In a thrilling three-set final on Sunday at the Dallas Open, Wu Yibing defeated John Isner to become the first person from China to win an ATP title.
Wu, 23, survived four match points and defeated American Isner, who has won 16 titles, in just under three hours, winning 6-7(4-7) 7-6(7-3) 7-6(14-12).
No Chinese guy has ever won a top-10 opponent or advanced to a tour-level final until his run to the final.
The Hangzhou native had already achieved both of those feats when he defeated top seed and world number eight Taylor Fritz in the semifinals.
The highest-ranked Chinese player in ATP history, he continued to break records on Monday by moving up the rankings to world number 58.
Wu said at the award ceremony, “I made history here for my country and for my home.” “I’m quite pleased of myself, and I want to thank all the supporters from my squad and the fans who came to show their support. Without any of you, I couldn’t do this.
The match, which lasted two hours and 59 minutes, included a staggering 44 aces from the powerful server Isner.
Before Wu caused Isner to play a long forehand in the decisive tiebreaker, 22 straight games in the tiebreak were won on serve.
Isner stated, “I don’t know how many match points I had, but it’s a lot. I swear there were a couple moments I believed I had won the game. Sport can be really violent.
“He is a really good talent and an incredible ballstriker.”
Wu, who was out by injury from March 2019 to January 2022, has won just six tour-level matches before this week.
He defeated a number of top players in Dallas, including Michael Mmoh, Denis Shapovalov, Adrian Mannarino, Fritz, and Isner.
