Wu’s victory is historic for Chinese tennis

Wu Yibing made tennis history on Sunday when he became the first Chinese men’s player to win an ATP Tour event with a thrilling comeback victory at the Dallas Open in Texas.

The 23-year-old saved four match points to defeat American favorite John Isner 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (12), sparking celebrations throughout the Chinese tennis community for a breakthrough in the men’s game, and following the great strides made by the country’s women players.

The win helped Wu climb to No. 58, his highest ranking in the Association of Tennis Professionals men’s world rankings, and moves him toward his goal of breaking into the Top 30 by the end of the season.

“It’s not just about winning the title. It’s more about me personally making history (and) also for the country,” said Wu, who hails from Zhejiang province.

“It’s huge for the next generation (of Chinese players). For me, I have to keep going, keep my body healthy and I’m sure there’s more to come.”

According to the ATP, no mainland Chinese male player had reached a tour-level final in the Open Era or beaten an opponent in the Top 10 before last week. Wu achieved both in one week with a semi-final win over world No. 8 Taylor Fritz and her milestone win on Sunday.

Touted as the next big thing in Chinese tennis after winning the 2017 US Open boys title, Wu was out of international tennis for almost three years as of 2019 due to multiple injuries and a tough rehabilitation program.

When he returned to the ATP Tour in March, his ranking had plummeted to No. 1,869.

The magnitude of the challenge to make a comeback and the way he achieved it in the final was huge. Wu is 1.83m tall, while the big-serving Isner, who has won 16 ATP singles titles, is a towering 2.08m.

With his mental toughness and composure, Wu also showed that he has sharpened his skills on the court. He had 44 aces and four match points and won with strong groundstrokes from the baseline to upset the American favorite in just under three hours of play.

“Of course there were a lot of doubts because I had the surgery and the rehab didn’t go well,” said Wu, who will skip the next tour event in Florida to focus on the more prestigious ATP 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, California. next month.

“It took longer than it should have, but it turns out I’m here,” Wu said. “I believe in myself and I work hard for it. In the gym, on the tennis court, off the court, I’m always thinking about tennis. The way I look at tennis now is more relaxing, more enjoyable than before.”