Bu kid on the block

China's newest men's tennis hope wows home crowds with back-to-back semifinal runs

Not once, but twice — Buyunchaokete's recent back-to-back ATP semifinal runs have proved his huge potential as yet another emerging Chinese contender at the top of men's tennis.

Everyone close to him had predicted a bright future, yet a series of health issues bogged him down, leaving his promising career on the pro circuit on uncertain ground. However, Buyunchaokete proved his doubters wrong, big time, with two showstopping deep runs at home tournaments over the past two weeks.

The 22-year-old, hailing from China's Mongolian ethnic group, has fought his way from obscurity to stardom with two straight semifinal appearances on the ATP Tour, first in Hangzhou on Sept 23, and again in Beijing on Tuesday.