Wu Yibing (left) and Zhang Zhizhen pose with tennis balls used in their final qualifying matches for the US Open in New York on Friday. The two will this week become the first male Chinese mainland players to compete in the tournament's main draw. [ATP Tour]
Surging Chinese aces earn historic main-draw appearances at US Open
Believe it or not, the long-awaited rise of Chinese men's tennis is happening－and perhaps at a faster pace than expected.
Overshadowed by the success of their female counterparts for years, China's male players are finally making headlines of their own on the major stage as the country's top two aces－Zhang Zhizhen and Wu Yibing－prepare to make historic main-draw debuts at the US Open on Monday.
After both battled through three qualifying rounds last week, Zhang and Wu will become the first male Chinese mainland players to compete in the main draw at Flushing Meadows.
Zhang, ranked No 138 in the world, will face Dutchman Tim van Rijthoven; Wu, ranked No 178, will take on Georgian veteran Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Wu, the 2017 US Open boys' champion and former junior world No 1, led the charge on Friday by upsetting the qualifying event's 11th seed, Corentin Moutet of France, 7-6 (5), 6-2; Zhang had to overcome multiple rain delays before finishing off Belgium's Zizou Bergs, 6-2, 6-4.
"I believe this is just the beginning," Wu said of the significance of the pair's main-draw appearances in an online interview on Saturday.
"Chinese men's tennis needs breakthroughs but it can't be done by just one guy. Now we have made it through together.
"We hope to see more young Chinese players compete more at bigger events, earn more points and eventually step onto the Grand Slam stage in a larger group," added Wu, a 22-year-old native of Zhejiang province.
Zhang, 25, is encouraged to see more young Chinese talent in the pipeline, including teen star Shang Juncheng, who made it to the final of an ATP Challenger Tour event in Granby, Canada, last week.
"Strong tennis nations all have consistent talent supply, generation after generation," said Zhang, who for the first time in his career is playing a full international calendar of events this season.
"Our generation in China has more opportunities and resources to develop in a more professional way than our predecessors did－yet we have just started.
"I hope more younger guys can catch up fast, without having to suffer a shortage of talent again as before," added the Shanghai native.
As the most experienced of China's current batch of men's players, Zhang made history for his country last year by becoming the first player from the Chinese mainland to compete in the men's singles main draw at Wimbledon following a successful qualifying campaign.
His highest ranking to date－No 136, achieved in February 2020－remains the furthest a Chinese mainland player has risen in the men's standings. He will surpass that should he negotiate the first round at Flushing Meadows this week.
Only Wu Di, Zhang Ze and Li Zhe have represented China in the main draw of the men's singles at a Grand Slam before. All three, who have retired from international tennis, played at the Australian Open via wild-card entries.
On the women's side, the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center has seen impressive runs from Chinese players in both singles and doubles－most notably two-time major champion Li Na's semifinal appearance in 2013, current world No 102 Wang Qiang's quarterfinal berth in 2019 and top ace Zhang Shuai's doubles win with Australia's Samantha Stosur last year.
Four Chinese women led by Zhang Shuai and teen star Zheng Qinwen have made it into this year's main draw directly while 24-year-old rising star Yuan Yue also advanced thanks to three straight-set qualifier wins.
Yuan Yue is flanked by Zhang Zhizhen (left) and Wu Yibing after sealing their US Open main-draw berths on Friday. [ATP Tour]
Consistency key
A strongly built power hitter who stands 1.93 meters tall (6-foot-4), Zhang Zhizhen reckons the biggest obstacle for Chinese men to crack the top echelon is a lack of consistent exposure to elite competition.
That's why he made the tough decision to base himself at Ljubicic Tennis Academy on the Croatian island of Losinj.
Helping to ease some of the headaches of international travel in between tournaments, Zhang Zhizhen now trains and recovers at the academy－founded by former world No 3 Ivan Ljubicic, who currently acts as a manager and agent for the Chinese star.
"It's the first season of my career that I've been able to play a full international calendar so I can build my game and my confidence step by step without any interruptions," said Zhang Zhizhen, who reached four ATP Challenger finals in his buildup to New York.
"In the past, we had to balance pro tournaments overseas and some mandatory domestic events, which sometimes took the momentum away."
Wu, dubbed the "Wonder Boy" of Chinese tennis following his 2017 breakout junior season, echoed that sentiment.
"It's really important to play more consistently and internationally as opposed to just staying at home practicing hard and only competing domestically," said Wu, who has cracked the top 200 in a meteoric rise from around No 1,800 at the beginning of the year.
Winning three Challenger titles over the past two months, Wu is enjoying a resurgence following years of injury struggles. His serve looks sharp again, his return asks more questions of opponents and his movement is a lot quicker around the court.
"As long as I am healthy with no major fitness issues, I believe my game, technically speaking, belongs in the world's top 30 or even 20. I still have more work to do to perfect my volleys, slice shots and tactics approaching the net," said Wu.
And the return to where it all started seems to be helping to ease any Grand Slam nerves he might be feeling. "Of course I'm happy. I'm happy to be back here playing in my first major event since 2017, when I won here," added Wu.
"It's pretty special for me, but I'm just trying to enjoy tennis, show everyone－including myself－that I can still play."
