Starlet Wu Yibing ready to kick-start the march of the Chinese as Shanghai win earns him first ATP tilt

Seventeen-year-old wins Challenger event in Shanghai without dropping a single set

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Wu Yibing is into the world top 300 after his win on the Challenger series in Shanghai. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 9:47am, 19 Sep 2017Updated: 9:47am, 19 Sep 2017

The long-predicted march of Chinese men into the top echelons of tennis has been so slow to emerge that some observers have started asking when it will happen.

Teenager Wu Yibing is doing his best to put the debate back on the agenda, though, prompting talk that China might finally have unearthed a male player to fill the void left by former women’s world number two Li Na.

The 17-year-old won the junior singles and doubles at the US Open this month and last week reached another huge milestone by winning his first professional tournament, an ATP Challenger event in Shanghai.

Next week the world’s top-ranked junior will make his debut on the ATP World Tour at the Chengdu Open and has also been granted a wild card for next month’s Masters 1000 event in Shanghai.

Many pitfalls await Wu, but as a new brigade begins to make an inroads on the ATP Tour – led by the likes of Germany’s Alexander Zverev, Canada’s Denis Shapovalov and American Frances Tiafoe – there is a growing belief that he could join them.

He is the first mainland Chinese player to win a junior grand slam and only the fourth player in the past five years to win a junior major and an ATP Challenger Tour crown in the same season, the others being Australian Nick Kyrgios (2013), Zverev (2014) and American Taylor Fritz (2015).

Wu Yibing has a special message for his fans after clinching his maiden #ATPChallenger title in Shanghai. pic.twitter.com/LJA1Bn0vTY

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) September 17, 2017

Chinese tennis has long lacked a figurehead, even if there are five women in the top 100.