ATP Tour

World No. 277 Zhou of China stuns Musetti in Shanghai

Zhou Yi will never forget this day.

The No. 277 player in the PIF ATP Rankings stunned former World No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti 7-6(7), 3-6, 7-6(1) on Friday evening at the Rolex Shanghai Masters to reach the third round at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time.

“It’s been amazing. It’s hard to describe. It’s got to be one of the toughest matches I’ve played,” the 21-year-old from China said. “I really enjoy the process and I’m really happy to still stay on this court the next two days. I’m really happy to see myself play on the centre court again and see myself improve.”

Zhou, a wild card, became the third-lowest-ranked player to reach the third round in Rolex Shanghai Masters history, having won a final-set tie-break in his first-round match against Mattia Bellucci.

The home favourite will next take on Hubert Hurkacz, who ousted Novak Djokovic on Friday. It will be the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

Zhou hit 14 aces and saved four of the five break points he faced against Musetti, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to triumph in two hours and 28 minutes.

“I prefer playing aggressive, but I know that the only way the outcome is going to be on my side is for me to play my game,” Zhou said. “I cannot follow what he’s doing. He’s an incredible player, but I need to show him that I’m also capable of standing on the other side of the court.”