Young Chinese players keen to improve

BEIJING - Young Chinese ace Zhang Ze is keen to continue improving after his four-set battle against renowned Australian veteran Lleyton Hewitt in the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I second-round tie on Sunday.

Zhang, who lost to Hewitt 6-2, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (2) in the fourth and ultimately decisive match, sees a clear gap between him and the two-time Grand Slam winner, but said he learned some valuable lessons.

"He is a former world No 1. I was too nervous to play my best in the first two sets. The nerves came from a lack of experience facing high-ranking opponents," Zhang, 21, said after the match.