David Goffin vs Bu Yunchaokete

ATP Washington 1st Round Preview: David Goffin vs Bu Yunchaokete

🧠 Form & Context

David Goffin
🔄 Season of struggle: Just 9–16 in 2025, and winless since Wimbledon—his last win came vs Landaluce in Gstaad.
📉 Age catching up: At 34, Goffin has lost the explosiveness that made him a top-10 force. He's 5–7 on hard courts this year, with a few flashes (beat Alcaraz in Miami) but many early exits.
🏛️ Washington history: Former quarterfinalist (2018), but hasn’t gone beyond R2 since then.
📉 Recent form: Lost 6 of his last 7 matches, including brutal losses to Hijikata (Wimbledon) and Cerundolo (Gstaad).

Bu Yunchaokete
🚀 Rising star: Career-high ranking of No. 64 this year, backed by strong hard-court form in early 2025 (notably beat Norrie, Hijikata, Altmaier, and Lestienne).
🌟 ATP wins on resume: Has played—and sometimes troubled—top names like Zverev, Fritz, and Medvedev.
🎾 Hard-court base: 4–8 on hard courts this year at ATP level but had quality wins and close matches.
🔋 Stamina questions: Played a grueling 3-set loss to Emilio Nava just five days ago in Los Cabos—will recovery be an issue?

🔍 Match Breakdown

This is a generational clash between Goffin’s experience and Bu’s rising energy. Goffin still moves fairly well and times the ball beautifully, but his second serve is highly attackable and his confidence is fading.

Bu has the aggression, foot speed, and forehand heaviness to hurt Goffin—especially on quick surfaces like Washington. However, his shot tolerance can wobble, and Goffin’s ability to redirect pace could expose him if the Chinese player overhits.

That said, Bu’s recent hard-court wins are more impressive than Goffin’s current form, and he’s better equipped physically to go the distance if this becomes a baseline war.

🔮 Prediction

Prediction: Bu Yunchaokete in 2 tight sets.
Unless Goffin finds the level he showed against Alcaraz in Miami, Bu should have enough firepower and confidence to wear him down—especially in backhand exchanges and longer rallies.