After repeated defeats, only Wu Yibing made it to the quarterfinals this week in the tour and challenger events.

Since March 2022, when Shang Juncheng successfully emerged from the qualifying rounds of the Indian Wells Masters, becoming the first Chinese male tennis player to reach the main draw from the qualifiers, Chinese male players have achieved a series of breakthroughs in various levels of competitions over the past four years. Because of this, many fans are quite optimistic about the future of Chinese men's tennis.

Recently, in the tennis group I belong to, some fans even claimed that in due time, Chinese male tennis players would be able to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam. However, this week, whether in the tour or the challenger events, only one player managed to secure two consecutive victories and reach the quarterfinals. So, what exactly is going on? Let this article take you through it.

Mongolian player Bu Yunchaokete won six hope tournament championships in 2022, becoming the undisputed king of hope tournaments that year. In 2023, he also claimed his first challenger title in Seoul, South Korea, becoming the fastest Chinese male tennis player to transition from his first challenger main draw victory to his first challenger championship. Last year, Bu Yunchaokete made it to the quarterfinals of the tour twice, impressing many fans.

However, for most of this season, Bu Yunchaokete has been eliminated early in the tour events. Not only that, but he has often lost in tiebreaks. Early this morning, in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters, he faced Brazilian player Fonseca and initially took the lead. However, in the subsequent matches, Bu Yunchaokete was reversed by his opponent, losing two consecutive sets and halting his progress.

Speaking of Shang Juncheng, many fans are quite familiar with him. Since 2022, he has achieved good results every year. This year, despite being troubled by injuries, he remains the only Chinese male tennis player to have reached the semifinals of a tour event.

Early this morning, in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters, facing Argentine player Echeverri, who has previously reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam, he initially took the lead in the tiebreak, securing an advantage for advancement. Unfortunately, after having match points in the second set, he was continuously countered by his opponent, dragged into a tiebreak, and ultimately lost a set. Subsequently, Echeverri won the deciding set 6-4, also reversing the match against Shang Juncheng. Thus, Shang Juncheng had to accept the unfortunate fate of two consecutive defeats since his return.

Having once achieved ten consecutive victories in hope tournaments and winning hope tournament championships for two weeks in a row this year, Cui Jie arrived at the Grodzisk Challenger held in Poland this week. In the first round, Cui Jie won decisively against Italian player A Binda in straight sets, avoiding the embarrassment of a four-match losing streak. However, yesterday, facing French player Mayot, despite giving it his all, Cui Jie still lost to his opponent and failed to progress further.

Recently, Zhou Yi, who reached his first challenger final, appeared at the Chicago Challenger this week. In the first round, he allowed American player J Sheehy to win only five games, defeating his opponent and advancing smoothly; in the second round, his opponent was American player Michael Zheng. After losing the first set, Zhou Yi won the second set, dragging the match to the deciding set. In the final set, Zhou Yi initially gained match points but was soon equalized by his opponent, who then took the lead, resulting in a regrettable loss for Zhou Yi.

Wu Yibing, who performed well recently in the tour, also appeared at the Chicago Challenger this week. In the first round, despite losing the first set, he managed to come back and win two sets in a row against American player A Ilagan, advancing with difficulty; in the second round, Wu Yibing easily defeated Japanese player Nakagawa Naoki. Thus, he became the only remaining Chinese player in the challenger draw. What will Wu Yibing's results be next? Let's continue to follow along. That concludes today's tennis story; stay tuned for more tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)