Zhou Yi: Believing in my ability to win, I have made significant psychological progress this year.

On September 17th Beijing time, Chinese young talent Zhou Yi battled fiercely against former world No.8 British star Norrie in the first round of the ATP250 Chengdu men's singles. After saving a match point in the deciding set, he came back to win 6-7(3)/6-4/7-6(2), securing the first victory for Chinese players in this year’s China season.

After the match, Zhou Yi’s first feeling was “finally I can have a good sleep.” Last week, he traveled to Ireland representing China in the Davis Cup and helped the team advance to the World Group I Play-offs with a win. “I just arrived in Chengdu yesterday morning and I’m still very tired. It feels incredible. Before the match, I believed I could win, but when it actually happened, I was just very happy and moved for myself.”

In this match, Zhou Yi’s serving was outstanding, delivering 22 aces in total. He was surprised by his own serving performance but objectively acknowledged his serve has great potential. “I definitely can’t maintain this level every match, but since I’ve done it once, I see it as a goal to keep improving and getting better each time.”

Last year, as a rookie on the tour, Zhou Yi achieved his first ATP main draw singles victory in Chengdu. Winning again this year, he admitted Chengdu has become his “lucky place.” “Besides tennis, Chengdu is my favorite city. I have visited several times with friends. Last year, I was very excited playing on the center court, but my first win was due to my opponent’s withdrawal. This year, I hoped to win by my own ability over a full match, and today I did. I think part of this success should be credited to this ‘lucky place.’”

Zhou Yi confessed that this year competing at the professional adult level has brought major mental growth, allowing him to overcome difficult situations. “Last year was my first pro year, and I was quite excited playing on the tour with that mindset. This year, I played many challengers, with wins and losses, smooth times and tough moments. I feel I’ve made great progress mentally, which helps me handle challenges better. Even today, when my opponent had a match point, I believed I could save it and keep fighting.”

(Text and editing by Dato, photos provided by the tournament)