Yunchaokete Bu eliminates Kamil Majchrzak in three sets at Hangzhou Open

Tournament context and route to the second round

Eighth-seeded Kamil Majchrzak arrived in China for the ATP 250 tournament following his participation in the Davis Cup for Poland. The 30-year-old from Piotrkow Trybunalski opened his Hangzhou campaign with a 6:3, 6:4 victory over Italian Mattia Bellucci, avenging a prior defeat in the 2024 US Open qualifying rounds. Unseeded 24-year-old Yunchaokete Bu also started without dropping a set, defeating American Michael Zheng in the opening round. Ranked 111th in the world, Bu entered the contest 38 places below the 73rd-ranked Majchrzak in their first professional encounter on the ATP tour.

Opening set and tie-break battle

The home competitor established an early advantage by breaking Majchrzak's serve in the third game to move ahead 3:1. Majchrzak answered by winning three consecutive games, leveling the score at 3:3 with a diagonal passing shot on his second break opportunity. Both players protected their serves through the remainder of the set, requiring a tie-break to decide the outcome. Bu established a 4:2 lead at the change of ends before earning three set points at 6:3. The Chinese player converted his second set point after 61 minutes of play to secure the first set 7:6(4).

Second set defense and tie-break comeback

The second set featured intense baseline exchanges, with neither player conceding a service break throughout twelve games. Majchrzak created three break points in the opening game, but Bu defended each opportunity to hold serve. As the set progressed, Bu applied pressure and earned a match point in the tenth game with Majchrzak serving at 4:5 down. The Polish player saved the match point behind a reliable first serve to level the set at 5:5. In the ensuing tie-break, Majchrzak took an early 2:0 lead before Bu equalized at 3:3. Majchrzak seized the decisive points in the closing moments, winning the tie-break 7:5 after Bu placed a return into the net.

Decisive third set and upcoming schedules

Bu seized momentum at the start of the final set, breaking Majchrzak's service in the opening exchanges and capitalizing on errors. The Chinese competitor converted a second break point in the third game to stretch his lead to 3:0. Maintaining solid service numbers, Bu denied Majchrzak any route back into the contest. In the eighth game, Bu earned two match points and converted the first to close out the match 6:2 after two hours and 54 minutes on court. The victory earned Bu a place in the Hangzhou quarterfinals, while Majchrzak prepares for qualifying matches in Tokyo. The AITO Hangzhou Open continues through Tuesday, 29 September, offering a total prize fund of $1.039 million, with the singles winner set to receive 250 ATP ranking points and $158,000.