US Open: China’s Wu Yibing makes more history after reaching third round, set to face world No 1 Daniil Medvedev
- ‘There’s no time to celebrate yet,’ says China’s Wu Yibing, who meets world No 1 Daniil Medvedev in a David v Goliath showdown
- ‘I am expecting a tough match,’ world No 1 Medvedev said of Wu who is ranked 174 in the world
Wu Yibing will face world No 1 Daniil Medvedev in the third round of the US Open after a historic win over Portugal’s Nuno Borges in New York early Thursday morning.
Wu, winner of the US Open junior crown in 2017, recovered from two sets to one to beat Borges and set up a clash with the defending champion. By doing so, he becomes the first man from China to reach the third round of any grand slam tournament since 1946.
“It was great for myself that I could maintain my level until the fifth set,” Wu said. “I only played once in my life a five-set match. This is my second time in my life. I’m happy for myself.”
But the 22-year-old played down the significance of his achievement and said he was simply focused on what’s ahead.
“There’s no time to celebrate yet,” he said. “I have a tough opponent next round. That’s my mindset. I’m here to play the tournament. When the tournament finishes, we do parties, but not during the tournament.”
Medvedev maintained a strong start to his US Open title defence, dispatching France’s Arthur Rinderknech 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 to reach the third round. Despite the obvious differences between his next opponent, Medvedev said he was not taking anything for granted.
“He seems to play great. I am expecting a tough match,” Medvedev said of Wu who is ranked 174 in the world.