A sorrowful night in the cold rain! Little Bu took the lead but was reversed, while Shang Juncheng unexpectedly fell to the young servant!

Just last night, Cincinnati witnessed a sorrowful night in the cold rain for Chinese tennis fans! The two Chinese male singles players, Bu Yunchao and Shang Juncheng, both faced reversals after fierce battles, becoming the biggest disappointment for netizens!

This season, Bu Yunchao's schedule has been extremely packed, leading to his unstable form. Before the Cincinnati tournament this week, media even reported that he was ill and had a fever before arriving in Cincinnati. To make matters worse, Bu Yunchao also drew a tough match against the Brazilian prodigy Fonseca in the first round, prompting many netizens to lament, "If he loses, then let it be; as long as he can finish healthy, that’s what matters!"

However, considering Fonseca's recent form, the odds given by both sides before the match were not very different, with Bu Yunchao trailing slightly, suggesting that there was still a chance in the match.

As expected! In the first set, Bu Yunchao took the initiative with powerful serves, and although his first serve percentage was low, a remarkable 76% first serve win rate allowed him to maintain control. In the crucial ninth game, he broke his opponent's serve and then held his own to take the set 6-4.

However, the second set saw a dramatic turn of events, as Bu Yunchao’s physical stamina noticeably declined, reducing the power of his serves. His first serve percentage plummeted to 29%, and his first serve win rate dropped to 57%, quickly losing the second set 2-6. At this point, many fans were worried about whether the Chinese star could hold up physically.

In the deciding set, Bu Yunchao found some rhythm and offensive feel, and both players battled to 5-5. In the 11th game, Bu Yunchao held two consecutive service points at 40-15, but unfortunately, he faltered at the crucial moment, losing four consecutive points and getting broken. Despite fighting off one match point, he ultimately lost 5-7, a heartbreaking defeat.

“The decline in serve performance was indeed fatal, but more crucially, he seemed too hesitant when opportunities arose,” remarked a seasoned fan watching live. “Lacking the courage to go for it on crucial points and making consecutive errors was truly unfortunate.”

In fact, Bu Yunchao's loss exposed a long-standing issue: his serve inconsistency and overly conservative baseline play. I vaguely remember that during last year's US Open when Bu Yunchao made a name for himself, he was aggressive from the baseline. However, as his ranking rose, the burden of "wanting to win but fearing to lose" seemed to grow heavier, leading to increasingly conservative play on crucial points, compounded by inherent serving problems, resulting in a very unstable season. However, considering that Little Bu had just recovered from illness and only resumed training a couple of days ago, his overall performance today was quite commendable.

If Bu Yunchao's exit felt regrettable, Shang Juncheng's departure was truly heart-wrenching.

Earlier this year, Shang Juncheng faced injury to his foot and was set to compete against Argentine star Echeverri. From their past encounters, Shang Juncheng had a perfect record of two wins, but both matches were hard-fought, going the full three sets. Given that Shang Juncheng had just returned from injury and was not at his best physically or mentally, both the odds and support rate were not in his favor before the match.

However, during the match, the young Chinese player surprised everyone! In the first set tiebreak, Shang Juncheng held his nerve to win 7-6(5); in the second set, he even took a 5-2 lead, just one step away from victory.

However, just when everyone thought Shang Juncheng had it in the bag, Echeverri suddenly raised his level, winning three straight games to take the match back to a tiebreak. Under pressure, Shang Juncheng ultimately lost the tiebreak 4-7. At this moment, many netizens exclaimed, “It’s over, Shang Juncheng is going to be reversed; it feels like the momentum is lost.”

In the deciding set, Shang Juncheng's stamina and focus noticeably declined. However, what was even more critical was that in the sixth game of the final set, Shang Juncheng fell and was forced to call for a medical timeout to treat his thigh discomfort. After that, Echeverri grew stronger, and ultimately Shang Juncheng lost 4-6, missing a great opportunity to advance and suffering his first career defeat to this opponent.

Bu Yunchao's collapse after leading in the deciding set and Shang Juncheng's reversal from a 5-2 advantage both became bitter lessons. With the North American hard court season halfway through, how to improve stability and mental resilience under high-intensity competition has become a pressing challenge for the new generation of Chinese tennis players.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Lu Xiaotian)