. 9 Khachanov, No. 11 Ruud, No. 13 Rublev, No. 14 Bublik, No. 17 Menchik, No. 22 Koblly, No. 25 Tiafoe, No. 28 Mickelson, No. 29 Brandon Nakashima, and No. 33 Mutai.

Seeing so many seeded players fall, the public had little confidence in Shang Juncheng’s ability to challenge world top ten player Khachanov.

When China’s top player Bu Yunchaokete was eliminated before Shang, it intensified concerns as he became the last hope for Chinese singles players. Many stated that after the second round of the Shanghai Masters, Chinese players would be completely absent from the singles competition.

The skepticism toward Shang Juncheng was not due to lack of support from his compatriots but for two reasons: first, despite Shang’s win, bookmakers quickly set odds of 7 to 1 against him facing Khachanov, effectively writing him off; second, ATP data showed Shang had only participated in 9 tournaments so far with a barely 50% win rate, reflecting a rather poor record.

Facing the Russian star, often called “the cannonball hitter,” Shang naturally found it very difficult to unsettle this formidable opponent.

Especially when Khachanov used his powerful serve to take an early 2-0 lead with breaks and holds, Shang’s comparatively slight frame made many viewers and fans in the live stream feel the match was already decided, hoping only that Shang would not suffer a sudden injury and withdraw, which would be a relief for all.

Even though Shang quickly broke back in the third game and won three consecutive games to lead 3-2, confidence in the Chinese youngster did not improve; most believed Khachanov was just momentarily careless and that the match’s outcome would likely follow the odds without change.

However, in the tiebreak, Shang completely overturned everyone’s expectations by decisively defeating Khachanov, turning from an early deficit into the winner of the set.

Entering the second set, worries arose that the intense first set might drain Shang’s stamina, a common issue in his matches leading to fatigue or physical discomfort.

This time, none of those concerns materialized; instead, Shang appeared like a fierce young tiger, his eyes filled with an intense hunger for victory, as if eager to overpower Khachanov outright.

Seizing the moment when Khachanov’s morale dipped, Shang surged to take the second set 6-3, causing one of the biggest upsets at the Shanghai Masters.

After seeing this final result, everyone found it hard to believe that Shang had upset Khachanov in straight sets, exclaiming that now they truly understood what "small body, great energy" means.

With this victory over the Russian star, Shang not only kept the Chinese singles players alive at the Shanghai Masters but also prevented the entire Chinese contingent from being wiped out in the second round.

Moreover, this win allowed Shang to set two personal records: advancing to the round of 32 at a Masters event for the first time by winning two consecutive matches, and defeating a top-ten player for the first time in his career, making this achievement at a Masters tournament even more remarkable.

After news of Shang’s victory spread online, another interesting development occurred: some fans and netizens elevated his status by grouping him with Menchik, Fonseca, and Lenerche as the "post-2005 Four Little Kings."

In the heated discussions on this topic, many dismissed the idea that this was overpraising Shang, instead seeing it as a form of encouragement for Chinese young players, emphasizing that to stand out in tennis and become true "post-2005 Four Little Kings," one needs motivation and goals — which have now arrived from above, likely boosting Shang’s future drive!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moonlit Starry Sky)