Wu Yibing defeated former World Number 8 John Isner in the the Dallas Open to become the first Chinese tennis player to win an ATP title.
Wu Yibing ended up making history on Sunday. The Chinese tennis player defeated America’s John Isner 6-7(4-7) 7-6(7-3) 7-6(14-12) in the final of the Dallas Open to become the first from his country to win a title on the prestigious ATP Tour.
By winning the final, he also became the first Chinese player to beat a tennis star ranked below World Number 10 at any point of his career.
23-year-old Wu held off four match points before going on to secure the victory in the thrilling three-set final in Dallas on Sunday. He had already become the first Chinese tennis player to make it to the final of an ATP tour following his win over top seed Taylor Fritz in the semi-final.
In the final, he was up against Isner who had 16 titles to his name.
Following the high of his victory over Isner in the final, Wu woke up to more history in the early hours of Monday morning. He attained a career high ATP world ranking of 58 which also makes him the highest-ranked Chinese player in ATP history.
“I made history here for my country and for my home,” said Wu at the trophy ceremony. “I’m very proud of myself and especially thanks to all the fans and my team who came here to support. I couldn’t do this without any of you guys.
“It’s not only about winning the title, I think it’s more about me personally making history and also for the country. That’s huge for the next generation. For me, I need to keep going, keep my body healthy. I’m sure there’s more to come,” he further added.
What makes Wu’s victory even more incredible is the fact that he managed to do so against all odds against Isner who was in sublime form in the final. In fact, the American served a remarkable 44 aces in the match that lasted just under three hours. In the final tiebreak, 22 consecutive points went with serve before Wu forced Isner to hit a forehand long.
Isner also lavished praise on his opponent after the match.
“I don’t know how many match points I had, I’m sure it’s a lot,” said Isner. “I swear I thought I won the match a few times … Sports can be brutal.
“He is an unbelievable ball-striker and a very good talent.”
Ahead of this life and career-changing week, Wu had not taken part on the ATP Tour since March 2019. Injuries had bothered him persistently and had kept him on the sidelines. In fact, before January 2022, he only had six tour-level matches under his belt.
Since then, he has gone on to make headlines in the world of tennis with wins over famous stars including Michael Mmoh, Denis Shapovalov, Adrian Mannarino, Fritz and Isner.