In a remarkable display of skill and resilience, Chinese men's tennis star Zhang Zhizhen has etched his name in history by advancing to the semifinals at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, Germany. On Friday, Zhang overcame American competitor Christopher Eubanks with a gripping 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 victory.
The match saw Zhang trailing 5-2 in the third set, but his determination shone through as he clinched five consecutive games to secure the win. This achievement marks him as the first Chinese man to reach an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour-level semifinal on grass in the Open Era.
\"It started well in the first set, as I broke his serving game. But my serve was not quite stable in the second set,\" Zhang commented. \"What's good was my mentality, as I didn't give up a bit when I fell behind 5-2 in the third set, so I'm quite proud of my performance today.\"
Zhang's impressive performance has propelled him nine places to No. 33 in this week's PIF ATP Live Rankings, positioning him for a new career high. At 28 years old, he now looks ahead to his next challenge against Italy's top-ranked Jannik Sinner, who recently triumphed over Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff.
\"I'm looking forward to the semifinal against Jannik, just like playing against Daniil (Medvedev, on Wednesday). We started from the futures tournaments around the same time, but now they (Jannik and Daniil) are top five players, so I want to know our gap in the match,\" Zhang added.
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Zhang writes new chapter in history by roaring into Halle semifinals
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