World number 124 Yunchaokete Bu produced a major upset at the US Open by defeating world number 13 Rafael Jodar in the first round. The Chinese player surrendered only four games during a dominant victory that lasted just 108 minutes.
Bu entered the main draw as a lucky loser from qualifying after Thanasi Kokkinakis withdrew at the last minute. Kokkinakis, ranked 417th in the world, had used a protected ranking to enter the tournament before pulling out shortly before his opening match.
In professional tennis, a lucky loser is a player who falls in the final round of qualifying but gains entry into the main draw when a player withdraws. The US Open, played annually in Flushing Meadows, New York, is the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the tennis season.
Dominant opening sets
Spanish player Jodar won the opening game of the match, but Bu responded by winning five consecutive games. At 1-1, Jodar surrendered his serve on Bu's fourth break point, before Bu converted his first break point on Jodar's next service game. Bu missed an initial chance to win the set on Jodar's serve, but converted his second set point on his own serve to take the set 6-2.
The second set began with another break of serve in Bu's favor. The match stabilized until the world number 124 launched another attack while leading 3-1. He converted his third break point to lead 4-1, then broke on his second break point opportunity to take the set 6-1.
Weather delay and closing victory
Bu quickly moved into a 3-0 lead in the third set. After two further games, rain began to fall and caused a lengthy delay. The stoppage did not change the direction of the match once the players returned to the court.
Upon resuming, Bu broke serve at his first opportunity to make it 5-1. He then converted his second match point to seal the victory after 108 minutes of play, leaving the Spanish world number 13 with just four games won across the entire match.
In the second round of the US Open, Bu will play the winner of the first-round match between Fabian Marozsan, ranked 63rd in the ATP rankings, and Michael Zheng, ranked 107th.
