Zhang Zhizhen writes new history by roaring into Halle ATP semis

BERLIN -- Chinese men's tennis ace Zhang Zhizhen set a new record in China's tennis history as he outlasted American Christopher Eubanks 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the semi-finals at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, Germany on Friday.

Zhang trailed 2-5 in the third set but rattled off five consecutive games to secure the victory, which makes him the first Chinese man to reach a tour-level semifinal on grass in the Open era.

"It started well in the first set, as I broke his serving game. But my serve was not quite stable in the second set. What's good was my mentality, as I didn't give up a bit when I fell behind 2-5 in the third set. So I'm quite proud of my performance today," said Zhang.

By reaching his second tour-level semi-final, Zhang has moved up nine places to No. 33 this week in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, setting himself up for a new career high.

The 28-year-old Chinese tennis player will next face world number one Jannik Sinner, who edged past Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff 6-2, 6-7(1), 7-6(3).

"I'm looking forward to the semifinal against Jannik, just like playing against Daniil (on Wednesday). We started from the futures tournaments around the same time, but now they (Jannik and Daniil) are top five players, so I want to know our gap in the match," added Zhang.