China set to deploy teenage 'Moving Great Wall' Zhang Ziyu at Women's Asia Cup
China looks set to unleash its 226-cm "moving Great Wall" at the Women's Asia Cup after teenager Zhang Ziyu put in another towering display days after her debut.
The 18-year-old center scored 18 points as China beat rival Japan 101-92 on Wednesday in Xi'an in a warm up for the regional tournament next month on home soil.
It was her third appearance for the senior Chinese squad, having helped China to blowout victories over Bosnia and Herzegovina over the weekend.
Chinese state media dubbed her and gangly center Han Xu the "Twin Towers."
Zhang's looming presence on court — footage showed her barely needing to jump to make a basket — seemed to stump Japan head coach Corey Gaines.
Asked if he had figured out a way "to deal" with the teenager, the American former NBA guard told reporters: "We'll just say: Interesting. Very interesting."
Zhang hails from northern China's Shandong province and had reached 210-cm by the end of primary school.
She has been likened by Chinese fans to former Houston Rockets great Yao Ming.
Yao, who at 229-cm was one of the tallest NBA players in history, was known as the "moving Great Wall" before retiring from basketball in 2011, and Zhang has now taken on the nickname.
Both of Zhang's parents played professional basketball.
Her father, Zhang Lei, played for the Chinese Basketball Association's Jinan Military Region while her mother, Yu Ying, was a center for Shandong, according to local media.
The teenager may have a distinct height advantage, but she has been told she needs to sharpen up.
Experienced center Yang Liwei said after Wednesday's win that Zhang "could have been tougher on some shots."
"I think she played at her normal level," added Yang, who helped China win the Asian title in 2023.
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