Japan will be the latest team to get a close look at China women’s teenage basketball sensation Zhang Ziyu, who was labelled “the best player I have ever seen” by one overawed opponent last weekend.
China and Japan, who are ranked fourth and ninth in the world respectively, clash in a friendly in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, on Wednesday, as part of their preparations for next month’s Fiba Asia Cup.
Zhang made her senior team debut in a warm-up match against Bosnia and Herzegovina last Friday, and played in a second encounter on Sunday.
The 7ft 5in (2.26-metre) centre chipped in 34 points and 14 rebounds in just over 27 minutes across the two matches.
She had a team-high 18 points and seven boards in 12 minutes as the hosts won the first encounter 101-55, and two days later the 18-year-old was instrumental in a 124-57 thrashing, scoring 16 points and adding seven rebounds.
Despite being limited by new head coach Gong Luming to 15 minutes per match, Zhang’s dominance, especially in the paint, hardly went unnoticed.