Spanish tennis prospect Rafa Jódar suffered a dramatic first-round exit in his senior US Open debut, losing 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 to China's Yunchaokete Bu in New York.
The defeat marked a sharp contrast for the Madrid native at Flushing Meadows, where he won the US Open junior singles championship in 2024 before making his debut in the senior main draw in 2026.
Bu secured a dominant victory in straight sets despite entering the main draw as a lucky loser. The Chinese player had been eliminated in the qualifying rounds but earned a spot in the primary field following the late withdrawal of Thanasi Kokkinakis, who was originally scheduled to face Jódar.
The victory came as a major surprise, as Bu had not won a single match on the ATP Tour this year, although he had claimed titles on the lower-tier Challenger circuit. Prior to defeating Jódar, Bu had never won a match in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament.
Unexpected defeat at Flushing Meadows
Jódar struggled throughout the encounter, failing to find consistency on his serve, his returns, or his pursuit of winning shots. The Spaniard appeared potentially saturated after an intensive month of competition on hard courts, having recently played in tournaments in Washington, Montreal, and Cincinnati.
The setback comes during what has otherwise been a remarkable breakthrough season for Jódar. At the beginning of the year, the Madrid player was ranked around 120th in the world, in a similar position to Bu, but has since surged to the edge of the top 10 in the global standings.
The US Open, held annually at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, is the final Grand Slam tournament of the professional tennis season. Competing in the main draw of a major tournament requires players to face intense physical and mental demands over best-of-five-set matches in the men's singles discipline.
Rain delay and match outcome
During the third set, with Jódar trailing 4-1, rain interrupted play and delayed the conclusion of the match by roughly two hours. Although Jódar had previously demonstrated an ability to stage remarkable comebacks this season, no turnaround materialized after the disruption.
Jódar has previously taken inspiration from Rafael Nadal's mentality of fighting for every opportunity in lengthy matches. However, the Spanish player was unable to alter the course of the match against Bu once play resumed.
Despite the early elimination, Jódar's rapid rise through the rankings means the result is viewed as a valuable learning experience rather than a major setback in his professional development as he concludes his summer hard-court campaign.
