Mumbai: A fortnight ago, Buyunchaokete, who goes by Bu Yunchaokete or simply Bu on the professional tennis tour, lost in the first round of an ATP Challenger in Canada. Last week, the Chinese won the first two rounds and lost the last in the qualifying event for the US Open.
As the fifth out, Bu did not have much hope. Still, he hung around at Flushing Meadows. “It doesn’t matter if I have to stay here from 8am or 8pm. Bu did not give the season’s standout young player any chance, even after a rain break in the third set gave some respite to Jodar.
I can be here all day, 24 hours. The unfancied Chinese player did not face a single break point, won 84% points behind his first serve, 11 out of 13 net points and fired six more winners than Jodar. The off-colour Spaniard littered 37 unforced errors, but the Chinese remained red-hot all through.
“I was like, wow, I’m super excited,” said Bu. “I was really a lucky loser,” said Bu. “If I have to win my first match like this, I’m okay with losing 5-6 times before,” Bu told the media. “I really had nothing to lose,” said Bu. “I was just enjoying the call (up), enjoying the court, and playing one of the best players this year.”
Around noon on Tuesday, while he was sitting in the lounge, he was told he could play after Thanasi Kokkinakis pulled out of his match against Rafael Jodar.
Unlike with India, though, China had four men get into double-digit rankings over the last three years. Thus, growing up, Bu’s goal was to break into the top 100 – much like it is for most young singles players in India. “When I was young, all the players around me had that goal (top 100). And we have four players now in the last 2-3 years.”
“We had a lot of good players in the women’s side, but not so much in the men’s side,” Bu said.
