“Wu Yibing Secures Clay Court Victory Against Gasquet at Rome Masters”

On May 10, Beijing time, in the first round of the ATP1000 Rome Masters, Wu Yibing reversed the French veteran and former TOP10 player Gasquet with 3:6/6:3/6:3, and won the first clay-court tour. The second China Tennis Association player to win the main match of the Clay Court Masters. With this victory, Wu Yibing ended his 3-game losing streak since Miami, gained 25 points, and his immediate ranking reached 55th.

Wu Yibing suffered a round trip in both clay courts this season, and this match is the first time the two have played against each other. Gasquet’s previous highest ranking was No. 7 in the world. He reached the quarter-finals of the French Open in 2016, the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2015, and the semi-finals of the US Open in 2013. Despite being 36 years old, he still maintains a high level of competition.

Statistics show that Wu Yibing hit 5 ACEs in this game, with a goal rate of 57% in the first serve, 77% in the first serve, and 59% in the second serve. He converted 3 of 6 break points and scored 33 winning points.

“Today is my first ATP-level victory on clay. I am very happy to win this victory after returning home a few days ago.” Wu Yibing said after the match that his opponent was very difficult, and he had to be patient in the first set. Aspects are still lacking. The last two sets were played more actively. “Look for some breakthroughs from the opponent’s forehand high ball, and then I can have more opportunities to sideways or press the opponent with a backhand slash. After the break, I have done a relatively strong serve in my own serve, and I have not given the opponent a break point. This is That’s where I did better today.”

In the next round, Wu Yibing will face the No. 24 seed and Argentine Serendolo on May 12, local time. Not only is he good at clay, but he also reached the semi-finals at the Miami Masters not long ago, becoming a dark horse for two consecutive years, which can be described as a strong opponent.