Matching Report
China’s Zhang reaches his first ATP Tour final, facing Cilic in Hangzhou
The sixth defeated Buyunchaokete in the All-Chinese semi-finals
September 23, 2024
Hangzhou Open
Zhang Zhizhen in action in Hangzhou.
Written by Sam Jacot
Zhang Zhizhen advanced to his first ATP Tour final on Monday at the Hangzhou Open, defeating countryman Buyunchaokete 7-6(3), 6-4 to become just the third Chinese man in history to reach a tour-level tournament match .
Up against wild card Buyunchaokete in the first semi-final of the Chinese ATP Tour, sixth seed Zhang stepped up his performance in key moments. The 27-year-old saved four break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and fired 10 aces to earn the biggest win of his season after one hour and 40 minutes.
“It was a great game,” Zhang said. “He played very well. In two sets, it was one break. It was lucky but I’m happy with the result today.”
Zhang joins 2023 Dallas champion Wu Yibing and this week’s Chengdu winner Shang Juncheng as the first Chinese ATP Tour finalists.
“We’re moving on. We’re trying to play our best and try our best. And for Shang, try his best and we’ll see,” said Zhang.
Zhang, who had previously lost in the semifinals in Hamburg and Halle, dropped one set en route to the title match in Hangzhou. Up to number 41 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, the Chinese star will meet Marin Cilic in the final.
Earlier, Cilic reached his first ATP Tour final in two years, beating American Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 7-6(6).
The Croatian wild card, who arrived in Hangzhou at No. 777 in the PIF ATP Rankings, saved two points in the second set to become the second-lowest ranked finalist in ATP Tour history.
“I needed to focus on every point. I needed to find a way to find my game and fight my opponent,” Cilic said after his one-hour, 46-minute win. “It was physical. I was 4/6 behind in the tie-break. I played a good point [at 5/6] and it came back. Good atmosphere, great fight and good tennis.”
Marin is BACK on the main stage 🏟
ATP Finals from 2022 @MarinCilic as he beat Nakashima 6-4 7-6(6)!@HangzhouOpen | #HangzhouOpen pic.twitter.com/TJ2EUI6AU0
– ATP Tour (@atptour) September 23, 2024
Cilic has reached at least one tour-level title match in 14 different seasons since 2008 and will aim to win his first ATP Tour title from October 2021 (in St. Petersburg) against Zhang.
“It is a great pleasure to come here. I arrived early in the morning and enjoyed the city, the atmosphere,” said Cilic. “It’s been an amazing week so far.”
The 35-year-old Cilic is competing in his first ATP Tour event since Buenos Aires in February, after which he was sidelined for several months with a knee injury. The former World No. 3 is aiming to win his 21st title and 16th on the hard courts.
Nakashima was playing as high as No. 39 in the PIF ATP Rankings following his run to the fourth round at the US Open. The former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion was trying to reach his first level final of the season.
