Buyunchaokete made a winning start at the AITO Hangzhou Open, defeating Michael Zheng 6-4, 6-3 to claim his first ATP Tour victory of the season.
Playing in front of his home crowd, the Chinese player produced a composed performance to overcome Zheng, who had beaten him at the US Open last month.
Buyunchaokete made the most of his serve throughout the match, winning 85 per cent of points behind his first serve. He also showed his resilience when under pressure, saving six of the seven break points he faced.
The victory gave the 24-year-old a measure of revenge after their meeting in New York.
“He beat me at the US Open and that hurt me a bit,” Buyunchaokete said during his on-court interview.
“I’m happy to be here and I was a little bit nervous at the beginning, but I tried to find my rhythm and I got revenge. It’s my first win this year at home, so I’m very happy for that.”
Buyunchaokete will now face eighth seed Kamil Majchrzak in the second round. The Polish player advanced after beating Mattia Bellucci 6-3, 6-4.
Elsewhere, Jaime Faria survived a tense battle with Terence Atmane to reach the second round. The Portuguese saved two match points in the second-set tie-break before completing a 3-6, 7-6(9), 6-4 comeback.
Faria, seeded at an ATP Tour event for the first time, will next meet Hugo Gaston, who defeated Sho Shimabukuro 6-4, 6-4.
Coleman Wong also advanced after beating home favourite Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 6-3. The Hong Kong player will next face Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, who earned his first professional victory on Chinese soil by edging past Cui Jie 6-1, 6-7(2), 6-4.
The meeting between Wong and Vallejo will be their first Lexus ATP Head2Head encounter, adding another intriguing matchup to the second round in Hangzhou.
