Unseeded Bu Yunchaokete made history at the 2026 US Open on Wednesday. He became the first "lucky loser" to beat a top-15 seed at a tennis major in the Open Era, which began in 1968.
The term "lucky loser" represents the player who lost the final qualifying match for the major but still gets added to the field because players in the draw had to withdraw.
Yunchaokete replaced Thanasi Kokkinakis in the tournament and found out only on Tuesday that he would be playing the 12-seeded Rafal Jodar on Wednesday. Kokkinakis withdrew due to an ankle sprain and calf injury suffered at the Cincinnati Masters leading up to the US Open.
Jodar is ranked as the No. 13 men's tennis player in the world entering the tournament, but was not able to build any momentum on Wednesday. Yunchaokete didn't just pull off the upset; he dominated.
The 24-year-old allowed Jodar to win only four games in the match, advancing in straight sets 6-2, 6-1, 6-1.
#wednesday #jodar #player
The term "lucky loser" represents the player who lost the final qualifying match for the major but still gets added to the field because players in the draw had to withdraw.
Yunchaokete replaced Thanasi Kokkinakis in the tournament and found out only on Tuesday that he would be playing the 12-seeded Rafal Jodar on Wednesday. Kokkinakis withdrew due to an ankle sprain and calf injury suffered at the Cincinnati Masters leading up to the US Open.
Jodar is ranked as the No. 13 men's tennis player in the world entering the tournament, but was not able to build any momentum on Wednesday. Yunchaokete didn't just pull off the upset; he dominated.
The 24-year-old allowed Jodar to win only four games in the match, advancing in straight sets 6-2, 6-1, 6-1.
#wednesday #jodar #player
6 hours ago
