Fourth-seeded Andre Rublev of Russia defeated Zhang Zhizhen of the Chinese mainland 6-3, 6-4 in the men's singles first round at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Tuesday.
Zhang lost all three of his previous matches against Rublev and was broken in the fourth game of the first set. Trailing 2-5 in a must-win service game of his own, Zhang saved six set points to hold, but only kept the set alive for one more game. Rublev clinched the ninth game and led 1-0 in the match.
Rublev broke Zhang's first service game as the second set began, sitting at a 2-0 advantage. The Russian held all of his following serves, leaving few chances for Zhang to come back. Though Zhang saved four match points in the 10th game, he failed to reverse the situation in the end.
On the same day, top seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain beat home wild card Botic van de Zandschulp 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-1, getting revenge for his loss in the second round at the U.S. Open last year.
Alcaraz was not in his best form, which could be seen in the 40 unforced errors he hit in the opening two sets. Van de Zandschulp wasn't too much better after tallying eight double faults, including one to let slip set point in the first set.
The Dutchman's solid baseline skills and smart choice-making in advancing to the net enabled him to cut one set back and tie the match. Nonetheless, his double faults continued to cost him in the decider during which Alcaraz produced some dazzling shots to secure the final victory.
\"I think [there] were a lot of ups and downs in the match,\" the Spaniard said. \"Being set point down in the first set, I think Botic played a really solid match. Not too many ups and downs for him, really consistent throughout the match. I'm just really happy to get through. [I had to] be really focused in the tough moments, to keep pushing and trust the good tennis will come again. I'm happy to get through a difficult match and have a chance to get better in the next round.\"
Reference(s):
Zhang Zhizhen loses to Andre Rublev in first round at ABN AMRO Open
cgtn.com
