“I made history here for my country,” Wu Yibing becomes the first Chinese man to win a Tour title as he beats John Isner in Dallas
Chinese player Wu Yibing kept his cool to recover from being one set behind before sealing a historic victory against John Isner in a two-hour, 59-minute thriller.
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Wu Yibing with Dallas Open trophy (Image: Dallas Open Twitter)
The 23-year-old Wu Yibing has created a stunning record after his dominant show in Dallas on Sunday. The relatively unknown player from China defeated the crowd-favorite local boy John Isner in the Dallas Open 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 7-6(12) to become the first Chinese player to lift an ATP Tour trophy. Yibing came back from being one set behind Isner to clinch the title before making history for himself and his country.
Isner was an overwhelming favorite and made the expected start taking the first set from the Chinese. But Yibing was in no mood to concede even in the face of the ace onslaught from Isner. The 37-year-old Isner held championship point on his opponent’s serve at 6-5, 30/40 in the second set, but Yibing kept his cool to recover before sealing a historic victory in a two-hour, 59-minute thriller.
“I made history here for my country and for my home,” Yibing said after his win. “I’m very proud of myself and especially thanks to all the fans and my team who came here to support me. I couldn’t do this without any of you guys,” he acknowledged the support of everyone involved in his success.
He also praised Isner for putting on a brilliant show. “It’s a very tough match today. I am facing, I don’t know 100 aces today,” Yibing joked about the number of aces from Isner, which was 44. He also acknowledged Isner’s charity move during the tournament who pledged to donate $100 to the Isner Family Foundation for each ace he hit this week. “It’s a good thing he has this $100 thing. It makes more kids happy,” he said.
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Graceful Isner wishes Yibing the very best for his future
Before the match, the American was no doubt the favorite to clinch the title. But, Yibing had some surprises in stock for his maiden tour-level meet with Isner. Though the Dallas resident could not redeem the good start he was gracious in the defeat.
“Congratulations to you. I think you’re going to be a bright spot for the sport of tennis in the future, I wish you nothing but continued success going forward. I think I can speak for everyone here today and for everyone who came to watch all weak that Dallas would love you for many years to come,” Isner acknowledged.
The historical win has also thrust Yibing into the top 60 of the ranking. Now he is just the second Chinese player to crack the Top 100 in the ATP Rankings. Earlier in the week, he had added another milestone by becoming the first Chinese man to defeat a top-10 ranked player after his win over World No. 8 Taylor Fritz. The Sunday win over Isner was the icing on the cake.
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Abhinavendu Singh
(290 Articles Published)