By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Monday, September 30, 2024
World No. 96 Bu Yunchaokete shocked Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-4 scoring his first Top 10 win and becoming the first Chinese man to reach the Beijing semifinals.
Photo credit: Shi Tang/Getty
Beijing's National Tennis Centre is becoming Bu's Room.
Chinese wild card Bu Yunchaokete continues his stirring home run.
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Bu shocked fourth-seeded Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-4 scoring his first Top 10 win today—and becoming the first Chinese man to reach the Beijing semifinals.
Bu will face world No. 1 Jannik Sinner for a spot in the final.
The top-seeded Sinner saved two set points in the tiebreaker out-dueling Czechia's Jiri Lehecka 6-2, 7-6(6) for his 14th consecutive victory.
The reigning Australian Open and US Open champion Sinner improved to an ATP-best 58-5 on the season, including a 40-0 mark vs. players outside the Top 20 this season.
Sinner is hunting for his seventh title of the year after joining Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Mats Wilander as the only men to capture the US Open and Australian Open hard-court crowns in the same season.
Days after Bu dispatched sixth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti 6-2, 6-4 for his first Top 20 win, he played proactive tennis surprising Rublev to reach his second straight ATP semifinal.
World No. 96 Bu, who reached the Hangzhou semifinals last week falling to Chinese compatriot Zhizhen Zhang was bold on pivotal points.
Bu hit 17 winners—three more than Rublev—and saved all four break points he faced in a 95-minute triumph.
It was the second match of the day for Rublev, who wrapped up a 6-4, 7-5 win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to advance to the quarterfinal vs. Bu.
The Chinese wild card broke at 30 for a 6-5 lead and ran off six straight points to snatch a one-set lead. Bu broke again for a 2-1 second-set lead.
Serving at 4-3 Bu blasted an ace out wide to save a break point, eventually holding for 5-3.
Rublev earned another break point when Bu served for the match.
Staring down a break point, Bu was aggressive and leaped high to snap off a smash saving break point with athletic explosiveness.
Bu blasted an ace down the T for match point then slashed a serve winner down the T closing the first Top 10 victory of his career—and biggest win of his life.