For John Isner, reaching the final of an ATP 250 on the hard courts of the United States is nothing new.
For Yibing Wu, it’s historic.
Wu will be the first Chinese man to play in an ATP title match when he goes up against Isner on Sunday afternoon at the Dallas Open. In fact, from an individual standpoint this was already a historic week for Wu several days ago. Prior to arriving in Dallas the 23-year-old had never even advanced to an ATP quarterfinal. A dream stay in Dallas has featured victories over Michael Mmoh, Denis Shapovalov, Adrian Mannarino, and top seed Taylor Fritz. It’s no fluke, either; the world No. 97’s level this week has been incredible–just as it has been pretty much on a consistent basis dating back to last summer.
It’s a much different story for Isner, who will be participating in his 31st ATP final and seeking his 17th title. An amazing 26 of his 30 finals and 14 of his 16 titles have come in the United States. Twenty-two of his finals and 15 of his titles have come in ATP 250s.
Isner quite simply loves playing at home, and he is literally at home this week. The 37-year-old American lives in Dallas, just a five-minute drive from the tennis venue. Benefiting from an obvious home-court advantage, Isner has advanced by beating Chun-Hsin Tseng, Daniel Altmaier, Emilio Gomez, and J.J. Wolf. The world No. 39 has been broken only once this week and has dropped just one set–both cases against Wolf on Saturday before storming back for a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) success.
Wu’s level has been better than everyone else’s by a considerable margin at this tournament, but Isner’s serve is a great equalizer. His experience is, too. With Isner playing at home against an opponent who has never been on this kind of stage, it’s tough to pick against him.
Pick: Isner in 3
WWW?
Wu in 3. Why not?!