PERTH, Australia: Zheng Qinwen continued her strong start to the season on Sunday night, but China fell to a Novak Djokovic-led Serbia at the mixed-team United Cup in Perth, reported Xinhua.
Having swept aside the Czech Republic in their group opener, China had the opportunity to reach the quarterfinals directly, but the irrepressible Djokovic beat Zhang Zhizhen in the men’s singles before taking charge in the decisive mixed doubles.
Djokovic partnered with Olga Danilovic to down Zhang/Zheng 6-4, 1-6, 10-6 as the match finished just before midnight.
After a breakout season in 2023, Zhang entered with confidence in his daunting matchup with Djokovic, having beaten higher-ranked Czech Jiri Lehecka in a three-set thriller.
But 58th-ranked Zhang had a reality check against the peerless Djokovic, who won 6-3, 6-2 in 72 minutes.
Djokovic dominated on serve, but Zhang was undaunted and showcased his power to trade blows early.
It was not long until Djokovic blew the match open by hitting the lines with pinpoint accuracy. He finished the match in the same way it started with an ace, gifting Serbia an early lead in the Group E tie.
“I was a little bit rusty at the beginning. I was out of the tempo, rhythm for maybe the first five, six games,“ Djokovic said. “He was serving well, and he had nothing much to lose.”
Zheng, ranked 15th, defeated No. 119 Danilovic 6-4, 6-2 in the women’s singles.
The 21-year-old continued her impressive start to the season, having stunned Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the group opener.
Zheng shrugged off a slow start to clinch a hard-fought opening set before taking control to keep China alive in the tie.
“I was under pressure needing a win, but I had a great performance and I’m happy with myself,“ she said. –Bernama-Xinhua
