Wu then became the first Chinese man to win a singles grand slam for 63 years with a 6-3 6-4 6-0 first-round victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili.
By beating co-qualifier Nuno Borges 6-7 (3) 7-6 (4) 4-6 6-4 6-4 on Wednesday in a four-hour thriller, the 22-year-old also became the first Chinese man since 1881. …to reach the third round where he will face the world No. 1 and defending champion Daniil Medvedev on Friday.
The last man from China to reach the third round of a grand slam was Kho Sin-Khie at Wimbledon in 1946.
“I think if there’s a first time, there will be a second time, a third time. I’m happy to be the first to make history,” Wu told reporters.
“But all the more important [thing] This brings hope to all the Chinese fans and the kids so that we can have more great players in our country, which I think we should have had a long time ago.”
Wu confirmed his status as a rising star in men’s games at the 2017 US Open when he became the boys’ singles champion.
Since that win, Wu has played in few international tournaments due to back, shoulder, wrist and elbow injuries, as well as travel restrictions in China due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The Junior US Open Wu Yibing becomes first Chinese man to reach the US Open third round since 1881 has really given me the confidence that I can also play tennis in the men’s world,” he told reporters. [I] got unlucky, got a little injured.
“I’m glad I’m still playing tennis and enjoying tennis. I think this is really good. I can keep my passion for tennis even though I was in a lot of pain. I think this is not easy to do, but I I’m glad I made it.”
On the ATP Challenger Tour — the level below the ATP Tour — Wu has started rebuilding this year, winning three titles on the track and catapulting himself from world number 1869 to a career high of world number 173.
“There’s no time for celebrations yet,” he said. “I have a tough opponent for the next round. That’s my mentality. I’m here to play the tournament. When the tournament is over, we’ll have parties, but not during the tournament.”