Today marks a big day for Chinese tennis star Bu Yunchaokete after he plays in the semi-final of an ATP 500 tournament for the very first time.
Bu reached the last four during an ATP 250 event in Hangzhou and now he will face the thankless task of facing world number one Jannik Sinner.
The newly crowned US Open champion will fancy his chances but after beating Andrey Rublev, Bu shouldn’t be underestimated.
He came through that match as a 7-5, 6-4 victor and will now attempt to win during the biggest match of his career so far.
Now, Bu will be confident going into the game with Sinner and the Italian will have to be on his guard against the home favourite.
Bu shares what happened when he played Jannik Sinner in junior tennis
Bu has never met the Italian as a professional player but the pair did meet as they were rising through the junior ranks together.
The pair have taken different paths so far, with Sinner a two-time Grand Slam winner and Bu into the top 100 of the world for the first time this month.
He’s shared a comical recollection of playing Sinner in a junior match and he will hope to avoid a repeat later today.
He told Punto de Break: “I’m in the semifinals, I knew I would face someone of this level, so I will try to enjoy the match. I remember that in the junior stage, he demolished me in just an hour, that’s all I can remember, but many years have passed since then.
“I’m looking forward to that match, we will play at night again, so today’s experience will help me tomorrow. Obviously, I know that tomorrow my opponent will be much stronger, but I was eager to play against the world number one. He is one of the leaders of this generation, I’m proud, and I know many fans will support me.”
Bu can take a lot of confidence into 2025
The 22-year-old has a lot of time on his side and it would appear that tennis in China is definitely on the up.
Bu must go into the Sinner match without fear and believe that he can claim another scalp after defeating Rublev in the quarter-final.
If he doesn’t prevail, however, Bu can take a lot of confidence into 2025 after a strong end to the current year of competition.
The youngster qualified for a major for the first time by reaching the US Open main draw back in August.
He fell foul to an in-form Casper Ruud who thrashed him in three sets but he will hope to be back featuring in majors next year.
For players in the position of Bu, it’s all about belief. He has to believe he can compete with the top players and if he does that he could be more than capable of climbing the world rankings.
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