Wu Yibing became the first Chinese man to reach an ATP Tour final in the Open Era, beating top-seeded American Taylor Fritz 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-4 in the Dallas Open semifinal.
Wu will play another American John Isner, who defeated JJ Wolf 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) on Saturday, in the summit clash. In what will be Wu's first final, Isner will be seeking his 17th tour-level title in his 31st championship match.
Entering the week at a career high of World No. 97, Wu has soared 21 spots to No. 76 in the ATP Live Rankings behind his final run. He is now set to become the highest-ranked Chinese player in the history of the ATP rankings, passing Zhang Zhizhen, who currently sits at a career-high No. 91.
After letting slip two set points at 5-4 in the opening set, Wu saved five break points to hold for 2-2 in the second. He would face only one more, at 4-3 in the third, when he escaped with some dazzling defending in the face of a line-clipping forehand from Fritz in Saturday's semifinal.
"I remember I had two set points in the first set. I have to say I choked a little bit. That forehand, I didn't miss much, but I couldn't make it. But in general, I think I'm pretty relaxed," Wu was quoted by the Dallas Open website.