Phew

Bu still hadn’t won a match in China this season, and man did it show.

Bu put a ton of pressure on himself during this Asian swing. He wants to do so well that he gets super tight, and it totally backfires! He’s not loose; he tightens up in his matches here, and that was still the case in his first round. Game-wise, he was good—no complaints—but his end-of-match management was tricky. After losing the second set he could’ve fallen apart, but he got back on the front foot. That win will do him a world of good and maybe help him string a few together now. He’s taken a huge weight off his shoulders, so it’d be a shame to show up to the second round still tense. With his R1 level and some looseness coming, he could even be dangerous again, especially since physically and mentally he’s solid, and in these conditions he can get through on that. I’m stressing the physical side because once again we’re seeing a lot of players crack in the stifling conditions, and Darderi’s one to keep an eye on. At the last tournament against Nishioka he cramped badly after a set and a half, and in the next match he played a set before blowing up—head and legs. Bu knows what he has to do; this one will be won over the long haul. I do like Darderi’s game on these courts though—with his serve quality and his power from the back he can be a real pain for a bunch of players. He’ll be attacking a lot, and Bu will play the role of the rock on the baseline who holds firm and accelerates when he’s got a bit of time—just needs to be careful not to drop too far back.