PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah Update: Jakub Mensik stars in Shanghai, Learner Tien makes move | ATP Tour

PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah

PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah Update: Mensik stars in Shanghai, Tien makes move

Van Assche impresses on ATP Challenger Tour

October 14, 2024

Jakub Mensik continued to impress on the ATP Tour at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where he advanced to the quarter-finals at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time.

The big-hitting 19-year-old Czech fired past Top 10 stars Andrey Rublev and Grigor Dimitrov and also earned victories against Pedro Martinez and Alexander Shevchenko at the hard-court event. Mensik then took the first set against Novak Djokovic before falling in three.

Mensik’s result at the ATP Masters 1000 event consolidated his fourth-placed position (995 points) in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. The Doha finalist is aiming to make his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, to be held from 18-22 December.

Alongside his matchday success, Mensik practised in the pouring rain in Shanghai. Watch the video below of the teen hitting with countryman and former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF finalist Jiri Lehecka.

PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah

Fifth-placed Luca Van Assche (458 points) and sixth-placed Learner Tien (427 points) gave their chances of playing in Jeddah a major boost with impressive results on the ATP Challenger Tour. Frenchman Van Assche defeated Cameron Norrie en route to the semi-finals in Roanne, while American Tien dispatched Bernard Tomic 6-0, 6-1 in the Fairfield final. Tien has won 14 of his past 16 matches on the ATP Challenger Tour.

Second-placed Alex Michelsen (1,145 points) and third-placed Shang Juncheng (1,075 points) both earned first-round wins in Shanghai. American Michelsen beat Buyunchaokete, while Chinese lefty Shang overcame Coleman Wong. Wong is eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah and competes at the ATP 250 in Almaty this week.

American Nishesh Basavareddy has jumped to 10th after two strong weeks on the Challenger Tour. The 19-year-old reached the final in Charleston before he won his maiden title at that level in Tiburon earlier this month.