Wu Yibing continued his incredible journey at the Dallas Open by beating Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals. Having already knocked out Denis Shapovalov earlier in the tournament, Wu’s latest historic wins makes him the first Chinese man to reach an ATP Tour final in the Open Era. He now faces John Isner for a chance to win his first tour-level title.
Wu Yibing became the first Chinese man to reach an ATP Tour final in the Open Era after stunning Taylor Fritz at the Dallas Open.
The world No. 97 upset the top seed 6-7(3) 7-5 6-4 to set up a meeting with American John Isner in the final.
A thrilling first set saw Wu save two break points at 2-2 before eventually losing it on a tie-break.
Fritz’s serve looked impenetrable at the start of the second as he dropped just three points as the set went to five games each.
However, Wu upped the gears and broke his opponent to edge ahead before serving out the set to level things up.
Another break early in the third handed Wu the advantage and the 23-year-old sealed the victory in style on serve, holding to love.
“When I’m playing tonight, I wasn’t thinking about the score or winning or losing. I’m just trying to perform my best,” he said afterwards. “You guys are amazing, cheering for us every point. Thanks, guys!”
Wu already raised eyebrows earlier in the week by eliminating third seed Denis Shapovalov, before beating Adrian Mannarino in the last eight.
He now looks to secure his first tour-level title against Isner, who advanced with a 3-6 7-5 7-6(4) win over J.J Wolf.
