Dallas (USA), Feb 13 (IANS): Wu Yibing become the first Chinese player in Open Era to lift an ATP Tour trophy. The fast-rising 23-year-old saved four championship points before downing John Isner 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 7-6(12) in the Dallas Open final.

Before this week, no Chinese man had ever reached a tour-level final in the Open Era or defeated an opponent in the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings. Wu achieved both of those in one go with his semifinal victory against World No. 8 Taylor Fritz, and he continued his history-making run in Sunday's final with a milestone victory.

"I made history here for my country and my home," Wu was quoted by the Dallas Open website. "I'm very proud of myself and especially thanks to all the fans and my team who came here to support me. I couldn't do this without any of you guys."

After the win, Wu became just the second Chinese player to crack the Top 100 in the ATP Rankings on Monday. He will rise to a career-high World No. 58 just one week later.

Wu, who did not compete on the ATP Tour from March 2019 to January 2022 due to a series of injuries, had notched just six tour-level wins prior to this week. Yet he has showcased an impressive form throughout his run, during which he defeated Michael Mmoh, third seed Denis Shapovalov, Adrian Mannarino, top seed Fritz, and Isner.

Isner, who ended up as a runner-up, pledged to donate $100 to the Isner Family Foundation for each ace he hit this week. He finished the tournament with 138 aces, raising $13,800 for needy children in the Dallas area, according to the ATP tour website.