Madrid, May 2 (IANS) Zhang Zhizhen continued to make history as he became the first player from the Chinese mainland to reach the last 16 of the ATP 1000 tournament after defeating Britain’s 11th seed Cameron Norrie at the Madrid Open.
The 26-year-old Zhang, who stunned Canadian player Denis Shapovalov in the second round, pulled off an even bigger upset against world No. 13 Norrie, rallying from one set down to win the match 2-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2), reports Xinhua.
“I’m so happy, I didn’t expect it before the match,” Zhang said. “Especially since I was able to grit my teeth in the second and third sets after losing the first 6-2 so quickly.”
Zhang finished the intense match with 32 winners and only 21 unforced errors, while Norrie had 32 unforced errors.
In the deciding set, Zhang took no break points but dominated in the tiebreak. The Madrid crowd cheered for Zhang in their newly learned Chinese and gave him a standing ovation after the history-making victory.
“Thanks very much to the fans, their cheering was great and made me feel like I was on home court,” Zhang commented.
After the win, Zhang’s live ranking has risen to No. 89 and might reach No. 65 if he wins the next match against America’s Taylor Fritz, who knocked out Cristian Garin 6-1, 7-6 (4).
“Again, a top player for sure, a tough match. I will try my best to fight,” said Zhang.
–IANS
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