A dream 12 months retains getting higher for Chinese language #NextGenATP star Yunchaokete Bu.
The 21-year-old, who claimed his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in April, earned his first grass-court victory Tuesday on the Lexus Surbiton Trophy. Yunchaokete ousted Briton Harry Wendelken to set a second-round conflict towards his idol, three-time main champion Andy Murray.
“He’s my idol. Once I was 9 or 10, I began to like him,” Yunchaokete informed ATPTour.com. “The dream has come. I don’t know the way to describe this sense, it’s fairly particular.”
Yunchaokete recalled one Murray match specifically that he’ll perpetually keep in mind.
“I believe the [2012 London] Olympics match towards Roger, that was an enormous one,” Yunchaokete stated. “As a result of a month earlier than, he simply misplaced the Wimbledon last towards him.”
Murray Flies Through Grass Opener At Surbiton Challenger
Maybe Wednesday’s encounter on the Surbiton Challenger will grow to be Yunchaokete’s fondest reminiscence of the Scot, who will likely be standing throughout the web.
Tied at his career-high No. 164 within the Pepperstone ATP Dwell Rankings, Yunchaokete has made fast progress inside the previous 12 months. After profitable six titles on the ITF Males’s World Tennis Tour final season, Yunchaokete graduated to the ATP Challenger Tour, the place he boasts a 14-9 match file in 2023.
When Yunchaokete triumphed on the Seoul Challenger in April, he turned the third Chinese language participant to win an ATP Challenger Tour title aged 21 and beneath. Wu Yibing (2017) and Shang Juncheng (2022) each did it aged 17.
World No. 54 Wu made historical past by turning into the primary tour-level titlist from China on the Dallas Open in February. A month prior, {the teenager} Shang turned the primary man from the Asian nation to win an Australian Open match within the Open Period.
One other Chinese language star, Zhang Zhizhen, reached the quarter-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open final month. The 26-year-old turned the primary Chinese language male to crack the Prime 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings final October.
Yunchaokete, who’s tenth within the Pepperstone ATP Dwell Subsequent Gen Race, is drawing inspiration from his countrymen’s record-breaking runs.
“Earlier than I performed the ultimate in Seoul, they gave me a number of confidence and so they despatched messages to me saying, ‘Simply be assured!’” Yunchaokete stated. “Additionally after right this moment, [Wu] simply stated ‘Imagine in your self!’ as a result of he is aware of that tomorrow I play my idol.
“They provide me a number of confidence as a result of I didn’t suppose I could possibly be Prime 50 or one thing, however now they’re shut so I really feel I could make it additionally. We’ve relationship, we textual content loads. When Wu received the 250 match [in Dallas], I texted him and stated ‘Congrats!’ and when he did nicely on the clay additionally.”
Together with his colleagues cheering him on from afar, Yunchaokete will likely be filled with confidence — and pleasure — when he goals for the highest-ranked win of his profession towards his idol, World No. 43 Murray.
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