According to Great Tennis of Ukraine
The Ukrainian tennis player Ilya Marchenko has started his ITF qualifying in the city of Qian Dao Hu, China, defeating his Chinese opponent Zhen Yanzhe 7-5, 6-2 in the first round.
This marks his return to ITF tournaments – for the first time since August 2019, Marchenko is taking part in such an event, and overall it was his first match since February this year, when he played two Challenger events in Australia.
Career context and future plans
In July last year, Ilya Marchenko became the captain of the Ukrainian women’s national team, and in December it was announced that he had taken on the role of coach to Katarina Zavatska.
For a place in the main draw of the tournament in Qian Dao Hu, the 38-year-old Ukrainian will face another Chinese tennis player – Li Wenze.
Thus, Marchenko continues his path in international tennis, balancing professional sport with coaching duties and working on developing his own game in the current season.
Read also:
- Ukrainian tennis player Nadiia Kichenok reached the WTA 250 Guangzhou doubles semifinals, continuing her strong season with a chance for a fourth final.
- Ukrainian tennis player Katarina Zavatska reached the ITF W35 semifinal in Qian Dao Hu, China, after defeating Shao Yushan in the quarterfinals.
- Four Ukrainian tennis players lost in the first round of US Open 2025 qualifiers and did not advance to the main draw.
