CHINA OPEN

September 27, 2024

Bu Yunchaokete

Press Conference

BUYUNCHAOKETE/Shang Juncheng

6-7, 6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with questions in Chinese.

Q. Making it into the top 100, you say you feel more confident, enjoy tennis more. The first victory in a 500-level tournament, what do you think of this victory?

BUYUNCHAOKETE: To be honest, I did not have time to digest it. After Hangzhou, I had to play here, I had to train for one or two days, then this match. I did not really have time to digest all of this.

I have not thought too much. I was only focusing on my training, on my preparation. I was pretty tired in Hangzhou. Flying here, adapting to the changes with the weather, the conditions here, I really did not put much thought into it.

Q. Five challenger tournaments in the U.S. season, Romania, then here back in China. Do you have any new understanding of your physical limitations? Do you feel you are strong enough to play all of these matches?

BUYUNCHAOKETE: It's hard to explain. I don't know. You just do it (smiling).

I did not think too much. If I can do it, I'll just do it. If I don't feel like it, I might withdraw. For now I am capable enough to finish all these matches. I think I've not yet reached the limit. But looking back, it was quite challenging. Not undoable, though (smiling).

Q. After the first set, what did you do to turn it around?

BUYUNCHAOKETE: I think I didn't have that many ups and downs in this match. It was quite steady. I had many opportunities even in the first set. In the first set, it was my first time in the center court. I needed some time to adjust.

So in the first set I think the placement, the feeling was quite different than when I was practicing on the other courts. I wasn't dealing with it that well in the first set.

But with control and footwork... I was running back and forth. I had a good warm-up in the first set. I had more opportunities in the second and third sets. I was only waiting for a good time to fight back.

The third set, it was very hard-fought. There were some break points, 4-All, winning that. I think he was having some advantage over me at that point. I don't remember what happened after that. I couldn't really understand or remember what I was feeling. I couldn't remember how many points I won. It was probably out of luck then.

Q. The derby match in Hangzhou, you lost it. Did you or your coach improve anything for the key points today?

BUYUNCHAOKETE: In the first derby, I was quite nervous. I was thinking a little bit too much. In the critical moments, I wasn't really dealing with them that well. I was talking to my team. I needed to be active. When I was coming into the derby match, I was feeling that.

In the tiebreak today, I was more calm when I was facing a tiebreak this week compared to the last week. This is an advantage. Two derby matches back to back, because those two opponents I was doing very well, and I was dealing with them very well.

Q. You said that you respect Stan Wawrinka a lot. The partnership today, it probably wasn't as good as what you expected. During the practice with him, did he give you any advice?

BUYUNCHAOKETE: He has been very nice. In the warm-up, in the practice session, he was very warm, friendly to me. We chatted. In the past two days, it has been very comfortable. Brought me positive energy.

He's a senior player. In the match he was really positive. Really great feedback, too. I really enjoy the partnership together. We did not have enough time together, and both of us played singles this morning, so we were both tired this afternoon when we were playing doubles.

Probably in the future, in Shanghai, we will train together. I look forward to that.

Q. Your next opponent is Lorenzo Musetti. Jerry Shang just beat him in the final in Chengdu. Will you talk to Jerry regarding his experience?

BUYUNCHAOKETE: Probably. But I've known Lorenzo for many years. We played together and we train together and talk together very often. We're the same age, but he's already a father. He is more mature, I think, because he's a father. It's hard to say. It's hard to explain.

I admire his tennis. Watching him play is a great joy, a piece of art. We'll see.