Czech Next Gen player Jakub Mensik beat South Korean qualifier Seongchan Hong 6-3 6-4 in 1 hour and 19 minutes at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells to win his first main draw match at ATP Masters 1000 level.
Seongchan Hong earned an immediate break in the first game of the opening set to open up a 2-0 lead. Mensik won four consecutive games from 2-3 with two breaks of serve to seal the first set 6-3.
Mensik started the second set with an immediate break in the first game. The Czech player saved three break points to hold serve in the fourth game at deuce. Seongchan Hong broke back in the eighth game to draw level to 4-4. Mensik converted his third break point in the ninth game to take a 5-4 lead and served out the second set on his first match point.
Mensik is among five Next Gen players remaining in the Indian Wells main draw. He became the youngest finalist in the history of the Qatar Open in Doha, where he finished runner-up to Karen Khachanov. He is aiming to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah.
Mensik set up a second round match against Ben Shelton.
French Next Gen player Arthur Fils beat Nuno Borges 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 to improve to 2-0 in his head-to-head matches against his Portuguese opponent. Fils, who finished runner-up in last year’s Next Gen Finals in Jeddah and reached the semifinal in Auckland last January, will take on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Alex Michelsen beat Jaume Munar 6-2 6-3 to become the youngest player from the USA to win a Masters 1000 match since Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe in Miami 2017. Michelsen has moved up to a career-high number 72 in the ATP Ranking.
Michelsen saved the only two break points he faced and converted on three of his six break points. The US Next Gen player will face a next round match against Tommy Paul.
Chinese Next Gen player Shang Juncheng beat this year’s Los Cabos champion Jordan Thompson 6-2 6-3 to claim his first Masters 1000 win.
Shang Juncheng broke twice in the fourth and eighth games to win the first set 6-2. The Chinese teenager went up a double break to race out to a 4-0 lead. Thompson pulled one break back in the fifth game for 1-4. Shang Juncheng converted his fourth break point in the sixth game, but he was not able to serve the match out at 5-1. The Asian player sealed the win on his fifth match point. Shang, who reached the semifinal at the ATP 250 in Hong Kong, is currently fourth in the ATP Race to Jeddah. He will face this year’s Montpellier champion and Dubai finalist Alexander Bublik in the second round.
