Yibing Wu makes history as first Chinese player to win ATP title in Open Era, saves championship points to defeat John Isner in Dallas Open final

Yibing Wu made history at the 2023 Dallas Open when he triumphed over John Isner to lift his maiden title on the ATP tour. Despite facing 44 aces from the big-serving Isner and saving four championship points, he prevailed to win 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 7-6(12).

Prior to this week, no Chinese man had ever made it to a tour-level final during the Open Era or won against a player ranked in the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings. Yibing Wu accomplished both of these feats in one match by defeating World No. 8 Taylor Fritz in the semifinals.

He continued his remarkable journey by making history for Chinese tennis with his victory in the final on Sunday (February 12).

Isner clinched the first set of the final in a tiebreaker. In the second set, the American had a chance to win the championship at 6-5 with a score of 30-40 on Wu's serve, but Wu remained composed and made a comeback.

He held his serve to force another tiebreak, which he won decisively. It was an all-tiebreak final as the third set progressed in the same manner. The 23-year-old saved three match points in the tiebreak to win his first ever ATP title.

In the post-match presentation, Wu expressed his feelings of pride at the historic achievement and thanked his fans for all their support over the week.

“I made history here for my country and for my home. 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,” he said.

He also mentioned how influential his win could prove to be for the next generation of Chinese tennis players.

"That's huge for the next generation," Wu added. "For me, I need to keep going, keep my body healthy. I'm sure there's more to come."

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Yibing Wu rises to career-high ranking of World No. 58

Wu at the 2022 US Open

Yibing Wu continued to break records as he became only the second Chinese player to crack the Top 100 of the ATP rankings.

Wu was forced to take a hiatus from the ATP Tour from March 2019 to January 2022 due to a series of injuries and only had six tour-level wins before this week. Despite this, he displayed no signs of nervousness throughout his Dallas Open run, where he defeated Michael Mmoh, third seed Denis Kapovalov, Adrian Mannarino, top seed Fritz, and Isner.

Following his title win in Dallas, Yibing Wu will reach a career-high ranking of World No. 58.