Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP Washington match.
Alex de Minaur enters the ATP Washington tournament as the seventh seed and is widely seen as one of the leading contenders for the title. He previously reached the final here in 2018 and will begin his campaign against Bu Yunchaokete, who progressed through the qualifying stages. On paper, the Australian should have little trouble, but the Chinese player has shown he can provide a challenge.
Alex de Minaur
Alex de Minaur has lost his opening match in Washington in each of his last three appearances since 2019. These defeats came after the grass-court season and were against players outside the top tier—Peter Gojowczyk, Steve Johnson, and Yoshihito Nishioka. Furthermore, following Wimbledon, Alex has had a two-week break from competitive play, which may affect his sharpness during this hard-court phase.
Bu Yunchaokete
Since September 2024, Bu Yunchaokete has lost all seven of his matches against top-20 opposition. However, in five of those seven contests, he managed to stay within a +5.5 game handicap. In Washington, he has already beaten David Goffin (6:4, 7:5), saving six of seven break points and winning 78% of points behind his first serve.
Alex de Minaur vs Bu Yunchaokete Prediction
Alex de Minaur is still the clear favourite, but his opponent looks capable of keeping the scoreline respectable—especially given the Australian’s tendency to start slowly in Washington. Earlier this season, they met on a hard court in Miami, where Bu Yunchaokete put up a strong fight in a 4:6, 4:6 defeat. A similar pattern could emerge in this encounter.
