Wu makes history with ‘double’ victory
Print Edition
WU Di became the first ever Chinese player to win both his singles and doubles first-round matches at the Shanghai Rolex Masters.
Having beaten Jeremy Chardy of France in the first round on Monday, Wu partnered 17-year-old Wu Yibing, the junior singles and doubles winner at last month’s US Open, in beating the French duo Fabrice Martin and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-6 (6), 6-3 in their doubles opener at the Qizhong Tennis Center in suburban Minhang District yesterday.
“Last night’s victory (in the singles) boosted my confidence,” 26-year-old Wu said after the victory. “Both of us were fully concentrated and committed, fighting for every ball. We even made plans for every single point on court during the match.”
Having won the first set on a tie-break, the Chinese duo raced to a 5-2 lead in the second, forcing match point which they failed to seize. The French duo pulled one game back before the two Wus took a 40-0 lead in the ninth game for another three match points. But it was not until the fourth match point of the game that Wu Di grabbed a winner in front of the net.
The match was scheduled on Court 7 where not many seats had been made available compared to Qizhong’s major courts. The court was therefore heavily packed, with crowd restriction measures in force — a testimony to the popularity of the two Wus.
Wu Yibing, a wildcard holder who lost to another Frenchman Gilles Simon in his first-round singles match, agreed that good communication played a key part in their doubles victory.
“We actually did not make much plan before the match. It was on court that we observed our opponents and started making strategies, which worked out pretty good,” the junior Wu revealed.
Wu Di advanced to the singles second round of the tournament two years in a row. His opponent will be American Steve Johnson, who advanced after his opponent, Nick Kyrgios of Australia, called it quits after losing the first-set tiebreak 6-7 (5).
“I have played against him (Johnson) in a first-round qualifier for the French Open,” said Wu. “I hope to maintain my recent good form. I have nothing to lose and will try my best.”
In an earlier singles match, another Chinese wildcard Zhang Ze failed to make a personal breakthrough at the Shanghai tournament after losing 2-6, 3-6 to American Ryan Harrison in the first round.
Unlike compatriot Wu Di, Zhang has never managed to clear the first round at the ATP 1000 tournament. “The match was scheduled at noon, and sometimes I found it a bit difficult to breathe during the match though I think I played a better game than in Beijing (where he lost to Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round of the China Open),‚“ Zhang said.
Ranked 221 in the world, Zhang, 27 said his immediate aim is to make it to the qualifiers for the Australian Open next year and take part in more high-level international competitions.
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