String of victories in qualifying for US Open delivers big morale boost

Chinese aces sailed smoothly through the first round of qualifying for the US Open this week as anticipation builds for more major breakthroughs.

Riding a wave of momentum on the professional circuit, all five Chinese players in action advanced, much to the joy of the many fans from local Chinese communities in attendance at Flushing Meadows.

Capping the fruitful opening round was China's No 1 men's player, Zhang Zhizhen, who beat Argentine veteran Marco Trungelliti 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday to get his maiden qualifying campaign in New York off to a flying start.

Indulging his excited supporters after the match, Zhang turned Court 14 into a meet-and-greet as he signed autographs and posed for selfies.

A solid win on the major stage delivered a huge morale boost to the 25-year-old Shanghai native, currently China's highest-ranked man at No 138.

"Confidence wise, I am in a pretty good place even though my game comes and goes," he said. "I've managed to maintain my form on quite a high level for a long time now," added Zhang, who arrived in New York on Monday following a runner-up finish in Poland last week on the entry-level ATP Challenger Tour.

"I have been able to hang on there facing difficulties or clutch points to give myself an extra push to prevail. This is probably the biggest improvement I've made."

A strongly built power hitter with a fierce forehand, Zhang physically has what it takes to succeed in the sport's top echelons. Not until recently, however, has he leveled up his consistency and resilience, underlined by a series of deep runs at Challenger events.

Zhang lost to Czech youngster Tomas Machac in three sets on Sunday at Grodzisk Mazowiecki in his fourth final appearance this season on the Challenger circuit. He claimed his third title on the tour in Italy on Aug 7, adding to two wins at home in 2019.

Having only made it to the main draw at a major once (Wimbledon last year), Zhang is hoping to rediscover his best form to surpass the all-time best ATP ranking for a male Chinese mainland player－No 136 which he reached in February 2020 during the US Open.

Also hoping to reach the main draw in New York, is 2017 US Open junior champion Wu Yibing, who stunned Lithuania's former world No 50 Ricardas Berankis in straight sets on Tuesday.

"Coming back to the US Open I feel like I should've returned long ago. I knew where to go and all the surroundings just looked so familiar. Nothing special but quite comfortable," said Wu, who landed 60 percent of his first serves and converted three out of four break points to beat the qualifying event's 18th seed on Court 4.

"I did a better job in serve, clutch points and breaks than my opponent today," said Wu, who is ranked No 178.

"I tried to approach my first match here in years as a normal encounter. I really appreciate that so many Chinese spectators showed up and cheered for me today."

Dubbed "Wonder Boy" following his breakout run in 2017, Wu's progress since has been stunted by a string of nagging injuries to his elbow, lower back, shoulder and wrist.

A combination of surgeries and rehab programs consumed almost three years at the beginning of his pro career until the COVID-19 pandemic hit at the end of 2019 to derail his comeback plans.

Wu, however, never lost faith in fulfilling his potential as he worked his way back from the Challenger tour by taking three titles in a row in the US.

The consistent performances of Zhang and Wu, followed by 246th-ranked teen prodigy Shang Juncheng, a former boys world No 1, have rekindled hopes for Chinese men's tennis to emulate the country's successful female trailblazers, such as retired two-time Grand Slam singles champion Li Na and doubles specialist Zheng Jie.

In the women's qualifying section, three Chinese players－Wang Qiang, Zhu Lin and Yuan Yue－reached the second round without dropping a set.

A former quarterfinalist in New York (2019), Wang sent this year's Wimbledon girls' champion, Liv Hovde of the US, packing 6-2, 6-1, in just 57 minutes.

Wang, who reached a career high of No 12 in December 2019, is endeavoring to put two years of struggles behind her.

"I think I've gradually rediscovered my form," said Wang, who is now ranked No 103. "Hopefully, I can rebuild my game step by step."

Meanwhile, China's top women's ace Zhang Shuai (No 35) reached the quarterfinals of a tuneup event in Cleveland, Ohio, after her Italian opponent, Martina Trevisan, retired. Zhang Shuai will face French veteran Alize Cornet in the last eight of the WTA 250 tourney.