Back for the field and in faith, Zhang Zhizhen returns these two weeks to his hometown for the Rolex Shanghai Masters, who likes to display the magic who made him a history maker only two years ago.
This year, Zhang was put offside for six months with a shoulder problem, but is now fit and ready to return to a location steeped in personal and national significance.
Zhang’s Rise found new heights in 2023, a breakthrough year in which the resident of Shanghai rewrote the record books for Chinese tennis. He became the first Chinese man to reach the quarterfinals during an ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid, later rising to a career-high no. 52 in the PIF ATP ranking.
His run continued on the Grand Slam stage at the US Open, where he stunned Casper Ruud to be the first man from China to add a top 5 opponent to add.
The Dream Summer led him to Shanghai, where the hero of the hometown has fed local support to rise to the fourth round, another national first at this level. He conquered Richard Gasquet, Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Brandon Nakashima before he fell at the final champion Hubert Hurkacz.
“If people see us doing something and then try to follow us, that’s great news for us,” Zhang told Atptour.com earlier this season. “Most Chinese people watch table tennis or badminton at the Olympic Games, no tennis. But suddenly they watch live on TV.
“Immediately more people know to try to play us and more people, try to teach. That’s really good.”
View Zhang Nakashima beat to make the history of Shanghai in 2023:
Zhang’s efforts have laid a powerful foundation for the next generation. In 2024 Zhang broke into the top 50 and climbed to no. 31, a new flood marking for Chinese Herentennis. He also reached his Maiden ATP Tour final in Hangzhou and went on to another Masters 1000 quarter-final in Rome.
Now 28, Zhang sees a strong finish to 2025 after his return earlier this month in Hangzhou with a cross -trusting victory over Countryman Buyunchaokete. And there is no better place to continue that comeback than in Shanghai.
He will not be alone at the hard court tournament. Zhang leads a strong Chinese contingent to the penultimate Masters 1000 event of the season, where he will be accompanied by countrymen Shang Juncheng, Wu Yibing and Zhou Yi.
#NEXTGENATP SHANG also rebuilt after a six -month dismissal due to a foot injury. The 20-year-old Lefty made a splash last season by winning his first ATP title in Chengdu, with a career-high no. 47. Last year Shang reached the second round in Shanghai.
In the meantime, Wu is continuing his own revival. The 25-year-old, who wrote history on the 2023 Dallas Open as China’s first ATP Tour Titlist, reached the semi-final in Hangzhou earlier this month and won his sixth ATP Challenger title in June. In 2024 he enjoyed a third round run in home in Shanghai.
“It means everything, especially at home,” Wu said after his hangzhou run. “It’s a long years ago. I had to fight so much physically. Winning three games in a row really meant a lot.”
Defending champion Jannik Sinner, World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and Serbian Novak Djokovic Leiden a stacked field in Shanghai, where the tournament runs from 1-12 October.
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