At the 2023 US Open, Zhang Zhizhen won two consecutive five-set battles to reach the top 32 of the US Open, equalling his best performance in a Grand Slam tournament (his previous best record was the round of 32 at the 2023 French Open). In the second round, Zhang Zhizhen defeated the No. 5 seed Ruud to become the first Chinese mainland male player to beat the world's top five, while achieving "sweet revenge".
Zhang Zhizhen defeated Ruud in the second round of the US Open according to IC photo
Zhang Zhizhen said frankly that the more important meaning of this game is "revenge". In June, Zhang Zhizhen won his belated Grand Slam title draw at the French Open, and finally lost to Ruud in the third round to stop the round of 32. This time they met again at the US Open, Zhang Zhizhen reviewed the reasons for the loss before the match and made targeted preparations.
"Ruud has a lot of spins on the ball and playing with him requires both aggression and patience, which is very difficult to maintain. Compared to clay, hard courts make spins less and night courts make the ball faster, which makes me play more accurately and more conducive to attack. At the same time, I played too aggressively in the last game, and this one has also been adjusted. ”
The third round should be very glued
As the first Chinese mainland male player to reach the top 100 in the world, Zhang Zhizhen bloomed later in the Grand Slam arena. At Wimbledon 2021, US Open 2022 and Australian Open 2023, Zhang Zhizhen fought his opponent three times in five sets but finally lost, and it was not until this year's French Open that he won his first Grand Slam main draw. In the first round of the US Open last year, Zhang Zhizhen wasted 7 match points to not advance, which is a bad memory for him. Repeating the mistakes of the past has caused a lot of doubts and criticism of Zhang Zhizhen, but when he crossed the obstacle and talked about this experience, Zhang Zhizhen said: "Win and lose should be treated normally, give more time, and the flower will always bloom." ”
Zhang Zhizhen and Ruud shake hands after the game according to IC photo
At 4 a.m. Beijing time tomorrow, Zhang Zhizhen will face the third round of the US Open, against Australian Rin Tsuchikata, who is the men's doubles champion of this year's Australian Open, who played as a wild card. At last year's US Open, Rin Tufang fought Nadal in four sets in the first round, although the ranking was not high, but he had good strength. Looking forward to the third round, Zhang Zhizhen said, "The opponent's strength on the hard court is good, and it is not particularly good to fight twice before. For both of us, meeting in the third round of a Grand Slam will feel like a good opportunity, and the match should be very glued, hoping that we don't play another five sets unless we are 2-0 down. ”
Can the ranking break the top 50 mark?
In the 2023 season, Zhang Zhizhen set himself two small goals. The first is to enter the top 50 in the world. He was given two opportunities to achieve this goal in Madrid, Spain, and Hamburg, Germany, but failed to do so on both occasions. "It looks like you can do it with one more win, but both games are very difficult to play." His second small goal is to stay in the top 100 in the world by relying on ATP Tour points. Zhang Zhizhen, currently ranked 59 in the world, has nearly 95% of his points coming from Tour and Grand Slam. It's proof enough that he's already established himself on tour.
Zhang Zhizhen According to IC photo
The season is still not over, and Zhang Zhizhen still has a chance to break through the top 50 mark. For Zhang Zhizhen, every step he takes is a big step for the Chinese men's tennis, and if he can win the third round of the US Open, Zhang Zhizhen will be in the top 50 and achieve a breakthrough for the Chinese men's tennis again.
After the US Open, tennis will usher in the "China season", in addition to the ATP tour, Zhang Zhizhen will also play in the Hangzhou Asian Games, he is full of expectations to return to China to compete. He has yet to win the ATP Shanghai Masters and hopes to get at least one win in front of his father and elders in his hometown. Back in Shanghai, he was able to reunite with his family, and he was able to meet more than ten kittens and puppies in the family.
Red Star News special correspondent Liu Ping
Edited by Ou Peng
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