Lexus Ilkley Open 2026: Yunchaokete Bu beats Jacob Fearnley to seal back-to-back titles on grass
• 2 minute read
Yunchaokete Bu continued his spectacular form on grass, defeating home favourite Jacob Fearnley in straight sets to claim the Lexus Ilkley Open men’s singles title.
The Chinese star delivered a composed performance to win 6-3, 7-6(1) in one hour and 40 minutes, capping off a dominant fortnight on the surface.
The victory marks Bu’s second consecutive grass-court title, following his triumph at the Lexus Birmingham Open just a week earlier.
Bu - who has now risen to world No.107 in the live rankings - becomes just the fourth player since 2000 to win titles in back-to-back weeks on grass, joining the likes of Andy Murray (Surbiton & Nottingham, 2023) and Dan Evans (Surbiton & Nottingham, 2019).
“I’m really happy with my performances over these last two weeks”, Bu reflected in his on-court speech. “I’m really enjoying the grass court season this year.
“He’s (Fearnley) a very tough opponent, congrats to you this week - you’ve had an amazing week. I wish you all the best for the rest of the season.”
Bu’s path to the Lexus Ilkley Open title
- First round: def. Chris Rodesch (LUX) 7-6(7), 7-5
- Second round: def. Leandro Riedi (SUI) – walkover
- Quarter-final: def. Mark Lajal (EST) 6-4, 6-1
- Semi-final: def. Dane Sweeny (AUS) 7-6(4), 7-6(6)
- Final: def. Jacob Fearnley (GBR) 6-3, 7-6(1)
For Fearnley, the final marked his second career grass-court final, following his title run at the Lexus Nottingham Open two years ago.
While the Brit will be disappointed not to cap off a strong week with the trophy, there are plenty of positives to take from reaching his first ATP Challenger final of the season after strugglign with injuries earlier in the year.
“It was an amazing week,” Fearnley said. “It was my first time playing singles here and I really felt the love from the fans. The tournament is fantastic and I’m looking forward to coming back for many years.
“Congrats to Bu - I’ve played him a few times and know how difficult he is. Today, he had my number. He served incredibly well and played the big points better.”
After a rainy week in Ilkley, Bu and Fearnley would’ve been happy to contest the Lexus Ilkley Open final under the clear skies in West Yorkshire.
Fearnley applied early pressure in the opening set, creating five break-point opportunities, but Bu held firm to deny them all.
The 24-year-old from China then seized his chance late in the set, converting his second break point to move 5-3 ahead before closing out the opener in 47 minutes.
The second set was dominated by serve, with both players winning 85% of first-serve points - ultimately forcing a tie-break.
Although Fearnley claimed the opening point, Bu quickly raised his level, reeling off seven consecutive points to seal the title as the Brit pushed a forehand into the net.
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