Shanghai - World number 553 Wang Chuhan caused a seismic shock at the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday after the Chinese wildcard knocked out 15th seed Fabio Fognini in straight sets on his ATP World Tour debut.
Wang, who mainly plays in Challenger or Futures tournaments rather than the top tier, recorded a 7-6(5) 6-4 first round win over the Italian on the Grandstand court to huge cheers from the shocked home crowd.
The 22-year-old showed few nerves as he continued to pound aggressively for the lines against a flat Fognini, who offered little in the closing stages of the match and seemed happy to get off court as quickly as possible.
Wang secured victory over the world number 17 with a stunning backhand winner up the line before turning to his coaching team with a shocked expression and clenched fists.
Wang will face Tunisian qualifier Malek Jaziri in the second round after the world number 87 upset American Donald Young 7-5 6-4.
The loss was a fifth straight for Italian Fognini, who has won three claycourt titles on the ATP Tour. – Reuters