BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Zhang Zhizhen became the first male player from the Chinese mainland to break into the top 100 in the ATP live rankings after advancing into the quarterfinals of the Napoli Cup on Thursday.
The qualifier started the day with a 6-4, 7-6 (8) win over Hungary's Marton Fucsovics in the first round, before knocking out sixth seed Sebastian Baez of Argentina 7-6 (5), 7-6 (11) in the second to lift his live ranking to No. 96.
"Today's win was tough for me, I played two matches and three tiebreakers in one day," Zhang said. "Being in the top 100 for the first time is a small step for me, but a big step for us."
Zhang will next face America's Mackenzie McDonald in the quarterfinals, after he defeated Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 6-4. ■
