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CHINA OPEN

September 30, 2019

Zhang Zhizhen

Beijing, China

ZHANG ZHIZHEN/K. Edmund

6-4, 3-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What is the reason you think you lost the second set?
ZHANG ZHIZHEN: Well, the game he broke me, he was playing pretty good. Then I have a little bit my serve down. I don't have a chance to break him. That's the reason, I think.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Chinese.

Q. Congratulations on the first win in an ATP 500 event. Any thoughts on that win?
ZHANG ZHIZHEN: Well, overall, I rarely play this kind of player, I mean, top player. I didn't think too much. I was able to break his serve in the first set. It went very well in the first set. I was surprised.

He did very well with his serve in the second set. I didn't have any breakpoints.

In the third set, I tried to be more aggressive. Luckily I won the match.

Q. At 5-2, people were panicking a little bit. Eventually you won the match. This is a good way to start this week. Talk about your mentality in the tiebreak.
ZHANG ZHIZHEN: Well, I was a little bit panicking at 3-1. If I lost that point, I was really frustrated with myself.

When we made it up to 5-4, I lost two points. I didn't think I would lose two points in a row, I thought I would only lose one point.

At 5-4, I told myself, If you get one more point, you can win it.

At 6-4, before the serve, I thought I should just go for it.

Everything went according to plan.

Q. You were in Zhuhai last week, then in Beijing you've been playing several top hundred players in a row. Can you share your thoughts on playing with these players in the past two weeks. Anything you've learned?
ZHANG ZHIZHEN: Yes, the first time to play top hundred players two weeks in a row. Of course I've learned. Before I felt like I wasn't able to return their serves, but I've been improving. I felt I was able to hold the rallies from the baseline.

In terms of my serve, how to hold my serve, I've learned a lot. I'm also more clear with my plans to hold my serve.

Q. You mentioned that your goal is to make it into the top 150 and next year top 100. I think your ranking is 178. Do you feel like you need to adjust your goals this year if you want to make it into the top 100? What do you need to do?
ZHANG ZHIZHEN: I'm not so sure about my real-time ranking. It's still 178. I haven't reached my goal this year yet. Why should I change my goal?

If you reach the top 100 it's even more difficult to make it further. I think within 150, there's a long way to go to 100.

Q. Chinese players have had this problem that they have one breakthrough in a year, but it was hard to make several breakthroughs in a row. I was wondering if you feel like you are a professional player on this tour with great results?
ZHANG ZHIZHEN: Well, just looking at the result, I think I might qualify for that. But there's also an element of luck in every tournament.

I feel like I have the ability to compete with these players. I wasn't sure I could be consistent in all these events. On the tour you need to win not only one and two matches, but you need to win three and four matches in a row. I haven't been able to do that.

Q. In your previous interviews you mentioned the great role of your manager in having an impact on your career. I was wondering if you go to the challengers in Europe, which is quite different, could you talk about the role of your manager in your career.
ZHANG ZHIZHEN: Our collaboration has been very consistent. Talking about the help from my manager, in terms of coaching advice, he can find coaches for me as well as giving advice on my schedule every year.

When I win or lose, I would receive encouragement as well. I think it's great support from him.

Q. We all understand you have to make a lot of effort if you want to make good results. You mentioned that your coach has been the largest motivation for you to practice. What kind of practice did you do?
ZHANG ZHIZHEN: Talking about the most grueling practice we've gone through, in the practice I've changed seven to eight shirts, three to four shorts in a two-hour practice. You could imagine how hard it was.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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