Yibing Wu stages dramatic comeback against Taylor Fritz to win Ultimate Tennis Showdown in Sudden Death
'The Great Wall' Yibing Wu staged a dramatic comeback to beat 'The Hot Shot' Taylor Fritz in Sudden Death to win the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) on the final day of the event in Los Angeles.
Earlier, Taylor Fritz overcame a stern challenge from 'La Monf' Gael Monfils in the Final Four stage to enter the final. Yibing Wu, meanwhile, defeated 'The Mountain' Ben Shelton in the semifinals to set up the title clash with Fritz. Founded in 2020, the fifth edition of the tennis league saw the likes of Frances Tiafoe, Alexander Bublik, Benoit Paire and Diego Schwartzman also participate.
The final encounter opened to a tight first quarter until the scoreline reached 9-9. Going forward, Fritz used his 'Next Point Counts 3' card and after a rally of 23 shots, he managed to secure the points and jump three points ahead of his opponent.
The Chinese was quick to use the same card in his armor but failed to capitalize on the advantage and lost the next point. Fritz ultimately won the first quarter 16-11.
During the three-minute changeover break after the first quarter, Yibing Wu proclaimed he was going to lose too badly.
"I'm already tired," said Wu.
In the second quarter, Fritz took total control of the rallies and raced to a 12-4 lead to bring the Chinese to the ground as Wu sat down on the floor to catch his breath. The American took the second quarter 20-7 without much challenge.
On being asked if he could make a comeback after losing the first two quarters, Wu replied in a flash:
"No! I don't think so!"
But soon, the Chinese started finding some rhythm in the third quarter and narrowly escaped defeat, outdoing Fritz to win the quarter 12-11. Subsequently, Wu wasted little time in taking the fourth quarter 16-9 and sent the summit clash to the Sudden Death stage.
In Sudden Death, Yibing Wu secured the match and the championship right away, winning the first two points much to the crowd’s delight. Previous winners of Ultimate Tennis Showdown include Matteo Berrettini, Alexander Zverev, Alex de Minaur and Corentin Moutet.
What is Sudden Death at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown?
The Sudden Death is a squeaker that comes into effect if both players are inseparable after the first four quarters of a match at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown. It is a modified version of a conventional tie-break.
In a tie-break, a player is required to score seven points before their opponent to secure a set. In case the scores are tied at 6-6 in the tie-break, the player to take a two-point lead over their opponent from thereon wins the set.
In the Sudden Death at UTS, however, the player is only required to secure two points on the trot at any moment during the squeaker. Unlike in a tie-break, the players are not expected to score seven points.