Top Chinese player Zhizhen Zhang unable to move past Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

Zhizhen Zhang, the highest ranked Chinese male player, fell short on Friday against Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina during the first round of the China Open tournament. The packed home crowd rallied for Zhang throughout the match, but it was not enough as Davidovich Fokina took the win 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

Zhang was the higher ranked player coming into the match at World No. 41. He was coming off his best career result after reaching his first ATP Tour final in Hangzhou. A Chinese man has never been past the quarterfinals in the China Open, and Zhang was one of two remaining male Chinese players in the tournament prior to the match.

The peak of Davidovich Fokina’s career came in 2022 when he defeated then-World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo, breaking the Serb nine times which is still the most Djokovic has been broken in a best-of-3 match. This was en route to a final appearance, which is his best finish in an ATP Tour tournament.

The crowd was one of the biggest so far at the tournament. Throughout the match, chants and cheers echoed throughout the stadium in favor of Zhang. The first game set the tone, spanning 21 points with Davidovich Fokina emerging victorious. The set went to deuce three times, and the Spaniard won each time. Although he won the set 6-3, it was much tighter than the score showed. Davidovich Fokina won only six more points than Zhang in nine games.

The second set was very even once again as both players held serve for the first eight games. Zhang snapped the streak, breaking Davidovich Fokina’s serve in the next game and holding to win the set 6-4. Zhang’s first serve was a huge asset during the set, winning 15 of his 18 points on the first serve. Zhang received some medical attention to his right arm between games and headed to the locker room for a brief period prior to the third set.

“The right elbow, there was some inflammation,” Zhang said after the match. “When I was serving, forehand, backhand, I wasn’t feeling comfortable.”

Davidovich Fokina dominated with his serve in the third set as he won 17 of his 22 points on serves. Zhang was unable to break his opponent’s serve but had his own serve broken twice, coming in the first and the final games. The crowd lost its spirit as it watched Zhang fall further from a possible victory, and everyone but Davidovich Fokina seemed to run out of steam at the end.

Davidovich Fokina will meet No. 4 seed Andrey Rublev in the second round on Sunday.

—Reporting by Ryan Loomer