Xinhua News Agency, Perth, Australia, December 30 (Reporter Wang Qi) The group stage of Group E of the second Tennis United Cup kicked off in Perth, Australia on the 30th, and the Chinese team led by Zhang Zhizhen and Zheng Qinwen defeated the Czech Republic with a total score of 3:0 in the first round.
In the men's singles competition, Zhang Zhizhen took the lead against the Czech teenager Lehechka, ranked 31st in the world. Zhang Zhizhen had a poor opening hand, was broken in the third game, and lost the first set 5-7. Faced with the unfavorable situation of losing the first set, Zhang Zhizhen launched a counterattack in the second set, and quickly established a 3:0 advantage with a tie break, and pulled back a set 6:3.
The deciding set was even more deadlocked, and Zhang Zhizhen successfully held serve at a critical moment and finally won the game. Throughout the match, Lehechka hit 10 aces (the serve was scored directly and the opponent did not touch the ball), and Zhang Zhizhen played steadily, and finally took 2 hours and 20 minutes to successfully reverse at :4.
Zhang Zhizhen said after the game that he was very satisfied with his mentality in the game. 'I had a fluctuation along the way, the opponent tried to fight back, but I kept my composure and that's what I did better today. Zhang Zhizhen said.
In the women's singles, Zheng Qinwen challenged Wimbledon champion and world No. 7 Vondrousova for the first time. China's "Golden Flower" was like a bamboo, losing three straight games in just 9 minutes, and Vondrousova quickly lost 1:6. The Czech women's player also won four games in a row to extend the advantage to 4:1 in the second set, and Zheng Qinwen's state fluctuated at this time, and his mistakes increased, and he lost to his opponent 2:6. In the deciding set, Zheng Qinwen regained the initiative, broke serve three times, and ended the battle 6:1, laying the foundation for the Chinese team to win.
After a short break, Zheng Qinwen appeared again and partnered Zhang Zhizhen in the mixed doubles competition. It took only 58 minutes for the pair to beat Vondrousova Lehechka 2. In the opinion of captain Wu Di, the tacit understanding between the two was better than expected, and even made the coaches and players who watched the game "a little dreaming".
Today was a long day for me, but it turned out well because they worked hard and they chose to continue playing in the mixed doubles with a 2-0 lead, so I think their attitude is positive and hopefully they will continue to do so tomorrow and give it their all. Wu Di said.
On the 31st, the Chinese team will encounter the strong group opponent Serbia. Zhang Zhizhen will face world number one men's singles number one Djokovic for the first time, while Zheng Qinwen will also face the 24-time Grand Slam winner across the net in the mixed doubles. (ENDS).