2019 AO Asia-Pac. Wildcard Play-off: Ze Zhang and Zhe Li reach final

The 2019 Australian Open Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-off at the Hengqin International Tennis Centre in Zhuhai is just one match from being completed, with the home players Ze Zhang and Zhe Li left in the chase for the title and the place in the main draw of the upcoming Australian Open that will kick off in seven weeks time. The 2nd seed Ze Zhang has defeated the 6th seed Kaichi Uchida 6-4 6-1 in 72 minutes, moving closer to his third Grand Slam main draw appearance. The Japanese earned a break in the third game but Zhang broke back at love in the following game with a backhand return winner, only to lose serve again in game five to stay behind. 

Servers were not at their best in the opening games of the match, with another break coming in game six to keep them locked at 3-3 before Zhang held in game seven with a backhand winner to move ahead. From 30-0 down in the ninth game, Zhang won four points in a row to bring the game home with a forehand winner and he earned the crucial break in game 10 after a well-constructed point and a few game points wasted by Uchida. Carried by this momentum, the Chinese secured a break at the start of the second set and he moved 5-1 up with an amazing forehand down the line winner that sealed the fate of Uchida in this encounter. 

Serving for the win in the seventh game, Zhang held at love and he sealed the deal with a service winner that sent him into the final match. There, he will meet the 3rd seed Zhe Li who is just a win away from making a Grand Slam debut at the age of 32 following a 7-6 6-3 win over the top seed Duck Hee Lee in an hour and 40 minutes. The 20-year-old Korean lost his serve in the very first game of the match after a double fault and he hit another one to drop serve in game three to send Li further in front. 

The youngster pulled one break back in the fourth game and he was back in the game after a forehand winner in game 10 that leveled the score for him at 5-5, reducing the deficit in the very last moment to prolong the set. Two good holds on both sides set up a tie break and it was Li who grabbed three straight points from 5-4 down to take the opener and build a huge momentum before the start of the second set. Serving at 3-4, Lee wasted game points and suffered a break that pushed the Chinese a game away from the win, but Li had to play against break points in the game that followed. From 40-15 down, he won four straight points to wrap up the win and book the place in an all-Chinese final that will determine the winner of the Australian Open wild card. Semi-final results:

[2]Ze Zhang (CHN / 220) vs [6]Kaichi Uchida (JPN / 283) 6-4 6-1 [3]Zhe Li (CHN / 256) vs [1]Duck Hee Lee (KOR / 203) 7-6(5) 6-3

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