NEW YORK — A player who had already been eliminated from qualifying suddenly found himself back in the US Open spotlight — and he made the most of his unexpected second chance.
China’s Yunchaokete Bu produced one of the tournament’s most eye-catching upsets Wednesday, crushing Spanish No. 12 seed Rafael Jódar, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1, to eliminate the highly touted teenager in the opening round of the US Open.
The match was disrupted by rain, but the weather proved to be only one of several challenges facing Jódar, who struggled to find his rhythm throughout the contest.
The 19-year-old Spaniard arrived in New York as one of the fastest-rising players in men’s tennis. But against Bu, his game unraveled almost immediately as a series of unforced errors allowed the Chinese player to seize control.
The official US Open SlamTracker recorded Bu as winning the match in straight sets, with Jódar managing just four games across the contest.
FROM ELIMINATION TO THE MAIN DRAW
Bu’s route to the tournament made the victory even more remarkable.
The Chinese player had lost in the final round of qualifying and initially appeared to have missed his chance to compete in the main draw.
Then came an unexpected opening.
Australian player Thanasi Kokkinakis withdrew because of injury, freeing up a place in the draw. Because Bu was the appropriate lucky loser, he was brought back into the tournament — and ultimately landed a place against Jódar.
Bu admitted afterward that he had already accepted his qualifying defeat before deciding to stay ready in case another opportunity emerged.
That decision suddenly became the turning point of his US Open campaign.
JÓDAR COULD NOT FIND AN ANSWER
Jódar had plenty of momentum coming into New York.
The Spaniard had surged up the rankings during a breakout season, rising dramatically from outside the top 300 and establishing himself among the game’s emerging young stars. EFE reported that he began 2026 ranked 168th and had climbed to the edge of the world’s top 10.
He also arrived with significant recent experience on the hard courts, including a run to the final in Washington, a semifinal appearance in Montreal and a fourth-round showing in Cincinnati.
But none of that form translated onto Court 17.
Bu repeatedly pressured Jódar’s backhand and forced him into uncomfortable exchanges. According to EFE, Jódar won only 52% of his first-serve points, committed 37 unforced errors against 15 winners, and faced 16 break points.
Most damaging of all, Jódar failed to create a single break-point opportunity against Bu.
EVEN THE RAIN COULDN’T STOP BU
The match had already been pushed back by a day because of rain, adding another layer of disruption to Jódar’s first US Open appearance.
Another rain interruption arrived during the match, but Bu maintained his composure.
After the weather delay, he returned to finish the job and secure the biggest victory of his US Open career.
Reuters reported that the win marked Bu’s first Grand Slam main-draw victory in his seventh attempt.
For a player who had just lost in qualifying, it was an extraordinary turnaround.
A PAINFUL US OPEN DEBUT FOR JÓDAR
For Jódar, meanwhile, the defeat was a brutal ending to what had been a breakthrough season.
He had won the junior US Open title in 2024 and returned to Flushing Meadows two years later as a seeded player in the men’s main draw. Yet instead of launching another deep run, he was sent home after just one match.
His ranking rise and performances throughout 2026 suggest that this loss is unlikely to define his season.
But for Bu, the story is already unforgettable.
He went from qualifying loser to unexpected main-draw entrant — and then to giant-killer.
Now the lucky loser has another opportunity.
Bu advances to the second round, where he will face the winner of Fabian Marozsan and Michael Zheng.
And after what happened in his opening match, the question is no longer how Bu Yunchaokete got into the US Open.
It is how much farther this unexpected run can go.
WWC ONE MEDIA MJE
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