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Copyright © 2024 CGTN. 京ICP备20000184号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
Zhang Zhizhen of China competes against compatriot Bu Yunchaokete in the men's singles semifinals at the Hangzhou Open in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, September 23, 2024. /CFP
In a match between Chinese players Zhang Zhizhen and Bu Yunchaokete in the men's singles semifinals at the Hangzhou Open in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, on Monday, Zhang defeated Bu 7-6(3), 6-4 to book a spot in the first Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour final of his career.
Although Bu converted more break points than Zhang (4-2), Zhang did a better job of winning key points, especially during the first-set tiebreaker. But instead of immediately celebrating his victory, Zhang went over to hug Bu at the net after the match.
"I love this court. I have never lost here. I won the Asian Games gold medal on this court last year. I'm glad that I made it to the final here again this time," Zhang told reporters.
"It was a tough match because Bu has a great serve," Zhang added. "I think he performed better than I did today. He just lost on key points, especially during the tiebreaker. He was unlucky to lose the first set. I converted only one break in the second set. I converted two in the entire match and Bu had four."
Zhang will play against Marin Cilic of Croatia for the title on Tuesday night. Cilic beat Brandon Nakashima of the USA 6-4, 7-6(8-6) in the other semifinal match. The former World No. 3 won the U.S. Open in 2014.
"Cilic is a Grand Slam champion," Zhang said while previewing his first head-to-head match against the Croatian. "He's not high in the world rankings and played in this tournament with a wild card. His footwork may be problematic, but he's still got his serves and baseline skills. That's my challenge to overcome tomorrow. I will study how to handle it."