On a sunny day in Madrid, Zhang Zhizhen made history by becoming the first Chinese man to advance to the quarterfinals of a Masters 1000 tournament. The 24-year-old qualifier defeated world No. 16 Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3 in a grueling match that lasted over two and a half hours.
Zhang’s journey to the quarterfinals has been nothing short of remarkable. He entered the Madrid Open as a qualifier and had to go through three rounds of qualifying to even make it into the main draw. Once in the main draw, he defeated two top 50 players in Kevin Anderson and John Isner before taking down Auger-Aliassime, who was seeded 12th in the tournament.
Zhang’s performance in Madrid has put Chinese men’s tennis on the map. For years, Chinese tennis has been dominated by the women’s side, with players like Li Na, Zheng Jie, and Peng Shuai achieving success on the WTA tour. But on the men’s side, there has been little to celebrate. Prior to Zhang’s breakthrough in Madrid, the best result by a Chinese man at a Masters 1000 event was when Wu Di reached the second round of the Shanghai Masters in 2017.
Zhang’s success is a testament to his hard work and dedication. He grew up in Shanghai and started playing tennis at the age of six. At the age of 14, he left China to train at the IMG Academy in Florida, where he developed his game and began to compete in ITF tournaments. In 2018, he won his first ATP Challenger title in Liuzhou, China, and has been steadily climbing up the rankings ever since.
Zhang’s success is also a reminder of the potential that exists in Chinese tennis. With a population of over 1.4 billion people, China has the potential to be a powerhouse in tennis. However, the lack of funding and infrastructure has held back the growth of the sport. While there are tennis academies and training centers in China, they are often geared towards developing young players for the women’s tour. The men’s side of the sport has been largely ignored, and as a result, there has been a lack of talent coming through the ranks.
Zhang’s breakthrough could change that. His success in Madrid will undoubtedly inspire a new generation of Chinese tennis players, both male and female. It will also help to raise the profile of the sport in China and attract more funding and support from the government and private investors.
Zhang’s next opponent in Madrid will be Alexander Zverev, the world No. 6 and one of the favorites to win the tournament. It will be a tough match for Zhang, but he has already shown that he is capable of beating top players. Regardless of the outcome, Zhang has already made history and has given Chinese tennis fans something to cheer about.
