Zhang Zhizhen serves at the China Open. Photo: Courtesy of organizers

China's domestic tennis hopes received a lively start on Thursday at the China Open, as several domestic players took to the court with wins. 

In women's singles, Wang Xiyu edged out compatriot Guo Hanyu with a tight 7-5, 6-1 victory to reach the second round. Reflecting on her return to play on home soil, Wang said that the tennis China swing always gets her excited. 

"Of course there will be pressure during the matches, but I will do my best. I believe in my decisions on court, and hope to play as many matches as possible in Beijing and during the China swing," Wang told reporters.

Wang also addressed the ups and downs of her season. 

"Earlier this year I was out for over three months with an injury, but overall things have been gradually heading in a better direction," she said. "Fluctuations are inevitable in a professional career, so first you accept them, then adjust as soon as possible." 

Looking ahead to the second round in which Wang is set to face Czech player Linda Noskova, Wang said she needs to be ready for the athlete's quick reactions.

"She's a very aggressive player. I must prepare with quicker reactions and readiness, fight for each point, and hope to stay alive as long as I can," Wang said.

Also on Thursday, another Chinese female player, Zhu Lin, defeated Japan's Moyuka Uchijima 6-1, 6-3 to advance to the second round. It was Zhu's first win in 11 years at the WTA 1000 event.

"I just hope to have a healthy body. I no longer chase after achieving a certain result at one tournament or reaching a certain ranking. That's not my pursuit anymore," Zhu told reporters. "What matters more is how I perform in each match, and how much I can enjoy it."

Chinese female player Yuan Yue was scheduled to play her first round later on Thursday. Seeded players Zheng Qinwen and Wang Xinyu are having a first-round bye and will begin their campaign in the second round.

On the men's side, former top Chinese player Zhang Zhizhen, returning from an injury, was upset in the first round by French qualifier Terence Atmane, 4-6, 2-6, ending his China Open campaign early. 

Zhang acknowledged that after months without competitive matches, he struggled to find the right rhythm and could not adjust to Atmane's powerful baseline consistency. 

He called his performance "disappointing" but said he viewed recent weeks as a recovery process rather than a return to full strength, and expects to regain his form gradually, with perhaps next year being more stable.

"After being out so long, matches feel very unfamiliar. Sometimes you don't know what you need to do, or maybe you're not fully prepared, you never thought you had to prepare in certain ways," Zhang told the Global Times. 

"Then when it comes time to raise your level, you realize what has to be done but you just can't do it. After half a year without competition you face all sorts of situations, and sometimes you can't cope with them properly."

Fans in the stands were eager to see a "full-strength" version of Zhang, who was leading Chinese male tennis players as world No.31. 

"I think that [being fully prepared] will probably be next year. This year it's unlikely, because these three weeks have really just been part of the recovery process," Zhang said. 

"Right now it's about seeing whether I can handle the pressure and the physical demands of playing at this level. Next year will be the time to prepare fully to compete for victories."

Also on Thursday in men's doubles, Chinese male player Bu Yunchaokete partnered with Cameron Norrie to upset the pairing of Alexander Zverev and Marcelo Melo, winning 7-6 (5), 6-4 and advancing to the second round.