China Defeats Belgium 2-1 at United Cup

China secured a 2-1 victory over Belgium at the United Cup on Saturday. The decisive point came from the mixed doubles match after a singles win by Zhang Zhizhen had leveled the tie.

Mixed Doubles Victory Seals Tie

Zhang Zhizhen and Zhu Lin partnered to defeat Zizou Bergs and Elise Mertens of Belgium in the deciding mixed doubles match, with a score of 5-7, 7-6(5), 10-6.

During the second set, China held a 5-1 lead before Belgium narrowed the margin. Belgium had opportunities to clinch the tie when the score was 6-5 30/30 in the second set and again at 5/5 in the second-set tie-break. Zhu Lin's defensive volleys were noted during a critical 5/5 point in the second-set tie-break. China subsequently established a lead in the Match Tie-break, securing the victory after captain Wu Di called a timeout at 9/6 before Zhang's final serve.

Zhu Lin commented on the partnership, stating it was their first time playing mixed doubles together and acknowledging Zhang Zhizhen's performance after his singles match.

Zhang Zhizhen's Singles Win

Earlier, Zhang Zhizhen defeated Zizou Bergs 6-7(2), 7-6(3), 7-5 in a two-hour and 53-minute singles match, which leveled the tie for China.

Zhang Zhizhen acknowledged Bergs' strong serve, noting its speed. He expressed satisfaction with his performance and perseverance in the match. The match featured no service breaks until 5-5 in the deciding set, when Bergs made an error, allowing Zhang to serve for the match.

Zhang Zhizhen, a former World No. 31, hit 12 aces and did not face a break point, despite Bergs delivering 18 aces. Zhang converted one of his 10 break point opportunities late in the match. He had previously missed six months of the last season due to a shoulder injury.

Mertens Secures Opening Point for Belgium

Elise Mertens had given Belgium an initial lead on the first day of play in Sydney, defeating China's Zhu Lin 6-2, 6-2 in Group B.

Mertens, the top-ranked Belgian player on the WTA Tour, completed her victory in one hour and 18 minutes. This marked her fourth win in five career meetings against Zhu.

Zhu Lin, who was ranked No. 493 in August 2025 and improved to No. 168 at the start of 2026 after reaching the fourth round of the WTA 1000 event in Montreal, was unable to overcome Mertens. Mertens broke Zhu's serve six times, winning five of the first six games and four consecutive games from 1-1 in the second set, despite landing less than 50% of her first serves in the second set.