Qualifier Wu Yibing gave China reason to cheer when he became the first man from the country in 63 years to win a men’s Grand Slam match after he beat Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-3, 6-4 and 6-0 in the first round of the US Open.
Wu, who came through three qualifying matches, beat the 31st seed Basilashvili to walk in the footsteps of Fu Chi Mei, who overcame Ron Barnes in five sets in the first round of the 1959 Wimbledon Championships.
The 22-year-old Wu entered the US Open in a rich vein of form having won two ATP Challenger titles back-to-back while he has also seen a steep rise in the rankings, moving from 1 869 in March to a career-high 174 now.
China's Wu Yibing won by 6:3, 6:4 and 6:0 in the first round of the US Open Men's Singles, making history as first man from the Chinese mainland to win at US Open Men's Singles main draw. #USOpen2022 #China #tennis pic.twitter.com/k4oZq803FU
— Tianmu Media (@TianmuMedia) August 30, 2022
While Wu was the toast of the town in China, the same can’t be said about Greece’s Stefanos Tsitispas who became the tournament’s first big-name casualty when he lost to Colombian qualifier Daniel Galan 6-0, 6-1, 3-6 and 7-5 in the first round.
Wu Yibing beat the 31st seed Basilashvili at a Grand Slam and made history as being the first Chinese man to qualify for the US Open Men's Singles main draw in 63 years.#Hangzhou #AsianGames #Tennis #USOpen2022 #WuYibing @usopen pic.twitter.com/sKgQiO5N3z
— 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 Official (@19thAGofficial) August 30, 2022
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