China's Zhang Zhizhen beats Yevseyev in inaugural ATP Hangzhou Open

At the inaugural Hangzhou Open, China's Zhang Zhizhen opened his campaign on Friday with a three-set win over qualifier Denis Yevseyev from Kazakhstan to mark his comeback since retiring from the first round of the US Open.

The 27-year-old Zhang quit in New York due to a left leg injury, but he looked to be recovering well as he took the opener 6-2. Yevseyev responded in style and won the second set 6-1. The Paris Olympics silver medalist in mixed doubles then closed out the decider 6-4 with an ace, and set up his next match with Italian Mattia Bellucci.

Ranked world number 48, Zhang is competing on home soil for the first time since he advanced to the fourth round in the ATP Shanghai Masters last October. Zhang is delighted with the win but knows he is far from his best.

"I haven't competed in a while. There will be some rough mistakes in my mentality, technique and selection in the first comeback match. But I also stay patient. I felt that these situations were normal, I missed the chances to accept it and look for the next opportunity to break," said Zhang after the match.

In other action, China's Bu Yunchaokete also advanced after shocking second-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov in three sets. Bu won two Challenger Tour titles this year and qualified for the US Open last month where losing to Casper Ruud in the first round. 

The 22-year-old Bu began the first set trailing 1-3 but showed great resilience, pushing the set into a tie-break which he won 9-7. Khachanov responded strongly in the second set, leveling the match with a 6-4 win. In the decider, Bu broke early and maintained his lead to take the set 6-3. He will next face Kazakh Mikhail Kukushkin in the quarterfinals.