Wu Yibing becomes first Chinese man to reach the US Open third round since 1881
Updated
On Tuesday night, Wang Yibing became the first Chinese man to reach the US Open third round since 1881.
“I just really want to win the tournament,” said Wang, 22, who reached the third round at Flushing Meadows in 2015. “This is my first Grand Slam tournament and I just want to win and I feel like, if I continue like this, I can win.”
Wang, who is a former Chinese national champion and played No. 1 on the World TeamTennis League circuit, has been ranked in the top five for most of his pro career. After a year-long layoff, he entered the US Open third round on Monday having never played on the hard-court circuit and not winning a Grand Slam tournament.
But the Shanghai-born player — who lost in the first round at Shanghai in May — found himself in rare form after defeating top-seeded Belgian Robin Amberg 7-6 (5-7), 6-3, in one of the most dramatic sets of the tournament. Wang took the deciding game of the third set with a forehand error during a four-hour rain delay and defeated Amberg over the course of 18 hours before a crowd of 20,000 at Flushing Meadows.
Wang said he plans on playing on the hard courts of the US. But he does not necessarily expect to reach the third round and he has not decided if he will move up to the main draw. He said he plans on playing in New York and is happy with the draw.
“I was happy with the draw today,” Wang said of the third round match he faced against Amberg. “I’m always willing to challenge myself so I was really happy about that match.”
Wang faces another tough opponent in world No. 30 Dustin Brown in the quarterfinals. Brown defeated top-seeded Denis Istomin 6-1, 7-5. The Cincinnati man, who is now ranked No
