Zhizhen Zhang's redemption: Remarkable comeback sees him prevail over Hurkacz in a thrilling Japan Open showdown

Zhizhen Zhang takes revenge from their Shanghai encounter and defeats Hubert Hurkacz to advance to the second round of the Japan Open with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(4).

The recent champion of the Masters 1000 Shanghai Open quickly traveled to Tokyo to make his debut in the first round of the ATP 500 Japan Open. The points obtained by Hurkacz allowed him to climb to world No. 11, although he is still more than 500 points away from the top 10.

In his opening match, he faced one of his opponents from the previous week, Chinese player Zhang Zhizhen (57th) in a round of 16 match that was decided in the third-set tie-break (7-6, 4-6, 7-6). The 27-year-old Chinese player was seeking revenge, having a 2-0 head-to-head advantage over Hurkacz.

The Polish player had a slow start, conceding his service in the first game. With a break in his favor, Zhang took the lead in the early games, going up 3-1. However, Hurkacz gained an advantage with his service, capitalized on his opponent's errors, and won the next five games to take the set 6-3.

In the second set, Zhang suffered another break that put Hurkacz in a 2-0 lead, totaling seven consecutive games won. Despite the favorable position for the Polish player, Zhang improved both his serving and defensive play, putting pressure on Hurkacz's second serve, winning 67% of those points compared to Hubi's 40%.

In the sixth game, Zhang staged a comeback, securing a break and significantly raising his level. The Chinese player managed to recover by extending rallies with Hurkacz, particularly targeting his backhand, which proved effective. With a score of 5-4, Zhang gained confidence with the support of the crowd and secured the break that gave him the second set 6-4.

Hurkacz took a toilet break at the end of the set, and after the short pause, the deciding set was evenly contested, with both players holding serve well. It wasn't until the seventh game that the first break opportunities of the set appeared, but Hurkacz couldn't capitalize on the only three chances he had.

The match progressed to the tie-break, where Zhang took the lead with two mini-breaks, moving ahead 4-0. The Polish player went all-in, hitting powerful shots that gave him hope, recovering both mini-breaks to level the score at 4-5. Zhang then gave his all during the next two serves by Hurkacz and won two rallies that secured the victory with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(4).

In the second round of the tournament, Zhang will face Aslan Karatsev (50th), who caused an upset in the first round by defeating the 6th seed Frances Tiafoe (14th).