BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese prospect Buyunchaokete swept past sixth seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy 6-2, 6-4 to secure his spot in the men's singles quarterfinals here on Sunday at the 2024 China Open.
China's wild card veteran Zhang Shuai also continued her impressive run, defeating Belgium's Greet Minnen 6-2, 6-3 in the third round to book a place in the women's singles last 16.
Buyunchaokete, who made his main draw debut at the China Open, achieved his first career victory at an ATP 500 event by defeating fellow Chinese player Shang Juncheng in the first round.
Reflecting on Sunday's performance, Buyunchaokete credited his previous match for enhancing his mental resilience. "Getting broken twice in the second set reminded me of my first-round match, where I faced a similar situation. I just focused on the game, and it was the same today," said the 22-year-old.
The year 2024 has seen breakthroughs for Buyunchaokete. He made his Grand Slam main draw debut at the US Open and recently reached the semifinals at the ATP 250 event in Hangzhou, breaking into the men's singles top 100 for the first time in his career.
On his historic run at the China Open, Buyunchaokete said, "This is a very special experience for my first main draw here. Reaching the quarterfinals is not easy. Let's see what happens next."
35-year-old Zhang is one of the seasoned veterans on tour. When asked how she maintains her form, she said, "I believe that the younger Zhang Shuai didn't have the same level of play as I do now. Tennis is a sport that keeps you young, and I hope more people will participate in it."
"Greet and I are actually very good friends. When I was competing abroad, she would wait for me to finish my matches and then drive for hours to the next venue with me and my team," said Zhang.
Zhang, ranked No. 595, upset US Open semi-finalist Emma Navarro 6-4, 6-2 in just 75 minutes in the second round. Zhang will face Poland's Magdalena Frech next.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain eased past Tallon Griekspoor 6-1, 6-2 in just 56 minutes to book a last 8 berth.
US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula fought back to beat Russia's Veronika Kudermetova 6-7 (9), 6-1, 6-2 to reach last 16. ■
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