Zhang Ze (; ; born July 4, 1990), is a Chinese former professional tennis player. Zhang's career highlights include reaching the quarterfinals of the 2012 China Open (defeating Richard Gasquet en route), playing the Australian Open main draw in two consecutive years (2014 and 2015), and teaming up with Roger Federer to play doubles at the 2013 Shanghai Rolex Masters.

Career Zhang's early years were spent on the ITF Circuit throughout Asia. In February 2008, Zhang made his first appearance in the qualifying draw of an ATP Challenger tournament in Melbourne, defeating Mikal Statham. In the second round, Zhang lost to Nima Roshan.

On 28 March 2010, Zhang won the first single's title of his professional career in an ITF Futures event in Mengzi City, China. He defeated Riccardo Ghedin. Just under two months later, on 22 May, Zhang reached his first final on the Challenger Tour in Fergana, Uzbekistan, after entering as a qualifier. He lost to Evgeny Kirillov.

In 2010, Zhang became, for the first time in his career, Chinese champion in both singles and doubles of the QuanYunHui. He was selected to play for China’s Davis Cup team.

On 22 May 2011, exactly a year to the day of his first final on the Challenger Tour, Zhang won his second ITF single's title by defeating Lee Hsin-han in Guiyang, China.

He played the qualifying rounds at the 2012 Wimbledon, and the 2012 US Open, where he made it to the second round but lost.

In the 2012 China Open, Zhang defeated world No.14 Richard Gasquet in the second round, before he lost to Florian Mayer on the following day.

In October 2013, Zhang teamed up with Roger Federer at the 2013 Shanghai Rolex Masters. They beat Kevin Anderson and Dmitry Tursunov. However, the pair were defeated in the second round.

In January 2014, Zhang qualified in men's singles for the 2014 Australian Open, his first grand slam tournament. In the first round he lost to world No. 33 and 31-seed Fernando Verdasco in four sets.

In January 2015, 187-ranked Zhang earned one of eight wildcards to the 2015 Australian Open men's singles main draw. Zhang was the highest-ranked men's singles player from China at the time and was the only China representative in men's singles, men's doubles, and mixed doubles (male). In singles he lost in the first round to unseeded Australian two-time Grand Slam winner Lleyton Hewitt, ranked 87 in the world at the time, in four sets. In men's doubles, Zhang and partner Lee Hsin-han of Taiwan were given a wildcard to the main draw and faced number 2 seeds Julien Benneteau and Édouard Roger-Vasselin of France in the first round and lost in straight sets. In mixed doubles, Zhang and partner Chang Kai-Chen of Taiwan were given a wildcard to the main draw and they advanced to the second round.

In October 2015, Zhang was one of three players to receive a wildcard into the main draw of the China Open. After upsetting Denis Istomin in the first round, Zhang was defeated by world No.1 and defending champion Novak Djokovic, who went on to win the tournament for the sixth time. Despite a comfortable win for Djokovic, he heaped praise on the youngster, saying he has "Top 100 stuff."

Challenger and Futures finals

Singles: 26 (10–16) Legend (singles)ATP Challenger Tour (2–5)ITF Futures Tour (8–11)Titles by surfaceHard (9–16)Clay (1–0)Grass (0–0)Carpet (0–0)

ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScoreLoss0–1China F2, ShenzhenFuturesHard Zeng Shaoxuan4–6, 0–2 ret.Loss0–2China F3, TaizhouFuturesHard Gong Maoxin3–6, 6–4, 4–6Loss0–3Israel F2, EilatFuturesHard Andrej Martin1–6, 1–6Win1–3China F2, MengziFuturesHard Riccardo Ghedin6–1, 6–4Loss1–4Korea F3, ChangwonFuturesHard Jordan Cox4–6, 3–6Loss1–5Fergana, UzbekistanChallengerHard Evgeny Kirillov3–6, 6–2, 2–6Loss1–6China F2, MengziFuturesHard Gong Maoxin1–6, 7–6(7–3), 2–6Win2–6China F6, GuiyangFuturesHard (i) Lee Hsin-han6–1, 6–0Win3–6China F7, ShenzhenFuturesHard An Jae-sung6–4, 6–2Loss3–7China F2, ShenzhenFuturesHard Austin Krajicek6–3, 3–6, 6–7(4–7)Loss3–8Australia F1, ToowoombaFuturesHard Érik Chvojka2–6, 6–1, 6–7(4–7)Win4–8China F5, ChengduFuturesHard Wu Di7–6(7–3), 6–3Loss4–9China F6, ChengduFuturesHard Wu Di1–6, 6–7(6–8)Win5–9Netherlands F3, BredaFuturesClay Thiemo de Bakker6–4, 3–6, 6–4Win6–9Kazakhstan F1, AktobeFuturesHard (i) Marek Semjan6–2, 6–7(6–8), 6–1Loss6–10Kazakhstan F2, AktobeFuturesHard (i) Marek Semjan3–6, 7–6(7–5), 2–6Win7–10China F3, YuxiFuturesHard Chung Hyeon7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–3)Win8–10China F5, ChengduFuturesHard Dzmitry Zhyrmont3–6, 6–3, 6–2Loss8–11China F10, Xi'anFuturesHard Li Zhe2–6, 6–2, 4–6Loss8–12Kyoto, JapanChallengerHard (i) Yūichi Sugita7–5, 3–6, 4–6Loss8–13Zhuhai, China, P.R.ChallengerHard Thomas Fabbiano7–5, 1–6, 3–6Win9–13San Francisco, USAChallengerHard (i) Vasek Pospisil7–5, 3–6, 6–2Loss9–14Zhangjiagang, China, P.R.ChallengerHard Jason Jung4–6, 6–2, 4–6Loss9–15Shenzhen, China, P.R.ChallengerHard Ilya Ivashka4–6, 2–6Win10–15Chengdu, China, P.R.ChallengerHard Henri Laaksonen2–6, 5–2 ret.Loss10–16Greece, HeraklionFuturesHard Ryan Peniston4–6, 1–6

Doubles: 36 (16–20) Legend (doubles)ATP Challenger Tour (11–13)ITF Futures Tour (5–7)Titles by surfaceHard (14–16)Clay (1–3)Grass (1–1)Carpet (0–0)

ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreLoss0–1China F2, ShenzhenFuturesHard Zeng Shaoxuan Rylan Rizza Kaes Van't Hof3–6, 2–6Win1–1Australia F2, BerriFuturesGrass Zeng Shaoxuan Kaden Hensel Adam Hubble6–3, 3–6, [10–6]Win2–1China F5, ChongqingFuturesHard Zeng Shaoxuan Chen I-ta Yi Chu-huan7–5, 7–6(7–5)Loss2–2China F6, JiaxingFuturesHard Zeng Shaoxuan Gong Maoxin Xue Feng7–6(7–4), 6–7(5–7), [7–10]Win3–2France F13, Bagnères-de-BigorreFuturesHard Gong Maoxin Fabrice Martin Adil Shamasdin6–4, 6–4Loss3–3Israel F1, EilatFuturesHard Wu Di Andrej Martin Miloslav Mečíř2–6, 3–6Loss3–4Azerbaijan F2, BakuFuturesHard (i) Wu Di Matwé Middelkoop Antal van der Duim6–7(8–10), 5–7Win4–4China F3, ChongqingFuturesHard Wu Di Gong Maoxin Li Zhe6–3, 1–6, [10–8]Loss4–5Astana, KazakhstanChallengerHard (i) Wu Di Mikhail Elgin Nikolaus Moser0–6, 4–6Loss4–6Wuhai, China, P.R.ChallengerHard Feng He Lee Hsin-han Yang Tsung-hua2–6, 6–7(4–7)Loss4–7Ningbo, China, P.R.ChallengerHard Gong Maoxin Sanchai Ratiwatana Sonchat Ratiwatana4–6, 2–6Loss4–8Kazakhstan F2, AktobeFuturesHard (i) Gong Maoxin Victor Baluda Mate Pavić2–6, 3–6Loss4–9Beijing, China, P.R.ChallengerHard Gong Maoxin Toshihide Matsui Danai Udomchoke6–4, 6–7(6–8), [8–10]Loss4–10Prague, Czech RepublicChallengerClay Lee Hsin-han Roman Jebavý Jiří Veselý1–6, 3–6Win5–10Chengdu, China, P.R.ChallengerHard Gong Maoxin Gao Xin Li Zhe6–3, 4–6, [13–11]Loss5–11Qingdao, China, P.R.ChallengerClay Gong Maoxin Danilo Petrović Tak Khunn Wang2–6, 6–4, [5–10]Loss5–12San Francisco, USAChallengerHard (i) Gong Maoxin Matt Reid John-Patrick Smith7–6(7–4), 5–7, [7–10]Win6–12Zhuhai, China, P.R.ChallengerHard Gong Maoxin Ruan Roelofse Yi Chu-huan6–3, 7–6(7–4)Loss6–13Suzhou, China, P.R.ChallengerHard Gong Maoxin Gao Xin Sun Fajing6–7(5–7), 6–4, [7–10]Loss6–14Qujing, China, P.R.ChallengerHard Wu Di Aliaksandr Bury Peng Hsien-yin7–6(7–3), 4–6, [10–12]Win7–14Nanchang, China, P.R.ChallengerClay (i) Gong Maoxin Ruben Gonzales Christopher Rungkat3–6, 7–6(9–7), [10–7]Loss7–15Anning, China, P.R.ChallengerClay Gong Maoxin Aliaksandr Bury Lloyd Harris3–6, 4–6Win8–15Recanati, ItalyChallengerHard Gong Maoxin Gonzalo Escobar Fernando Romboli2–6, 7–6(7–5), [10–8]Win9–15Chengdu, China, P.R.ChallengerHard Gong Maoxin Mikhail Elgin Yaraslav Shyla6–4, 6–4Win10–15Zhangjiagang, China, P.R.ChallengerHard Gong Maoxin Bradley Mousley Akira Santillanw/oWin11–15Shanghai, China, P.R.ChallengerHard Gong Maoxin Hua Runhao Zhang Zhizhen6–4, 3–6, [10–4]Win12–15Ningbo, China, P.R.ChallengerHard Gong Maoxin Hsieh Cheng-peng Christopher Rungkat7–5, 2–6, [10–5]Win13–15Liuzhou, China, P.R.ChallengerHard Gong Maoxin Hsieh Cheng-peng Christopher Rungkat6–3, 2–6, [10–3]Win14–15Bangkok, ThailandChallengerHard Gong Maoxin Hsieh Cheng-peng Christopher Rungkat6–4, 6–4Win15–15Zhuhai, China, P.R.ChallengerHard Gong Maoxin Max Purcell Luke Saville6–4, 6–4Loss15–16Nottingham, Great BritainChallengerGrass Gong Maoxin Santiago González Aisam Qureshi6–4, 6–7(5–7), [5–10]Loss15–17Yokkaichi, JapanChallengerHard Gong Maoxin Nam Ji-sung Song Min-kyu3–6, 6–3, [12–14]Loss15–18Bangkok, ThailandChallengerHard Gong Maoxin Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela Gonzalo Escobar3–6, 3-6Loss15–19M15 Heraklion, GreeceWorld Tennis TourHard Hua Runhao Petros Chrysochos Mark Whitehouse6–4, 2–6; [6–10]Loss15–20M15 Heraklion, GreeceWorld Tennis TourHard Hua Runhao Yuki Mochizuki Takuto Niki3–6, 4–6Win16–20M15 Heraklion, GreeceWorld Tennis TourHard Hua Runhao Makoto Ochi Volodymyr Uzhylovskyi6–2, 6–7(6–8), [10–7]

References

External links