China’s Bu reaches quarterfinals of the Hangzhou Tennis Open

HANGZHOU, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) — Promising young Chinese player Bu Yunchaokete advanced to the quarterfinals of an ATP Tour event for the first time after a stunning upset of second-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov, securing a 2-1 victory in the second round of the ATP 250 Hangzhou Tennis Open on Friday.
Bu began the first set trailing 1-3 but showed great resilience, pushing the set into a tie-break, in which he won 9-7. Khachanov responded strongly in the second set, leveling the match with a 6-4 win. In the decisive third set, Bu broke serve early and maintained his lead, eventually claiming the set 6-3.
Although born in Xinjiang, Bu has been training in Zhejiang province since childhood, prompting him to call Hangzhou his “home” in post-match interviews: “I’ve been competing quite frequently lately and feel quite tired, but it’s great to play in my home city. I hope to showcase my best performance here.”
Bu will face Kazakh player Mikhail Kukushkin in the quarterfinals. The 36-year-old veteran advanced by defeating his compatriot Alexander Shevchenko 6-4, 7-6. ■