China advance to United Cup knockout stage despite loss to Germany

China advanced to the quarterfinals at the United Cup in Perth, Australia, despite a 2-1 loss to defending champions Germany in Group E on Monday.

Zhang Zhizhen went out first for China in the men's singles match against World No. 2 Alexander Zverev. Showcasing better form than his opponent in the first set, Zhang broke Zverev in the first and seventh games to lead 5-2. Although the German saved two set points in the eighth, he couldn't stop Zhang from securing the set 6-2 and taking a 1-0 lead in the match.

Zverev bounced back quickly in the second set, clinching six consecutive games and tying the match at 1-1. Both players held their first service game in the third set, but Zverev broke Zhang twice in the sixth and eighth games to close out the set 6-2. His victory gave Germany a 1-0 lead.

In the ensuing women's singles match, China's Gao Xinyu faced Laura Siegemund. Gao scored a break point first and started the first set with a 3-0 lead. She left no chance for her opponent to battle back, and broke Siegemund again in the sixth game before taking the set 6-1.

The 36-year-old German veteran adjusted her mindset and started to rally in the second set, as she built a 4-0 advantage. Although Gao claimed the next three games, she conceded two more games including a break in the eighth, and dropped the set 6-3.

After improving her form in the decisive third set, Gao converted two straight break points to lead 4-0. Siegemund then responded by taking two straight games, but Gao was not shaken. Instead, she held her next two services games to clinch the set 6-3, picking up a valuable win for China.

Zverev and Siegemund beat Zhang Shuai and Zheng Zhizhen 6-2, 7-6(3) in mixed doubles in the third match, but Germany's 2-1 overall win did not prevent China from reaching the knockout stage as the best-performing group stage runner-up in Perth.