French Open: China’s Zhang Zhizhen loses to former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas; Iga Świątek, Carlos Alcaraz ease through
- Zhang, who made history in Paris 12 months ago, lost 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 to the Greek hitter on Friday
- Tsitsipas wrapped up the match in just 91 minutes and will face Italian Matteo Arnaldi in the next round
China’s Zhang Zhizhen was beaten 6-3, 6-3, 6-1, by Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, who reached the fourth round of the French Open for the sixth year in a row.
The 2021 finalist sent down more than 30 winners to wrap up the match in just 91 minutes, setting up a meeting with Italian Matteo Arnaldi, who stunned sixth seed Andrey Rublev earlier on Friday.
Zhang became the first Chinese man in 86 years to win a main-draw match at Roland Garros last year en route to the third round, but could not improve on that showing as he was never able to set up a breakpoint chance.
“I’d assess today’s performance as one of the best matches I have played so far in this tournament,” Tsitsipas said. “It’s great to see myself in a position to get out there and play so effectively but also accurately at the same time.”
The ninth-ranked Tsitsipas came charging out of the gate, winning the first three games, and kept up the momentum as he broke Zhang on his second try in the opening game of the second set.
Tsitsipas played pristine tennis, producing just three unforced errors in the second set, as he broke Zhang again in the ninth game.
