Zhang Zhizhen of China returns a shot with a backhand against Luca Nardi of Italy during the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 9, 2024 in Indian Wells, California. (PHOTO / AFP)

WASHINGTON - Chinese player Zhang Zhizhen staged a comeback, defeating American player Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-7(2), 6-3, and 7-5 to advance to the second round of the Indian Wells Masters on Friday.

"Last year, I had to fight my way through the qualifiers, but this year, being able to enter the main draw based on my ranking, I'm really happy," said Zhang after the match.

"I had a bit of struggle in the first set, so I'm glad to win the match in the end. The process wasn't easy, but I played more decisively in the third set," Zhang added.

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Promising star Shang Juncheng of China was defeated by Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan 4-6 and 1-6, exiting in the second round.

"I think today's match was quite one-sided in terms of the overall score, and my physical condition wasn't as good as it was in the past few days because I didn't have enough rest time during these days, and the matches I played from the qualifiers were very tough," Shang said.

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"Overall, there were still many positive aspects to this tournament. I think I played well, especially falling ill after the Australian Open, so being able to return to the tour now makes me very happy," Shang added.