ROME - Chinese Zhang Zhizhen advanced to the fourth round of the ATP Rome Open after a convincing win over American Ben Shelton, 6-2, 6-4, on Sunday.

Zhang, who spent only 70 minutes on the match, effectively managed to save both break points against him and committed just one double fault, significantly fewer than Shelton's six.

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Ranked 56th globally, Zhang is set to face Brazilian qualifier Thiago Monteiro next. Monteiro progressed after a closely contested match against Serbia's 31st seed, Miomir Kecmanovic, winning 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (6).

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This season in Rome marks an improvement for the 27-year-old Zhang, who had faced first-round exits in his previous two clay tournaments in Barcelona and Madrid.