China's tennis player Bu Yunchaokete hits a return during his match against Lorenzo Musetti of Italy on September 29, 2024 in Beijing. Photo: Courtesy of China Open

China's 22-year-old tennis player Bu Yunchaokete continued his fine form on Sunday as he upset Paris Olympics bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti 6-2, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals of the China Open in Beijing.

This is Bu's first victory against a top 20 opponent in the ATP rankings, as Bu defeated the sixth seed in 1 hour and 29 minutes.

"Playing in the main draw of the China Open for the first time feels very special. Reaching the quarterfinals wasn't easy, so let's see what happens next," he said in his post-match interview.

Before last week's Hangzhou Open, Bu had played just one ATP Tour event. The 22-year-old made his maiden tour-level semifinal at the ATP 250 and is now into the last eight at his first ATP 500 tournament.

"I was really looking forward to this tournament because it's my first ATP 500 event and last week was my first 250, so I'm really enjoying."

Bu is just the second Chinese men's singles quarterfinalist in China Open history, after Zhang Ze who accomplished the feat in 2012. Less than five months ago, Bu was world No.239. Now the 22-year-old is No.83 in the ATP live rankings.

"More people know me now, so I have to keep a good balance and focus on what I need to do on the court," Bu said about his rising popularity.

He will next play against the winner of the match between fourth seed Andrey Rublev and Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, which will be held later on Sunday.

Bu also spoke about the challenges he's faced on the professional tour.

"I was able to rely solely on some of my existing skills to win quite a few matches before,but after entering the professional circuit, I realized I neededto improve and break through in terms of my offensive power. It's under this kind of pressure that I keep pushing myself to try new things," he told reporters.

"Modern tennis requires explosiveness and creativity. That's the biggest change I've made in the two years since I turned pro."