Hangzhou witnessed a historic moment on Saturday as Zhang Zhizhen fought his way back to become the first Chinese men's singles tennis champion at the Asian Games since 1994.
His victory came at the expense of Japan's Yosuke Watanuki, cementing his place in the annals of Chinese tennis history.
Zhang's triumph caps an impressive run of form over the past few months. He made headlines by becoming the first Chinese man to defeat a top-five player when he bested Casper Ruud at the US Open, advancing to the last 32. This achievement was followed by a strong showing at this year's French Open, where he reached the same stage.
In a thrilling showdown in Hangzhou, the 26-year-old Shanghai native found himself in a slow start, trailing 4-1 in the first set after conceding two breaks to the 77th-ranked Watanuki. However, Zhang rallied, winning the next five games to secure the first set.
In the second set, he held his serve in a crucial seventh game, ultimately pushing the match into a tiebreak. With the crowd roaring behind him, Zhang converted his third match point, celebrating with an exuberant toss of his racket.
Reflecting on his performance, Zhang remarked, "In the first set, I told myself to calm down because I was rushing too much. And in the second set, to be patient, keep going, keep going all the time, and try to find some chances."
In another tennis triumph for India, 43-year-old Rohan Bopanna, a former Grand Slam mixed doubles champion, added to his illustrious career by securing the mixed doubles gold with Rutuja Bhosale.
They defeated Taiwan's Liang En-shuo and Huang Tsung-hao after a super-tiebreak, with a final score of 2-6, 6-3, 10-4.
Meanwhile, Chan Hao-ching and Chang Yung-jan claimed gold in the women's doubles, defeating fellow Taiwanese pair Lee Ya-hsuan and Liang with a score of 6-4, 6-3.
