US Open: Zhang Zhizhen wins 5-set thriller to reach second round as Chinese players enjoy clean sweep on day 1
- Monday sees four victories for Chinese singles stars at Flushing Meadows, with Zhang setting up daunting clash against Casper Ruud
- In women’s draw, Zhu Lin books second-round date with former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka, as Wang Xiyu and Wang Xinyu also win
Zhang Zhizhen outlasted home hope J.J. Wolf to break his supposed fifth-set “curse” and reach the second round of the US Open after a 7-5, 7-5, 6-7, 4-6, 6-3 victory, on what was a fruitful opening day for China at Flushing Meadows.
The 26-year-old Zhang looked to be on his way to a quick win after taking the first two sets against the world No 45 Wolf on Court 13, one of the smaller outside venues in Queens, New York.
But the American fought back to level the match, sending it to a decider, with Zhang no doubt feeling a sense of déjà vu, having suffered a series of five-set grand slam defeats over the last few years.
But the world No 67 dug deep and secured the win after more than four and a half hours and set up a daunting clash with last year’s runner-up Casper Ruud.
It was a first US Open main draw win for Zhang – and he was made to work hard for it. He had led 3-0 in the third set, and again at 4-3 and 5-4, only to be dragged back into a tiebreak by Wolf.
He was also up 2-1 and 40-0 in the fourth set, but instead had his service broken. At 3-0 up in the fifth, he wasted three more break points.
“My biggest negative emotion at the time was actually because I could not win three straight sets, so I might have to play two more sets, wasting my energy,” he told a Chinese reporter after his win.
“Many people say that I have a bad mentality, and a weak mentality. But I always feel that I am a very strong person because I have lost so much before,” he added in a press conference with English-speaking media.
“Sorry, none of them knocked me down or broke me. I have always come back and look forward to the next game and improve. Just because you lose those games, you know how to deal with it later.”
Wednesday will be the second grand slam meeting between Zhang and Ruud this year – the Norwegian beat the Chinese player in four sets in the French Open third round in June.
Ruud battled past Emilio Nava of the US 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 for his 200th tour-level win on Monday in New York.
Zhang’s victory was not the only success for his country on the opening day, with all four Chinese singles players winning to provide a clean sweep.
In the women’s draw, Zhu Lin, ranked No 44 in the world, beat Mayar Sherif 6-3, 7-5 to book a second-round date with Victoria Azarenka.
The former world No 1 Azarenka of Belarus – a three-time finalist in Flushing and two-time Australian Open champion – eased past France’s Fiona Ferro 6-1, 6-2.
Wang Xiyu was forced to dig deep for a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6) win over Viktoria Kuzmova and will next face Bernarda Pera. Wang Xinyu beat American Katie Volynets 6-3, 6-4 and is up against Sara Sorribes Tormo in the second round.
