Shang saves five match points to stun Rublev in Montreal

China's Shang Juncheng saved five match points to upset 10th-seeded Andrey Rublev 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (5) and reach the third round of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Montreal on Tuesday, while compatriot Zhang Shuai also advanced at the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto.

The victory was the biggest of Shang's career, giving the world No. 16 his first win over a top-20 opponent.

After taking the opening set, the 21-year-old saw Rublev level the match before the Russian looked set for victory in the decider. Rublev built a 5-2 lead and held five match points, but Shang saved them all, forced a tiebreak and completed a remarkable comeback to reach the last 32.

The result made Shang the first Chinese man in the Open Era to reach the third round in Montreal. It was also his second appearance in the last 32 of an ATP Masters 1000 event after reaching the same stage at the Shanghai Masters in 2025.

Shang has endured an injury-hit two seasons. He was sidelined for nearly five months after losing to Daniil Medvedev in the second round of the Dubai Championships in February and returned to competition only last week in Washington.

"I'm 100 percent healthy now and playing my best tennis," Shang said. "I'm very happy to be here in Montreal, healthy and enjoying my tennis. I know my level is still there. The most important thing now is to stay healthy, because that's one of the keys to becoming a top player."

Shang will face 19th-seeded Luciano Darderi of Italy for a place in the fourth round.

In Toronto, Zhang advanced after 26th-seeded Jelena Ostapenko retired while trailing 6-0, 4-0. The 37-year-old will next face top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, who beat Japan's Moyuka Uchijima 6-3, 6-3.