Zheng M. rallied from a set down to defeat Walton A. 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 at the ATP Challenger Bloomfield Hills, turning the match with a decisive tiebreak win and a single break in the final set. Despite a shaky start on serve, Zheng steadied himself to outlast the Australian in a battle of fluctuating momentum.
The first set saw two breaks for Walton, who broke for a 1-3 lead and again at 4-6 to take it. Zheng briefly levelled at 2-3 but couldn't hold. The second set was a rollercoaster: Walton broke early for 0-2 and 1-3, but Zheng answered each time, levelling at 2-3 before forcing a tiebreak, which he won 7-6. In the decider, Zheng struck the only break at 4-2 and held firm to close it out.
Zheng saved both break points he faced in the third set (2/2, 100%), while converting one of three chances against Walton. He also won 75% of points on Walton's second serve in that set (6/8), a key edge in a match where final service points were nearly even (67-61).