Zhang Zhizheng
On June 22, Beijing Time, in the semifinals of the 2024 ATP 500 Halle tournament, Chinese player Zhang Zhizheng missed a set point in the second set and lost 4-6, 6-7(3) to the newly crowned world number one Jannik Sinner, ending his run to the final. With his quarterfinal performance, Zhang will reach a career-high ranking of No. 33 next week and enter Wimbledon as a seed (No. 26, Lech Karachev withdrew), becoming the first Chinese male tennis player in the Open Era to be seeded at a Grand Slam!
Jannik Sinner
This was the first encounter between the two players in their careers. In the opening set, both players held their serves firmly, resulting in a 4-4 tie after eight games. At the crucial moment, Sinner raised his level, breaking and holding serve to take the set 6-4. In the second set, there were some fluctuations in their service games, but both managed to hold, with Zhang wasting a set point in the twelfth game, leading to a 6-6 deadlock. In the ensuing tiebreak, Sinner proved to be in better form, sealing the victory 7-3, thus defeating Zhang 2-0 in sets and advancing to the final.
Reaching the Halle final marks Sinner’s first grass court championship match in his career. He will face Hubert Hurkacz for the title, who earlier defeated second seed Alexander Zverev 7-6(2), 6-4 to reach his second tour-level final of the season.