UNITED CUP

January 3, 2026

Wu Di

Zhang Zhizhen

Zhu Lin

Team China

Press Conference

China - 2

Belgium - 1

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations, Team China. We would like to hear from the captain about your long afternoon on the chair and great performance in the mixed doubles.

WU DI: I know today is a tough day. Everybody knows Belgium team is pretty strong. Also, today we're doing good job.

Also, we have to thanks for the Triple-Z and Zhu Lin. The mixed doubles are amazing. We have a lot of pressure. Also, Triple-Z have last year -- everybody knows he has big injury, and he win two matches today. I think he is team heroes, yeah.

ZHU LIN: MVP of the day.

WU DI: So yeah, after conference, we're going to take a good rest, and tomorrow we hope also have a good game. Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. I just wanted to ask you both about how you approached the mixed doubles. Did you both always know that you were going to play the mixed doubles together, and how is it sort of combining for the first time and working out tactics and everything?

ZHU LIN: Yeah, it was the first time we play mixed doubles together. Yeah, I know it's a tough day today, especially for Triple-Z. He just finished a three-set match and didn't get too much time to rest.

Yeah, I lost my singles today, so at the beginning of the game I was kind of slowly into the game, and he was there to cheer me up, to tell me to believe in myself. It was really tough match today.

I'm really happy we're going through well, and especially at the end of the match, we played really well. We keep ourselves, and we just focus on every point. Yeah, just thanks to my partner for everything, for big serve (laughing).

ZHANG ZHIZHEN: I don't know if it's good or not. For the big serve, you know, the first one, boom, by the first serve.

Well, I feel -- how you say -- the first time we played, and we had a one time practice, and we just really decided -- really before the match we decide who will stay on the forehand side and backhand side.

I'm really thinking to really using the first set to kind of practice to see how we can do much better than the second set -- I mean, second set better than the first set. Sorry.

So we don't have any pressure even 5-0 down . So we still keep going and just trying to play more and to have more experience for the second set, which is quite successful. We got a really successful second set beginning.

You know, when the matches go to super tiebreak, then it's everything goes happen. So really kind of lucky, I mean, today a little bit.

Really thanks for all the teams, and she's really brave until the end.

Q. Triple-Z, how did you win those two matches today?

ZHANG ZHIZHEN: How? I don't know how. Basically, let's say the singles. Singles... Zizou giving me a lot of pressure on the serve. Have a lot of break point, I remember. I missed these two forehand and was just missing this much. I was quite sad, but any other point he was really making good serve, first serve ace, second serve 180 kilometers.

Yeah, I didn't get frustrate, and I was really just keep patient to play whole match. Also, I had a really great serve today, which is saving my life today. Also, the mixed doubles as well because of the serve.

After we can have a more -- how to say -- more room to miss, because if we have a service game and then we can do a little bit more on the returning game. Yeah, kind of like that.

If you ask me how, I have no idea. I mean, just first day I feel four hour and a half, I mean, really, thanks, God, today.

Q. Captain Wu, I'm just curious how much you like having the time-out in the United Cup?

WU DI: It's fun, because I'm too nervous. Also, every point I watch the teams. I forgot that this game (laughing). This is why Triple-Z show me, because we was --

ZHANG ZHIZHEN: 9-5. No, 9-4. 9-6. Oh, shoot.

WU DI: 9-6, because we already two point in a row we lost. Maybe the time is good to stop to have to think about that, have to cool down a little bit.

ZHANG ZHIZHEN: Basically I wanted to have him break, because it's my serve after, 9-6. I know we have a few points in a row. I have some experience those moments. I don't want to go, keep going, keep going. I want to stop a little bit. I said, keep going, keep going, but didn't work.

WU DI: If lose these two point, maybe my mistake. I don't want (laughing). Keep safe.