Yunchaokete Bu becomes first Chinese man to reach China Open semi-finals with win over No. 4 seed Andrey Rublev

Wild card Yunchaokete Bu made history by upsetting No. 4 seed Andrey Rublev to become the first Chinese man to reach a China Open semi-final. Bu’s achievement on the eve of the country’s National Day holiday provided an auspicious source of pride over China’s increasing tennis success.

The previous best result by a Chinese man in the China Open was Ze Zheng, who reached the quarter-finals in 2012.

The match was Rublev’s second of the day after a rain delay forced his Sunday match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to continue Monday morning. He bested Davidovich Fokina 6-4, 7-5 to move to the quarter-final match against Bu.

It has been a tournament of firsts for Bu. In the second round he defeated World No. 18 Lorenzo Musetti for his first Top 20 win, and the upset against World No. 6 Rublev gave him his first Top 10 win. He is the first wild-card to reach a China Open semi-final since his tennis idol, Andy Murray, in 2014.

The stadium was packed with fans who just watched their beloved Qinwen Zheng win her third-round match. Chants for Bu echoed throughout the stadium, the fans hungry for another Chinese victory.

Key breaks for Bu in each set ultimately led to his win. Both men looked sharp, with Rublev winning a long rally to take the first game. In the first 10 games, players held serve every time. Bu finally broke Rublev in the 11th game and a frustrated Rublev tossed his racket high in the air while the crowd roared. Bu held the 12th game at love to take the first set.

The second set was much the same except Bu broke Rublev in the third game. Otherwise, players held their serve. Rublev was visibly getting more frustrated as the match went on, yelling and motioning toward his coach as Bu grew closer to an upset. In the 10th game with a 5-4 lead in the set, Bu was serving down 30-40 and was playing with the highest stakes of his young career.

“In that game he had a break-point. I was feeling the pressure. I was a little bit nervous compared to previous games, as well as the first set,” Bu said after the match. “If I dropped that game, I think that would have been a turnaround for him.”

Bu won the final three points and sent the home crowd into a frenzy.

The win boosted Bu to World No. 69, making it the first time three Chinese men have ranked within the ATP Top 70. He will face his biggest challenge next against top-ranked Jannik Sinner.

“Playing the World No. 1 is something I look forward to. He is a leader of this new generation,” Bu said. “Of course, many fans will be supporting me. All I need to do is enjoy and perform my best.”

—Reporting by Ryan Loomer