Wu Yibing’s Pathway to The Pros
Wu Yibing is one of the most prolific players on the ATP tour today. His career, however, has not been a linear path. Wu Yibings Junior career began at the 2017 US Open in Flushing, New York. That year, Wu Yibing won the Boys Singles Title to become the first Chinese man to win the boys grand slam title.
2018
At age 18, Yibing won his first ever ATP match versus compatriot Zhe Li in Shanghai in 2018. Later that week, he took the no. 8 seed Kei Nishikori to three sets in the second round. Spectators and commentators alike were enthralled by Yibing’s talent and level of play, and it remained to be seen where the young star would go from there.
2019-2022
Between March 2019 and January 2022, Yibing was absent from the ATP tour due to multiple injuries and the pandemic taking place. All of these events caused him to fall out of the top 1000 players.
2022
In 2022, Wu Yibing returned to the challenger tour and took the scene by storm, winning three titles and rising from no. 1749 to no. 116 by the end of the year. Wu’s 2022 was highlighted by his run in the U.S. Open, where not only qualified for the main draw, but won two matches before falling to Daniil Medvedev in the third round. Wu Ybing was the first Chinese man to reach the third round of the main draw of the US Open.
2023
Wu Yibing has picked up right where he left off in 2022, and has produced some great results so far in 2023. Only a few weeks ago at ATP Dallas, he took down Dennis Shapovalov, Taylor Fritz, and John Isner. Wu Yibing saved four championship points against Isner to eventually secure the title in what was an epic battle on the court.
The Future
At no. 58 in the world, Wu Yibing is the highest ranked Chinese man ever on the ATP tour. Wu Yibing is certainly a top player in the world today, and sportsbooks have reflected such thoughts. In Wu Yibing’s 2nd round match against world no. 28 Davidovich Fokina, Fokina is only slightly (-125) favored.
Davidovich Fokina is in form, and for him to be such a slight favorite speaks volume of Yibing’s play in 2023. I expect him to win the match or make Davidovich Fokina really work to earn the W. We’ll see just how far Wu Yibing can go this week and later this month when he plays at the Miami Open.
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