There are more than one billion people in China, but none are smiling as brightly as Wu Yibing. The 17 year old is redefining the Asian tennis landscape with every victory and on Sunday he notched another significant milestone, scoring his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Shanghai.

Just seven days after lifting the US Open junior trophy, Yibing made history on home soil in becoming the youngest Chinese champion on the Challenger circuit. He claimed victory when Yen-Hsun Lu was forced to retire with a right shoulder injury after the first set.

Yibing’s run to the title was as momentous as it was dominant. The Hangzhou native did not drop a set all week and is projected to rise 177 spots to a career-high No. 319 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. He is the 12th teeange winner of the year and fourth aged 17 & under, joining Denis Shapovalov, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Nicola Kuhn.

For years, China has been in search of a rising star on the ATP World Tour, as tennis continues to grow in popularity in the sporting rich nation. They hope the search ends with Yibing, who is fast becoming a household name. According to the South China Morning Post, the 17-year-old’s victory in New York received 43 seconds of coverage on Xinwen Lianbo, China’s flagship news programme. In comparison, basketball legend Yao Ming’s retirement earned 53 seconds and the only individual sporting success to garner more than a minute was WTA star Li Na’s victory at Roland Garros.

Yibing is the fourth player in the last five years to win a junior Grand Slam title and ATP Challenger Tour crown in the same season. He joins Nick Kyrgios (2013), Alexander Zverev (2014) and Taylor Fritz (2015).

The Chinese teen will introduce himself to the ATP World Tour when he makes his debut at the Chengdu Open. He is also set to compete in his first Masters 1000 main draw at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, earning a wild card with his run to the title this week.

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

Yibing spoke to ATPWorldTour.com following his victory on Sunday…

How does it feel to win your first Challenger title?
For sure I am happy with my performance this week. Not only because of the title, but I am also satisfied with the way I played. I am proud of that.

You did not drop a set entering the final and just beat the top seed. What went right for you?
I think mentally I am doing really well, because I just traveled back to Shanghai from New York. The jet lag issue from my body did not effect my match. My team also gave me lots of positive energy. They all believe I can do this and I actually did.

What did you take from the match against Lu at the Chengdu Challenger that helped you today?
I absorbed lots of things from that match, not only confidence. For today, I felt I could read his serve better. He served many aces the last time. In the beginning, I thought I was not patient enough from the baseline. But I kept myself clam and got back to the match after being 3-5 down in first set.

What did you enjoy most about playing in Shanghai? How nice is it to win at home?
The most enjoyable thing is I got so many fans to come on site and support me. It gave me extra strength to do better. I didn’t think too much about winning this title in Shanghai. I just hope from now on, there will be more to come.

This is just your fifth Challenger main draw. Did you expect success to come so quickly?
I believe if I do every step right and work hard, good the results will come along.

Do you hope your success inspires others to pick up a racquet in China?
I actually thought about this the other day. I hope with my good performance, I will show the right path for young Chinese players how to turn pro. Hopefully they will have more parents encourage kids to pick up raquets and try to become a professional tennis player.

You joined Denis Shapovalov, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Nicola Kuhn as the only 17 year old winners this year. How much has their success driven you?
Yes it has. And I’m actually close to Felix. He won the US Open title at 16, that’s so impressive. We played a couple times in juniors. I think from the baseline we are at a similar level. But he is way better on serve and sometimes I feel hopeless when we play together just because his serve is so strong. But he has shown why he is doing so well this year. I am not going to just imitate him. I would prefer to just focus on myself and find my own path.

What are your goals for the rest of the year?
I will keep my original goal which is get into the Top 300 [of the Emirates ATP Rankings]. I don’t want to rush into anything just because I played well this week. Step by step.

How exciting is it to make your ATP World Tour debut at the Chengdu Open and then compete at the Shanghai Rolex Masters?
I am very excited to play in Chengdu. That will be my first ATP World Tour main draw match. I am grateful for this opportunity. I want to learn from the best. I am looking forward to play in my first Masters 1000.

Success is coming sooner than Wu Yibang expected. The 17-year-old Chinese prospect only won the US Open junior singles and doubles titles less than two weeks ago in New York.

Now he stands one match away from landing his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title on home soil in Shanghai. Top seed, Chinese Taipei’s Yen-Hsun Lu, is his final hurdle.

And Wu realises how great a hurdle that is, with Lu’s 28-title haul making him all-time Challenger leader. Lu holds a 20-3 record in Challenger finals since 2008.

“I played him last month in the Chengdu semi-finals, lost to him in the final set,” Wu said. “I know he is better than me, especially from the baseline but in that match, my serve and return were performing really well. I will get my mind prepared for the final, focus on my game. If he thinks he needs to change thing against me, maybe that will be my chance.”

As the youngest Asian-born Challenger finalist since Kei Nishikori in 2007 (Carson, USA), Wu is already wary of expectations mounting. This week he took down second-seeded Canadian Peter Polansky and Japan’s No. 5 seed Hiroki Moriya en route to the semi-finals where he defeated experienced German Matthias Bachinger 7-5, 7-5 for a place in the final.

“I am more focused on tennis now. That’s why I am playing better than before,” he said. “I also can feel the support from all the fans, lots of them come here to cheer for me. 

“That gave me extra strength to do better. To be honest, this is the toughest day for me since I got back to China [from the United States]. I am still fighting the jet leg, can barely sleep at night, but luckily it didn’t affect my matches.”

Win or lose Sunday’s final, Wu is set to make his ATP World Tour debut at next week’s Chengdu Open. And as the best-finishing Chinese player in the Shanghai Challenger he has earned a wild card into the Shanghai Rolex Masters.

“I am very excited to play in Chengdu,” he said. “That will be my first ATP World Tour main draw match, but right now I will focus on [the] final.”

BELGIUM 1, AUSTRALIA 2
Brussels, Belgium (Indoor Clay)

John Peers and Jordan Thompson completed a 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 rout of Ruben Bemelmans and Arthur De Greef to nudge Australia ahead of Belgium 2-1 in their semi-final tie. Led by captain Lleyton Hewitt, the Aussie contingent are bidding to reach the Davis Cup final for the first time since 2003, when they clinched their 28th crown.

Peers, the No. 2 player in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings, and 23-year-old Thompson were making their doubles debut together. Thompson is undefeated in the team competition, also owning a 3-0 singles record entering the week.

“We had a job to do today and we came out and did it from start to finish,” said Peers. “Playing with Thommo and in front of this crowd, to perform the way we did, is just incredible.”

“It was surprising,” added Thompson. “In Davis Cup doubles you usually see marathon five-setters. We love to see the green and gold [fans]. We couldn’t ask for more.”

FRANCE 2, SERBIA 1
Lille, France – (Outdoor Clay)

Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut continued their strong run of form on Saturday in Lille. The Frenchmen streaked past Filip Krajinovic and Nenad Zimonjic 6-1, 6-2 7-6(3) to give Les Bleus a 2-1 lead in their Davis Cup semi-final tie against Serbia.

Herbert and Mahut are coming off a pair of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles in Montreal and Cincinnati and currently sit in fifth position in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London. They needed one hour and 48 minutes to dismiss Krajinovic and Zimonjic, improving to 3-1 in Davis Cup rubbers together.

The semi-final tie is a rematch of the 2010 Davis Cup final, which Serbia won. France is attempting to reach the final for the first time since 2014 (l. to Switzerland) and 18th overall.

Past and present ATP World Tour stars including Andy Roddick and Tommy Haas united Friday and Saturday in Dallas at the second annual Dirk Nowitzki Pro Celebrity Tennis Classic to raise funds for the Hurricane Harvey Relief.

“Thanks to all you guys for coming out and supporting this event,” Nowitzki said. “This is obviously a tennis event, but the big deal was last night. We are raising money for Hurricane Harvey victims, and we had a great night last night, raised a lot of money so it was a complete success.”

ATP players, NBA superstars, NHL standouts and acting legends came together at the Southern Methodist University’s campus to give back to the Texas communities who were struck with chaos just weeks ago. On top of all the donations the tournament raised, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban pledged to match all the proceeds, up to 2 million dollars. 

“To give to deserving people, especially from Hurricane Harvey, it is just such a pleasure to be part of such a great event,” said former doubles No. 1 Mark Knowles. 

Other notable athletes and celebrities joining Mavericks legend Nowitzki, were Tennis Hall of Famer Andy Roddick, actor Owen Wilson, local hockey legend Mike Modano, Dallas Mavericks J.J. Barea, tennis professionals Donald Young and Tommy Haas, and retired players Benjamin Becker and Houston local Michael Russell.

Becker, who announced his retirement the same day as the charity event dinner, brought to the surface the importance of giving back to the community.

“Of course, it’s great. This is my third event now with Dirk…I know he’s doing great things with the kids’ book, he has his foundation, he’s really in the area, but obviously with the hurricanes that happened and all proceeds going to the fund there. It’s a great thing to do,” Becker explained. “Whatever I can do to give back I will take the chance and invest my time and whatever I can to help those people affected by it.”

While it was all fun and games after winning his first event of the day on Saturday, Haas also made sure to make the primary focus of the event known.

“Over my career I always tried to help out if I can for greater things than just the sport in general,” Haas said. “It is a pleasure being here, seeing other familiar faces, and people giving back for these tragedies like Harvey and even Irma in Florida is a very nice thing to see people come together.”

“The people all around the world who have it pretty lucky, I think realise that, and you see everybody coming together and you see all these organizations putting everything in it that they can and trying to help all these people that really need it the most. It is a beautiful thing to see people participate.”

While many just see photos of the devastation on the news or online, Houston local Russell knows all to well the impact that Harvey had on the city.

“Last night the fundraising efforts were incredible. The people were willing to open their checkbooks and support everybody,” Russell said. “It means a lot. The city has been hit really hard, but the community has done a great job of coming together. Already starting the rebuilding efforts, but I want to help in any way that I can. This makes it extra special for me to be here and help out the Houstonians that are working hard to get back to a little bit of normalcy.”

KAZAKHSTAN 2, ARGENTINA 1

Astana, Kazakhstan (Indoor clay)

Defending Davis Cup champion Argentina’s hopes of maintaining its spot in the World Group for the 17th consecutive year are in jeopardy, as Kazakhstan’s Timur Khabibulin and Aleksandr Nedovyesov beat Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 to earn a 2-1 lead in the tie. The defending champions will turn to US Open quarter-finalist Diego Schwartzman to keep his nation’s hopes alive in the fourth rubber against Mikhail Kukushkin. Argentina looks to avoid becoming the third nation to win the Davis Cup before getting relegated from the World Group the next year. If Schwartzman wins, World No. 73 Guido Pella is scheduled to play #NextGenATP Dmitry Popko.

NETHERLANDS 1, CZECH REPUBLIC 2

The Hague, Netherlands (Indoor clay)

The Dutch clinged to their hopes of returning to the World Group when US Open quarter-finalists Robin Haase and Matwe Middelkoop got by Roman Jebavy and Adam Pavlasek, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-4. If Netherlands is to overcome an 0-2 deficit for just the second time in its history, Haase will have to defeat left-hander Jiri Vesely on Sunday in the tie’s fourth rubber, to force a decider against the three-time champions. Two ATP World Tour veterans, Thiemo de Bakker and Lukas Rosol, await in what could possibly be a deciding fifth rubber.

HUNGARY 2, RUSSIA 1

Budapest, Hungary (Outdoor clay)

Russia is in jeopardy of missing out on World Group play for the fifth time in six years after Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics and Attila Balazs defeated Konstantin Kravchuk and #NextGenATP Danill Medvedev, 7-6(4), 6-4, 7-6(4). Fucsovics will attempt to book his nation’s spot in the competition’s elite group for the first time since 1996 as he plays #NextGenATP Karen Khachanov in the first reverse singles on Sunday. If the World No. 32 could keep Russia’s hopes alive, US Open quarter-finalist Andrey Rublev is slated to take on Balazs.

SWITZERLAND 1, BELARUS 2

Biel, Switzerland (Indoor hard)

40-year-old Max Mirnyi earned a win in his 55th career tie, partnering Wimbledon quarter-finalist Andrei Vasilevski to defeat Davis Cup rookies Adrian Bodmer and Luca Margaroli, 7-6(6), 7-6(4), 7-6(3). World No. 115 Henri Laaksonen will attempt to force a fifth rubber Sunday when he takes on No. 333 Dzmitry Zhyrmont. If the 25 year old keeps the 2014 champions alive, ATP World Tour veteran Marco Chiudinelli will seek to finish off the comeback against Yaraslav Shyla.

PORTUGAL 1, GERMANY 2

Lisbon, Portugal (Outdoor clay)

The Portuguese were within a set of gaining a 2-1 lead in the tie as the hosts attempt to join the World Group for the first time, but the German duo of Tim Puetz and Jan-Lennard Struff came back to defeat Gastao Elias and Joao Sousa, 6-2, 4-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, in three hours, 37 minutes. Struff will try to clinch a German World Group Play-off victory for the third year in a row when he takes on Sousa. Should the World No. 57 force a decider, Pedro Sousa will look to become the hero against No. 90 Cedrik-Marcel Stebe.

COLOMBIA 1, CROATIA 2

Bogota, Colombia (Outdoor clay)

It appeared that World No. 5 Marin Cilic would be playing on Sunday to keep Croatia in the World Group, but after he and Nikola Mektic pulled off a tremendous comeback to shock Juan Sebastian Cabal and Alejandro Falla, 5-7, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-2, 6-4, Cilic will instead have an opportunity to close out the tie against ATP World Tour Veteran Santiago Giraldo. Should the 2014 US Open champion fail to seal his nation’s spot in the 2018 World Group, Viktor Galovic or Franko Skugor will compete in the decider against Alejandro Gonzalez.

JAPAN 2, BRAZIL 0

Osaka, Japan (Outdoor hard)

Torrential rain in Osaka forced the doubles rubber to be postponed to Sunday. The Japanese duo of Ben McLachlan and Yasutaka Uchiyama will face Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares, prior to reverse singles action.

CANADA 1, INDIA 1

Edmonton, Canada (Indoor hard)

After 12 years competing on the ATP World Tour, former World No. 35 Benjamin Becker has decided to officially retire and return to school at Baylor University to complete his final semester of studies before graduating this coming spring.

“I had in my mind that I was going to stop this year anyway,” Becker said. “With my [hip] injury that happened in October [Vienna], I wasn’t really able to do any pre-season this year. Just kind of wasn’t able to prepare the way I wanted to… at Wimbledon I knew I wasn’t going to make US Open qualies and since I knew I wanted to stop at the end of the year anyway, I felt like it was a good time to do it then.”

After losing in the second round of qualifying at Wimbledon, the German did not completely rule out finishing the season. But after sitting down with the important people in his life a little over a month later, he eventually decided to commit to return to Baylor to complete his studies.

Becker is finishing his bachelor’s degree in management while working with his college’s men’s tennis team as a student volunteer coach. In 2004, as a player, Becker helped Baylor win its first national team championship while also winning the NCAA singles title that year.

“It’s great. The guys are very talented. They’re very eager to work,” Becker said. “I always knew I was going to enjoy it, but it’s actually been more enjoyable and I actually do more right now than I’m asked to do. So yeah, it’s been good.”

Becker has been busy taking 16 credits worth of courses this semester while working with the team and driving from Waco, Texas, to his home just north of Dallas on weekends to be with his wife and two sons. So while he hasn’t had much time to reflect on his career, Becker is certainly proud of what he accomplished.

“I guess I’m most proud that out of my 12 years, I think I was Top 100 10 times, maybe,” said Becker, who in fact spent at least part of 11 years in the Top 100. “That was always my ultimate goal, being Top 100 and being able to play the big tournaments. And to be able to do this on a pretty consistent basis and have myself always there in the elite 100 is something that I’m very proud of and that I was able to play that long.”

Becker was also very proud that he was able to break into the Top 40 on three separate occasions (2007, 2009, 2014), which included a gap of five years, showing his resiliency despite two elbow surgeries in 2011 that kept him out for nearly seven months.

“I feel like you can make it once after having a good year, but to make it there three times is also something that I value pretty highly,” Becker said. “Especially when I had a few years in between, if it just was injury or something that held me back. But to fight my way back to Top 40 three times I think was something that is pretty special.”

The German also reached his career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of World No. 35 when he was 33 years old, nearly eight years after cracking the Top 50 for the first time. Becker won his lone ATP World Tour title in 2009 at the Ricoh Open in s-Hertogenbosch as a qualifier, defeating two of the top four seeds en route to the victory. He also reached two other finals during his career.

“On any day you can have a great day and beat somebody but to do it over the whole course of a week…it’s something very special,” Becker said. “I’m very glad I took one of those chances and have that title to have that memory of being the only guy left in singles, I was undefeated. That’s something only a few people get to experience.”

Becker has not decided what will be next for him after graduation, but said he is in a ‘testing period,’ which he will continue to evaluate over the next few months. But for now, you can find him helping out at two charity events over the next two weekends — including one run by NBA star Dirk Nowitzki Saturday — on the court with the Baylor team, and in the classroom.

Tennis in Poland is enjoying a golden era on the ATP Challenger Tour. Three tournaments – in Poznan, Szczecin and Wroclaw – headline the calendar, highlighted by the 2016 Tournament of the Year winner Pekao Szczecin Open. Celebrating its 25th edition this week, it has been recognised for its efforts to grow the sport both in Poland and at the Challenger level, while creating a product that players and spectators alike would expect from an ATP World Tour event.

The distinguished $150,000 event is both the oldest and largest professional tournament in the country, and is once again underway with a stacked field at the historic Szczecin Tennis Club.  It is celebrating Tournament of the Year honours for the first time, along with fellow European events in Braunschweig, Germany and Mons, Belgium. Headlined this year by former Top 10 player Richard Gasquet, it has been a staple on the ATP Challenger Tour since 1996, following three years as a satellite event.

Eight players who have eventually broken into the Top 20 of the Emirates ATP Rankings have won in Szczecin in the past, including six-time ATP World Tour winner Pablo Cuevas and former World No. 3 Nikolay Davydenko. Much of the tournament’s success can be attributed to its passionate and energetic organisers, led by tournament director Leopold Korytowski and chairman Krzysztof Bobala. The team has helped create an incredible atmosphere that filled the stands last year, with more than 25,000 people attending the event to watch some of the best clay- court tennis on the Challenger circuit.

“[That] gave us a lot of joy and satisfaction and showed that we are going in the right direction,” Bobala said. “On behalf of the entire crew at Pekao Szczecin Open, we promise we will do our best to constantly develop our tournament and for years to write a beautiful story not only of Szczecin but the entire Polish tennis family. The best is yet to come.”

Much of the reason that players enjoy the tournament as much as they do, is thanks to the world-class hospitality at the Szczecin Tennis Club. The 10-court club, which was founded in 1946 and later rebuilt after World War II, has a massive Centre Court that is nearly entirely enclosed by fans. There are even two tiers of seating on one side of the event’s crown jewel, which you will always find full of some of the best crowds on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“The tournament is really nice,” added Bjorn Fratangelo. “The centre court is just as big as many 250s out there, and a lot of people come out to watch. The organisation is great and it definitely feels more like a tour event than a Challenger.”

Publications throughout Poland and the rest of Europe flock to Szczecin, which is just 30 minutes from the German border and one of the country’s most important seaports, to cover the event. There is a VIP Club at the tournament that provides red carpet treatment for guests with top-class food and drinks. Fans can also enjoy concerts that take place in an outdoor space on-site during the event.

Top seed @richardgasquet1 spends time with the future of Polish tennis at Kids Day at the @PekaoSznOpen in Szczecin. pic.twitter.com/FooAmBIJZh

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) September 13, 2017

Gasquet, the former World No. 7, leads this year’s field after last playing in the event in 2004. The Frenchman is happy to compete in the tournament to gain extra match play after struggling with injuries. He enjoys the treatment in Szczecin, which he believes is first-rate.

“It’s a big Challenger and like a [ATP World Tour] 250. It’s a good tournament to play and fits well in my calendar,” Gasquet said. “I will try my best and we’ll see what happens. I’m just happy to play here, because the tournament is so well organised. It will be tough to win.”

Gasquet is not the only player who is fond of the tournament, with others heaping praise on the venue and how its organisers treat the competitors. The timing of it also allows those who lose in the first week of the US Open time to fly to Europe to prepare for the $150,000 event.

“First of all, it fits very well in the schedule,” said last year’s finalist Dustin Brown, who won the tournament in 2014. “I have only good memories from here and everyone is very nice and treats me well. It’s a good feeling to come back here.”