Zhang Stuns Lorenzi, Continues Dream Week

Zhizhen Zhang began his week with one career ATP World Tour victory. But after the 20 year old’s stunning 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) upset over fourth-seeded Paolo Lorenzi, the Chinese qualifier is into his first tour-level quarter-final at the Shenzhen Open.

“I feel very excited,” Zhang said. “I just wished tonight I can survive and I will be ready for the next one.”

Zhang was up 3-1 in the deciding set when he lost three games in a row, and then faced two break points, which would have allowed the No. 2 Italian to serve for the match. But once Zhang was able to hold, both players managed their service games well until the tie-break.

Under the greatest pressure of his career thus far, Zhang earned what would be the final mini-break while up 4-3 and he would not look back, going on to close out the World No. 39 in two hours and 31 minutes. The 20 year old has already secured a new career-high Emirates ATP Ranking, but should Zhang win again in Shenzhen, he will climb to the doorstep of the Top 300. 

“Next match I will do my best,” said Zhang, who is the first tour-level quarter-finalist from China since Ze Zhang in Beijing five years ago. “I will not think how he’s going to play. I will think how I’m going to play. That’s the most important thing.”

Second-seeded David Goffin got off to a strong start to his campaign, beating Evgeny Donskoy, 7-6(5), 6-3 in one hour and 25 minutes.

The World No. 12 saved the lone break point he faced in the sixth game of the opening set, and managed to navigate through a tie-break in which more points were won by the returner than the server. In the second set, the Belgian broke early on and lost just six points on serve to close out the match. 

Three days after winning his first ATP World Tour title, sixth seed Damir Dzumhur had made the trip from St. Petersburg to Shenzhen, where he advanced to the second round with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over John Millman.

Dzumhur is at a career-high No. 40 in the Emirates ATP Rankings this week after becoming the first player from Bosnia & Herzegovina to win an ATP World Tour title when he defeated Fabio Fognini in the St. Petersburg Open final. The 25 year old notched his 28th win of the season in 77 minutes as he struck 11 aces and converted four of his seven break points.

Top-seeded Alexander Zverev will make his singles debut in Shenzhen on Thursday, when the World No. 4 takes on ATP World Tour veteran Steve Darcis.

Top Seeds Survive And Advance

Top-seeded Nikola Mektic and Nicholas Monroe chose the right time to earn their first break of serve Wednesday. After David Marrero and Joao Sousa broke the Croatian-American duo to serve for the match in the second set at 5-4, the veterans fought back to break and eventually win the set in a tie-break. Mektic and Monroe would then go on to claim the match tie-break as well, earning the 4-6, 7-6(3), 10-7 victory. 

First-time pairing Marcelo Melo and Zverev, the third seeds, beat Wimbledon quarter-finalists Hans Podlipnik-Castillo and Andrei Vasilevski, 7-6(5), 6-4 in one hour and 32 minutes.

Fourth-seeded Wesley Koolhof and Artem Sitak were not as fortunate, falling to Andre Begemann and Franko Skugor, 7-5, 7-6(5) after losing four set points in the second set.

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