Wu Yibing, Zhang Zhizhen create Grand Slam history at US Open 2023

Published at :August 31, 2023 at 3:44 AM

Modified at :January 13, 2024 at 6:40 PM

(Courtesy : Tennis.com/US Open)

The Chinese duo have progressed to the second round of the Grand Slam event.

China’s Wu Yibing has created history by reaching the second round of the ongoing US Open 2023. The 23-year-old defeated Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 to join countryman Zheng Zhizhen in round two of men’s singles making it the first time in the Open Era that two Chinese men are in the second round of the same Grand Slam tournament.

While Chinese women have always turned up in large numbers and blazed trails at Grand Slams, the men have always been unrepresented, and their performance has always been lacklustre until now. However, both Wu Yibing and Zhang Zhizhen have shown promising signs and their progress to the men’s singles second round is just another proof of that.

1 – With Wu Yibing defeating Dusan Lajovic, following Zhang Zhizhen's win yesterday, this is the first time in the Open Era where two Chinese males are through to the second round of a Grand Slam event. Progress.#USOpen #USOpen2023 | @usopen @atptour @ATPMediaInfo pic.twitter.com/ppGnNTNJQ3
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) August 30, 2023

Wu Yibing, in particular, has been impressive. He won the junior boys’ singles and doubles titles at the 2017 US Open, becoming the first Chinese man to win a Grand Slam title. Wu Yibing, ranked 86 on the ATP table, faces WR-13 Alex de Minaur of Australia in the next round.

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Zhang Zhizhen, earlier on Monday (August 28), celebrated his first-ever win in the main draw of the US Open by beating the 45th-ranked American, Jeffery John Wolf, 7-5, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 4-6, 6-3 in a gruelling match lasting 4 hours and 30 minutes. The top-ranked Chinese player is now slated to play Norwegian Casper Ruud in the second round.

Earlier the 26-year-old had made history by being the first Chinese man to reach the main draw at Wimbledon in 2021. This is quite a feat, considering only five Chinese men have played singles at a Grand Slam in the Open Era. The Chinese duo have joined Wu Di (Australian Open – 2013, 2014 and 2016), Zhang Ze (Australian Open – 2014 and 2015) and Li Zhe (Australian Open – 2019).

Zhang Zhizhen and Wu Yibing are currently the top two ranked Chinese players in the ATP rankings: Zhang enters the 2023 US Open at No. 67, while Wu sits at No. 86.

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