The dream of his first ATP title has been dashed, but the strong run in China is still paying off for the man from Karlsruhe.
Tennis pro Yannick Hanfmann was closer than he has been in four years, but still has to wait for the first ATP title of his career. The 32-year-old lost the semi-final in Chengdu, China, to 19-year-old local hero Shang Juncheng 4-6, 4-6, missing out on his third final on the tour.
Hempmann, who was able to take the momentum from his two singles wins in the successful final round qualification with the German Davis Cup team a week earlier in Chengdu, had to fight against Shang from the start. The young Chinese, already ranked 55th in the world before his first ATP final, never left any doubt about his success and converted the first match point after 1 hour and 29 minutes.
Hempmann had no chance against Shang
In the final, Shang, who did not allow a single break point against Hanfmann, will face the top-seeded world no. 19 Lorenzo Musetti from Italy. Hanfmann’s last final appearance, on the other hand, was the lost final in Kitzbühel in 2020.
Despite the defeat, the successes in the gigantic city of Chengdu, which is home to millions, were lucrative for him: Hanfmann received 61,115 dollars and 100 world ranking points for reaching the semi-finals, which helped the Karlsruhe native climb 13 places in the ATP ranking to 82nd place.
Hanfmann in the Davis Cup final
Thanks to his strong performances in China, he has also secured a place in Davis Cup team captain Michael Kohlmann’s squad for the final tournament in Malaga (November 19-24). In addition to Hanfmann, Jan-Lennard Struff and doubles specialists Tim Pütz and Kevin Krawietz will also be there. Kohlmann initially left the fifth place open, as Alexander Zverev’s availability is still uncertain.