China's men's singles collapse at the China Open! Shang Juncheng suffers a bagel and is overturned, Bu Yunchaokete also bageled and swept out

Following the first-round defeats of both Bu Yunchaokete and Shang Juncheng, it confirmed the total wipeout of Chinese men’s singles in this China Open, as all three players competing in the main draw fell at the initial stage.

When the qualifiers Zhou Yi, Sun Fajing, Wang Aoran, and Hong Kong’s Huang Zelin were all eliminated in the first round, many believed that the losing streak would end quickly for the main draw players Zhang Zhizhen, Bu Yunchaokete, and Shang Juncheng, thinking it impossible that all three would exit immediately.

However, Zhang Zhizhen, who played first, failed to ignite his campaign!

In the opening round against Atmanar, his performance was disappointing, lasting only 72 minutes before being swept 6-4, 6-2 by the qualifier.

The public’s disappointment with Zhang Zhizhen was not because they expected him to necessarily win this match.

Although Atmanar is not a highly renowned player, his run to the semifinals at this year’s Cincinnati Masters and his performance in the China Open qualifiers show he is no ordinary competitor. Moreover, Zhang Zhizhen had just returned from injury, so hoping he would instantly regain his peak like the legendary trio of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic was unrealistic. Hence, expectations were low: just winning a single set was considered a success.

Unexpectedly, even this modest expectation was let down by Zhang Zhizhen. Some even joked about his first-round match at the Hangzhou 250 tournament against Bu Yunchaokete, saying he saved his best firepower for a fellow countryman and then became a gracious host, warmly welcoming guests.

After Zhang Zhizhen’s failure to secure an opening win for Chinese men’s tennis at the China Open, the responsibility fell to Bu Yunchaokete and Shang Juncheng. Among these two Chinese rising stars, Shang Juncheng was most favored today.

Bu Yunchaokete lost trust not because of his first-round exit in Hangzhou, which some might see as a sign he couldn’t handle the pressure, but because his first-round opponent Deminal was too strong, making an upset against this Australian rising star almost impossible.

It proved true that Bu Yunchaokete had a tough time challenging Deminal.

In the first set, the Chinese top player held off Deminal’s power for the first four games, but from the fifth game on, after Bu Yunchaokete was broken first by the Australian, he was constantly chasing the score. Deminal closed the set 6-4, and Bu Yunchaokete never had a chance to turn things around, highlighting the clear gap in ability.

In the second set, Bu Yunchaokete’s performance was beyond disappointing — he completely collapsed.

Deminal turned this decisive set into a personal showcase, while Bu Yunchaokete’s series of unforced errors made him look even weaker by comparison. Shockingly, he lost the set without winning a game, handing over the match in a bagel, which was hard to believe.

From reaching back-to-back semifinals last year in Hangzhou and the China Open to suffering consecutive first-round exits this year, doubts grew about Bu Yunchaokete’s ability to reach the 200 points target in the Chinese season and whether he will have a chance to appear at next year’s Australian Open.

After being bageled and swept by Deminal, Bu Yunchaokete’s current world ranking has dropped outside the top 100 to 119. If he hopes to appear in the Australian Open main draw next year as planned, he must perform well at the Shanghai Masters.

With Bu Yunchaokete out, Shang Juncheng became the sole hope for the entire team.

Confidence in Shang Juncheng came not only from bookmakers favoring him in the odds but also from his superior head-to-head record against Kazuo.

When Shang Juncheng dominated Kazuo in the first set, leaving him powerless and winning it without losing a game, everyone watching the live stream believed Shang had a good chance to end the six-match losing streak for Chinese men’s singles at this China Open and reverse the disastrous start.

However, as the match progressed into the second set, Shang’s performance gradually weakened, and he was eventually overturned by Kazuo, who won two consecutive sets, leaving fans and viewers in the live chat stunned.

Why did Shang Juncheng’s loss provoke such a strong reaction and deep disappointment? Because it was seen as a match he should not have lost.

In fact, Shang once led 3-1 in the second set but lost the tiebreaker, and in the latter part of the deciding set, his body suddenly gave out at a crucial moment. Sensing this opportunity, Kazuo seized the moment and closed the match 7-5 in the final set, completing the comeback against Shang.

The dramatic swing from being so close to victory to drifting further away devastated Shang and was hard for fans and viewers to accept.

While the women’s singles have stopped their collapse at the China Open, the embarrassment for Chinese men’s singles remains. To break this deadlock, hopes now rest on the upcoming Shanghai Masters. Many wish the Chinese young players will not let this collapse continue into next year’s Chinese season, or it would be truly embarrassing.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moon River’s Starry Sky)