Chinese player Zhang Zhizhen failed to move one step further at the Monte Carlo Masters as he was defeated by the 14th seed Ugo Humbert of France 6-1, 6-4 in the second round on Wednesday. After the one-sided opening set, Zhang raised his performance in the second, managing to hold his first four games to push the set to 4-4. But two consecutive double faults in the ninth game allowed Humbert an easy break, which also buried Zhang's hope to turn the match around. Humbert led significantly in winners 21 to 13. Zhang, on the other hand, committed 17 unforced errors, over triple that of his opponent. This tournament, the first ATP 1000 event of the clay season, had never had a player from the Chinese mainland in its main draw before Zhang. This year, Zhang was able to enter the main draw as a replacement following Rafael Nadal's withdrawal due to injury. 27-year-old Zhang dispatched American player Marcos Giron on the previous day. Humbert, currently ranked 15th in the world, has been in exceptional form this season, having won championships in Marseille and Dubai. Reigning champion Andrey Rublev suffered a shocking defeat as the Russian sixth seed was upset by Australia's Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 6-4. Other high-ranked players including Italian rising star and second seed Jannik Sinner, Russian player Daniil Medvedev, and Norway's clay master Casper Ruud, successfully made it to the round of 16. |
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry share lead in team event at TPC of LouisianaIndonesia and Japan advance at U23 Asian Cup. South Korea out of contention for Paris OlympicsSaints take Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga 14th overall in the NFL DraftFrustrated with Brazil's Lula, Indigenous peoples march to demand land recognitionAvalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev hoping confidence boost carries into Game 3 against JetsSteelers bolster offensive line, take Troy Fautanu from Washington with 20th pick in NFL draftStephen Curry wins NBA's Clutch Player of the Year, adding to his trophy collectionThe 49ers take Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall with the 30th pick in the NFL draftMore than 50 aerospace information companies registered in Xiong'an New Area: officialI'm a psychologist