China's Zhang reaches first ATP Tour final, faces Cilic in Hangzhou

Zhang Zhizhen advanced to his first ATP Tour final on Monday at the Hangzhou Open, where he defeated countryman Buyunchaokete 7-6(3), 6-4 to become just the third Chinese man in history to reach a tour-level championship match.

Competing against wild card Buyunchaokete in the first all-Chinese ATP Tour semi-final, the sixth seed Zhang raised his level on serve at the crucial moments. The 27-year-old saved all four break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and fired 10 aces to earn the biggest win of his season after one hour and 40 minutes.

"It was a great match," Zhang said. "His performance was really good. In two sets, it was one break. It was a bit lucky but I am happy with the result today."

Zhang joins 2023 Dallas champion Wu Yibing and this week’s Chengdu finalist Shang Juncheng as the third Chinese ATP Tour finalist.

"We keep going. We try to play our best and try our best. Also for Shang, to try his best and we will see," Zhang said.

Zhang, who had lost his two previous tour-level semi-finals in Hamburg and Halle, has dropped just one set en route to the title match in Hangzhou. Up to No. 41 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, the Chinese star will meet Marin Cilic in the final.

Earlier, Cilic reached his first ATP Tour final in two years, moving past American Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 7-6(6).

The Croatian wild card, who arrived in Hangzhou at No. 777 in the PIF ATP Rankings, saved two set points in the second set tie-break to become the second lowest-ranked finalist in ATP Tour history.

“I needed to be focused every point. I needed to find a way to find my game and battle against my opponent," Cilic said after his one-hour, 46-minute win. "It was physical. I was 4/6 behind in the tie-break. I played a great point [at 5/6] and came back. Great spirit, great fight and great tennis.”

Marin BACK on the main stage 🏟

It’s a first ATP final since 2022 for @MarinCilic as he defeats Nakashima 6-4 7-6(6)!@HangzhouOpen | #HangzhouOpen pic.twitter.com/TJ2EUI6AU0

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 23, 2024

Cilic has reached at least one tour-level title match in 14 different seasons since 2008 and will aim to win his first ATP Tour trophy since October 2021 (St. Petersburg) when he faces Zhang.

“It is such a great pleasure to come here. I arrived quite early and have enjoyed the city, the atmosphere,” Cilic said. “It has been an incredible week so far.”

The 35-year-old Cilic is competing in his first ATP Tour event since Buenos Aires in February, after which he was sidelined with a knee injury for several months. The former World No. 3 is aiming to clinch his 21st title and 16th on hard courts.

Nakashima was playing at a career-high No. 39 in the PIF ATP Rankings following his run to the fourth round at the US Open. The former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion was trying to reach his first tour-level final of the season.