Asian Games: Zhang Zhizhen fights back to win China’s first tennis gold in men’s singles since 1994
- Zhang recovers from going 4-1 down in first set to beat Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki in pulsating final in Hangzhou
- Pair slug it out through second-set tiebreak before China’s rising start emerges triumphant
Zhang Zhizhen fought back to become the first Chinese men’s singles tennis champion at the Asian Games since 1994, and said he hoped more young players followed in his footsteps.
China’s rising star in men’s tennis recovered from being 4-1 down in the first set to beat Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki 6-4, 7-6 in Hangzhou on Saturday.
Zhang was the first man from China to beat a top-five player last month when he defeated Casper Ruud to reach the last 32 at the US Open.
The 26-year-old from Shanghai also reached the same stage at this year’s French Open, and said his country’s players should be “striving for better”.
“There are lots of excellent players in Asia who haven’t played at the [Asian] Games this time,” Zhang said. “I hope that China can become better and better and the next generation [of Chinese male tennis players] will outperform us.”
With more Chinese players, men and women, finding their way to the professional circuit, Zhang said he was unsure how many would make it to the top.
