Zhang Reaches Round 3, Makes History In Shanghai

Zhang Zhizhen added another historic achievement to his groundbreaking year on the ATP Tour on Friday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

The World No. 60 defeated Tomas Martin Etcheverry 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to become the first home favourite to reach the third round at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Zhang edged the 28th-seeded Argentine in a gripping two-hour, 28-minute encounter played out amid a raucous atmosphere inside the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena.

“First set I was down, and he had a break,” said Zhang after the match. “I told myself, second set I still have a chance. I just tried to hold my service games and see if I could break him. First set my return was not working well, so I changed my position a bit and I’m happy to win the match of course.”

History made ? ?

From a set down Zhang defeats Etcheverry to become the first Chinese man to reach the third round at the Shanghai Masters!@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/hPQ4jP624W

Zhang clinched a crucial break in the ninth game of the deciding set and then held his nerve to convert his third match point in a final game featuring a series of bruising baseline exchanges. He outhit Etcheverry by 32 winners to 30 to seal his eighth Top 50 win of the season.

Zhang became the first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finalist from China in May in Madrid and in July rose to No. 52 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, the highest position ever held by anyone from the East Asian country. He beat Casper Ruud at the US Open to become the first Chinese man to beat a Top 5 opponent and is now the first player from his country to win back-to-back matches in 12 editions of the Shanghai event.

“It’s a first-time experience for me,” said Zhang, a hugely popular figure in his homeland. “Everything is new. I just try to take it, these are not bad things [that are happening]. So why not just take it [as it goes] and enjoy it?”

Zhang will take on American Brandon Nakashima on Sunday as he bids to reach the last 16 of a Masters 1000 tournament for the second time.

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