China’s rising tennis star Zhang Zhizhen achieved his first grass court victory of the season at the Halle Open in Germany. On Monday, Zhang overcame Austria’s Sebastian Ofner in a hard-fought three-set match, winning 7(10)-6(8), 6(3)-7, 6-4 to advance to the second round.
Reflecting on his performance, Zhang said, “I played well today, and so did my opponent Ofner, especially with his serves. It’s a great match. There was only one break in the third set. I’m glad that I won in the end.”
Zhang expressed growing confidence on grass courts, noting, “The longer I play on the grass court, the more comfortable I feel. I know I can hold. He didn’t have many chances to score when I served. But when he served, I could make some adjustments to seek a break.”
Looking ahead, Zhang is set to face the tournament’s No. 3 seed, Daniil Medvedev of Russia, in the second round on Wednesday. Medvedev secured his spot by defeating Portugal’s Nuno Borges 7-6(4), 6-4 earlier on Monday.
Commenting on his own match, Medvedev admitted the challenges of transitioning to grass courts. “It was a really tricky match. First match on grass, so the sensations were not there,” he said. “But I tried my best, and I felt like, in the end of the match, we were both playing better and better, so that’s a good thing, and actually the last game I played on the return was pretty good.”
Medvedev, who reached the Australian Open final earlier this year but has yet to claim a title this season, will pose a significant challenge for Zhang in the upcoming match.
Reference(s):
China's Zhang Zhizhen secures first grass win of season at Halle Open
cgtn.com
