Buyunchaokete of China upset No. 6 seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy 6-2, 6-4 in the men’s singles round of 16 match at the China Open in Beijing on Sunday, reaching the quarterfinals of an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) 500 tournament.
Buyunchaokete scored two breaks and held three of his own serves in the first six games to lead 5-1 in the first set. He then held again in the eighth game and claimed the set, leading 1-0 in the match.
Buyunchaokete carried on his remarkable form in the second set, converting two break points and leading 4-1 after five games. Then Musetti, who secured the men’s singles bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris in August, began to bounce back by claiming three straight games, tying the set 4-4.
Buyunchaokete scored his fifth break of the match in Game 9 and ended the contest by holding the 10th.
“It’s a very meaningful and tough match,” Buyunchaokete said after the victory. “I made a mistake when I blew my 4-1 lead that came from scoring two breaks in the second set. But I’m glad that I had gone though similar situation in the first round. I scored two breaks against Shang (Juncheng) to lead 4-1, and then he tied it 4-4. So, I’m happy that I won again.”
“I just focused on myself, on what I should do and how I should play,” he added. “I wouldn’t change myself because I was playing Musetti. I’m glad that I stayed determined during the match. There were flaws with my performance, but that’s how it is. That’s what sport is like. You need to accept it and fight till the end.”
No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain beat Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands 6-1, 6-2 on Sunday. Seventh-seeded Karen Khachanov of Russia was eliminated by Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina 6(4)-7, 6(9)-7(11).