Wu Yibing of China poses with the Lamar Hunt Trophy after winning the Dallas Open in Dallas, Texas, US Feb 12, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wu Yibing made tennis history on Sunday, when he became the first Chinese men's player to win an ATP Tour event in a thrilling comeback victory at the Dallas Open in Texas.

The 23-year-old saved four match points to defeat United States favorite John Isner, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (12), triggering celebrations across China's tennis community for the breakthrough in the men's game, and following the great strides made by the nation's women's players.

The win helped Wu climb to No 58, his highest position in the Association of Tennis Professionals' men's world rankings, and propelled him toward his goal of cracking the Top 30 by the end of the season.

"It's not only about winning the title. It's more about me personally making history, (and) also for the country," said Wu, a native of Zhe­jiang province.

"It's huge for the next generation (of Chinese players). For me, I need to keep going, keep my body healthy and I'm sure there's more to come."

Before last week, no men's player from the Chinese mainland had ever reached a tour-level final in the Open Era or defeated an opponent in the Top 10, according to the ATP. Wu achieved both of those in one week, with his semifinal victory over world No 8 Taylor Fritz and his milestone victory on Sunday.

Touted as the next big thing for Chinese tennis after he won the 2017 US Open boys' title, Wu was absent from international tennis for nearly three years since 2019 due to multiple injuries and a tough rehabilitation program.

When he returned to the ATP Tour in March, his ranking had plummeted to No 1,869.

The magnitude of the challenge to mount a comeback and the way he achieved it in the final was huge. Wu stands 1.83 meters tall, while big-serving Isner, who has won 16 ATP singles events, is a towering 2.08 meters.

Drawing on his mental toughness and composure, Wu also proved he has sharpened his craft on the court. He overcame 44 aces and four match points to prevail with solid ground strokes from the baseline to upset the US favorite in just under three hours of play.

"Of course there were a lot of doubts because I had surgery and the rehab wasn't going well," said Wu, who will skip the next tour event in Florida to concentrate on the more prestigious ATP 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, California, next month.

"It took longer than it should, but it turned out I'm here," Wu said. "I trust myself and I work hard for it. In the gym, on the tennis court, off the court, I always think about tennis. The way I look at tennis now is more relaxing, more enjoyable than before."