Zhang ousted by Humbert at Monte Carlo Masters
Chinese player Zhang Zhizhen failed to move one step further at the Monte Carlo Masters as he was defeated by the 14th seed Ugo Humbert of France 6-1, 6-4 in the second round on Wednesday.
After the one-sided opening set, Zhang raised his performance in the second, managing to hold his first four games to push the set to 4-4. But two consecutive double faults in the ninth game allowed Humbert an easy break, which also buried Zhang's hope to turn the match around.
Humbert led significantly in winners 21 to 13. Zhang, on the other hand, committed 17 unforced errors, over triple that of his opponent.
This tournament, the first ATP 1000 event of the clay season, had never had a player from the Chinese mainland in its main draw before Zhang. This year, Zhang was able to enter the main draw as a replacement following Rafael Nadal's withdrawal due to injury.
27-year-old Zhang dispatched American player Marcos Giron on the previous day. Humbert, currently ranked 15th in the world, has been in exceptional form this season, having won championships in Marseille and Dubai.
Reigning champion Andrey Rublev suffered a shocking defeat as the Russian sixth seed was upset by Australia's Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 6-4.
Other high-ranked players including Italian rising star and second seed Jannik Sinner, Russian player Daniil Medvedev, and Norway's clay master Casper Ruud, successfully made it to the round of 16.