It might be too soon to call it a rivalry. But China’s Zhizhen Zhang, who Friday appears in his first ATP World Tour quarter-final in Shenzhen, already has one eye on his countryman and fellow young talent Yibing Wu.

At 17 years old, Yibing clinched the 2017 US Open boys’ singles and doubles titles in September. A week later, he claimed Shanghai’s Challenger title. Zhizhen is fully aware of Yibing’s recent string of success, but his familiarity with his fellow Chinese hopeful goes back further than that.

The two met recently at the 2017 National Games of China, a competition held every four years in which athletes from their provincial teams meet in their respective sports for medals.

“[Yibing] is playing so well lately, so I really want to challenge him,” Zhizhen said. “I actually lost to him during the National Games [4-6, 7-5, 6-3 on Aug.16], but I want to play him in an ATP-level event. I’m very motivated to do this.”

Zhizhen, 20 years old, is quick to point out that he’s friendly with Yibing. The two first met at a Davis Cup tie in Chinese Taipei in February, where they shared a room and quickly bonded over hobbies. “We shared a hotel room together; he got there first,” Zhizhen said. “I still remember when I got to the hotel room, he was watching [Taiwanese singer] Jay Chou in concert. I was listening to a lot of Chou’s music at the time, too.

“We’re both young and like similar things, such as cell phone games, so we got to know each other that way.”

While the two prepared for their respective matches, it was an experience after practice that brought the players closer.

“During that Davis Cup tie in Chinese Taipei, the younger players were asked to perform a talent show at the welcoming party. We looked into magic tricks on the internet and rehearsed a lot of those tricks over the next couple of days. I performed the magic act, while Yibing chose to sing for his performance, which really impressed the audience. To hang out and bond after practice was so much fun.”

Zhizhen and Yibing went on to win their respective Davis Cup matches against Chinese Taipei and clinch the tie 5-0. Immediately after the competition, the pair teamed up at a Futures event in China, where they lost in the first round. Zhizhen makes light of their short time as doubles partners. “Maybe that’s why he’s partnering with [No. 220-ranked] Wu Di instead of me now,” Zhizhen joked.

Both Zhizhen and Yibing were in action this week in separate events in China. On Wednesday, Zhizhen upset fourth seed Paolo Lorenzi, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4), in two hours and 31 minutes at the Shenzhen Open. Despite being ranked 456 places below Lorenzi, Zhizhen managed to stay composed after losing the first set and again when staring down two crucial break points in the third. A qualifier at the event, Zhizhen is into his first ATP Tour-level quarter-final, where he’ll face Henri Laaksonen for a spot in Saturday’s semi-finals.

Yibing, who made his first ATP Tour-level appearance on Monday, lost to Thiago Monteiro in three sets in the first round of the Chengdu Open.

As an up-and-comer who hopes to one day play at Wimbledon, Zhizhen nearly chose to pursue another sport entirely.

An only child, Zhizhen was exposed to athletics at an early age. His father, Weihua, played soccer for a professional team in Shanghai, while his mother, Qin Wei, was a member of the Shanghai shooting and archery team. Zhizhen attended one of his father’s soccer matches at a young age, though he remembers little of what transpired on the field and more of how he felt in the stands.

“My memory is blurry now,” Zhizhen said. “All I remember is that we arrived at the arena at noon and I was so hungry that all I could think about the whole time was when I was going to eat.”

Zhizhen’s parents enrolled their son in tennis and swimming lessons when he was four. By the time he was six, Zhizhen already found himself at a crossroads and was forced to pick between the sports.

His choice? Tennis. The reason? “My swimming coach was too tough.”

Older and firmly set as a tennis player, Zhizhen turns to his agent, former World No. 3 Ivan Ljubicic, for career advice these days. Because Zhizhen spends most of his time in China, the two haven’t had a chance to meet face to face in 2017. Despite that, they keep in close contact via text messages. Zhizhen was especially happy when he learned that Ljubicic watched his match against Lorenzi.

“That made me feel so good,” Zhizhen said. “Whenever I feel confused with tennis or just with life in general, he’s willing to share his experiences and advice with me. “Whether I’m winning or losing, he’s always encouraging.”

Earlier in the year, Ljubicic also managed to put Zhizhen in touch with his favourite player, Roger Federer; the pair practised in Monte Carlo. The experience will go down as one of Zhizhen’s most memorable.

“The session lasted about an hour, and he was so relaxed throughout,” Zhizhen said. “After the practice, Roger said some nice things to me, but I don’t think he really knew who I was. Ivan was nice enough to ask Roger to take a picture with me; it’s one of the best memories I have from the last year.”

#NextGenATP star Jared Donaldson recalls the time a guy stopped his car to tell him “Rock on, bro!” and shares the important question he had for his idol, Barry Bonds, whom he met on a trip to Atlantis. 

First moment I realised I loved tennis
I was six years old playing a match at my club that I grew up at. This kid was 12 or 13, way older than me, and it was an eight-game pro set. I was down 7-0 to him and I came back to beat him 9-7. My dad felt that not too many kids at that young age have that ability to stay with it and fight. I feel like maybe that was the first moment where he and I realised that I really had determination, and I feel like that’s what you need in tennis and I feel like I have that. 

First coach and the most important lesson he taught me
My first coach was Mario Llano. The most important less he taught me was to always play aggressive and hit your groundstrokes. He said don’t focus so much on the result. Obviously you want to win and fight, but don’t get caught up in the result; make sure you’re playing well. 

First pinch-me moment on the ATP World Tour?
Honestly, when I got my first [Emirates ATP Rankings] point, that was big. I feel like one of the bigger moments in my career was last year in Toronto when I beat [Fabio] Fognini in the second round. That was a really good win after coming through qualies. And also it was hot, he was playing well, he had won a tournament the week before and won a good first-round match, and I felt that it was really close. Sometimes when you’re just coming up you lose those tight matches and I was able to win it so that was really important, where I kinda thought I belong here, I can play with these guys. 

First time I was recognised
The funniest moment I was recognised outside of tennis, I was in Rhode Island on vacation two to three years ago, and there’s this place called the Coffee Exchange in Providence. I walked out of that with my sister and some dude was in his car and he stopped on the street, and he was like, “You’re Jared Donaldson!” I was like “Yeah,” and he said, “Rock on, bro! I love you!” 

First time I travelled abroad
I always used to go to Atlantis when I was young, in the Bahamas, but the first time I really travelled abroad for tennis was when I went to Argentina when I was 14 to train and live there two-and-a-half years. 

First thing I bought with prize money
I guess I’m pretty frugal, I don’t really spend a lot of money. I rented a house, I guess. That was my first big thing, where I thought I’m kinda on my own, I’m living in a house. 

First autograph I got
Barry Bonds. I was five or six years old, at Atlantis. He was actually my idol growing up. I got an earring because of him. I walked up to Barry Bonds, it was the year after he broke the season record for home runs, and I asked him what it was like hitting all those home runs. He just smiled and said it felt really good. 

First celebrity crush
(long pause) That’s a tough one! This is more recent, I probably had a crush on someone when I was younger I don’t remember, but I’ll say Jennifer Lawrence. She’s a good actress, she’s good-looking, so I’ll say J.Law. 

First album I bought
‘Curtain Call’ by Eminem 

First pet
Midnight, my cat. I was in second grade.  

Alexander Zverev battled through a testing opening match at the Shenzhen Open on Thursday evening, edging Steve Darcis 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(5) in two hours and 48 minutes. “I’m just happy to go through. I was down a break in both sets and it’s good to win those matches,” said the German, who is closing in on a spot at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals. 

Looking to defeat Zverev for the second time this year, Darcis twice put himself in a strong position to win the match. After securing the first set with a break in the third game, the Belgian served for the match at 6-5 in the second set, but could not get to match point as Zverev fought back to level. The 33-year-old Darcis then served for a 5-3 advantage in the decider, but Zverev converted his fourth break point in a lengthy game, and went on to prevail in the eventual tie-break.

The 20-year-old Zverev was playing his first tour-level match since a shock second-round loss at the US Open (l. to Coric). This week, Zverev resumes his campaign to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. The right-hander, who has won two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles this season in Rome and Montreal, is currently third in the Emirates ATP Race To London. On Friday he will play in-form Damir Dzumhur in the quarter-finals.

Last week’s St. Petersburg champion Dzumhur extended his winning streak to seven matches after a beating Slovakian qualifier Lukas Lacko 6-4, 6-3 in a match in which he did not face a break point. The 25-year-old from Bosnia & Herzegovina is at a career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of 40 and has won 15 of his past 18 matches since reaching the Los Cabos semi-finals in the first week of August.

Israel’s Dudi Sela upset third seed Mishca Zverev 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 in one hour and 46 minutes, breaking serve three times and winning 72 per cent of his service points.The No. 77-ranked Sela is bidding to reach his first ATP World Tour semi-final since the first week of the season in Chennai (l. to Medvedev) and goes on to face fifth seed Alexandr Dolgopolov, who won an all-Ukrainian battle with Sergiy Stakhovsky 7-6(5), 6-4.

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#NextGenATP star Taylor Fritz is through to the quarter-finals of the Chengdu Open after finishing strongly to defeat Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 on Thursday in the first week of the ATP World Tour Asian swing.

The 19-year-old Fritz is looking for a big push in the closing stages of the season as he bids to qualify for the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals. The right-hander is currently 11^th in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan, with the Top 7 qualifying by right and the eighth spot going to the winner of an all-Italian wild-card tournament.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” said Fritz, who came through qualifying at this ATP World Tour 250 tournament. “The match was really physical and we were both hitting the ball really big. I was doing a lot of moving because he plays so aggressive and attacks so much.

“I’ve definitely found the best tennis I’ve ever played at the end of this year,” added the American. “This is my third quarter-final of the year. I’ve been playing really good since the hard-court season. I started the year still recovering from a knee injury and that’s what hurt me a lot at the end of last year. Now I finally feel like I’m getting it back and I think I’m playing better than when I was at my career-high ranking.”

Fritz is looking to return to an ATP World Tour semi-final for the first time since making his breakthrough with a final run in Memphis in February 2016 (l. to Nishikori). He goes on to face Argentina’s Guido Pella, who upset top seed Dominic Thiem 7-6(6), 6-4.

World No. 72 Pella edged a tight first set, in which both players held a set point, and seized the momentum at the start of the second set with an immediate break of Thiem’s serve. Thiem fended off two match points to hold in the ninth game, and had a break point as Pella serve for the match, but could not deny the Argentine, who held on for victory in one hour and 56 minutes.

Another of the top seeds fell as fourth-seeded Andrey Rublev was defeated 6-2, 6-1 by Yen-Hsun Lu of Chinese Taipei in 54 minutes. The 34-year-old Lu, 15 years older than Rublev, converted four of his 12 break points as he reached his first ATP World Tour quarter-final since Winston-Salem in August 2016.

Lu goes on to face Marcos Baghdatis, who defeated last week’s Metz champion Peter Gojowczyk 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 47 minutes. Baghdatis withstood 14 aces to break serve four times, claiming his 15^th win of the season. The Cypriot is looking to reach his third ATP World Tour semi-final of the season.