A long-standing record was broken in the first round of Roland Garros on Monday as male Chinese entrants participated in the main draw for the first time since 1937.
The record was not just broken but obliterated as three ATP players took part in first-round matches in Paris. Shang Juncheng, Wu Yibing and Zhang Zhizhen were the players who progressed, although the Chinese participants experienced mixed success, with only Zhang getting through to the second round.
Zhang's victory came as he led Dusan Lajovic by one set before the Croatian had to retire late into the second set. The world number 71 was cheered on by small numbers of Chinese fans in the crowd and he said after the victory that he is determined to go further in the competition.
"I mean, we have so many (people) waiting for us to get the first win. Just step (by) step, and then we can get a lot of wins."
However, Juncheng and Yibing were not so successful after suffering first-round losses at Roland Garros. Juncheng played out an epic five-set contest and gave up a two-set lead against Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas, while Wu lost in straight sets to Roberto Bautista Agut.
The trio's historic moment at the 2023 French Open comes amidst periods of sustained success for the Chinese ATP players in recent years. All three players made the first round of the Australian Open in January and Wu became the first-ever Chinese ATP title-winner in February when he beat John Isner to lift the 2023 Dallas Open.
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