It’s on! This Monday, it was both Day 1 of the main draw at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open and a chance for players in qualifications to snatch the last spots. The impressive crowds who have been coming strong from the moment the first point was played in Victoria Park truly gave a boost of energy to that special Monday.

-> Cilic, Diallo, and Struff explain why, when the moment came to decide where to start their year, they picked Hong Kong
-> An ATP 250 with a draw that packs a serious punch
-> Wong enjoys the crowd’s support and wins his first match in doubles with Diallo
-> Players take their own Hong Kong tram, Musetti gets a special coach, and Rublev finds another calling

SO… WHAT’S GOING ON? SO MUCH!

Status Of That Draw? Packed!

Nestled in the middle of such a vibrant city, the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open enjoys a unique situation and takes full advantage of it. Watching the crowds descending on Victoria Park, you immediately get you’re in a place that knows its tennis. Singles, doubles, practice sessions, off-court activities, shopping, and eating in the village, fans have been everywhere from morning to evening.

This year, they’re again rewarded with quite the casting for an ATP 250! World no. 7 Lorenzo Musetti is the top seed, Alexander Bublik is on the other side of the draw, 2024 champion and fan favorite Andrey Rublev is in the place too, like World No. 17 Karen Khachanov, but also Canadian Gabriel Diallo, one of the revelations of last year, defending champion Alexandre Muller, and 2014 US Open Champion Marin Cilic. When I tell you we have a crowd here! And it keeps getting better as Hong Kong native Coleman Wong will play in front of his home crowd on the heels of his historical third round at the US Open. National Games Men’s Tennis Singles Champion and Runner-up – Wu Yibing and Jerry Shang Juncheng also joined the mix.

Here’s who snatched a main draw ticket today in a draw that included someone like German Jan-Lennard Struff (#82), who didn’t make the main draw cut!

[2] Alejandro Tabilo (CHI) vs [WC] Yi Zhou (CHN): 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
[3] Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) vs Nishesh Basavareddy (USA): 7-6(5), 6-2
Michael Mmoh (USA) vs [6] Patrick Kypson (USA): 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
[4] Emilio Nava (USA) vs [5] Laslo Djere (SRB): 7-5, 7-6(1)

They Picked Hong Kong For A Reason

They’ve all worked for weeks this winter to get ready for the 2026 season, and they all had to make a decision: Where to start? With the Australian Open around the corner, there’s no margin for mistakes. From an experienced champion like Marin Cilic to an up-and-coming phenom like Gabriel Diallo, it was a no-brainer: It was always going to be Hong Kong.

“The weather is a little bit cooler this year, but otherwise the team at the tournament has been doing so well,” explained 37-year-old Cilic on Monday. Now it’s the third edition since it was set up in the 90s, and they are doing extremely well. It’s a great combination of being here in such a great city and at the same time, look, we can see the hotel from here! And so, walking to the courts gives you this little bit of serenity. The buzz of the city on one side and the serenity on this side of the park. So, great, fantastic conditions for us to play and just a joy.”

Canadian’s hope Diallo (24) is just at the start of his professional career, but he has already found his start-of-the-year in Hong Kong. “It’s the start of the yea,r so everybody is hungry and impatient to play. I came here last year, and I loved it. I love the city, I love the tournament: There are a few restaurants I keep going back too but most importantly, everything is so easy here, like you can walk from the hotel to the site, the weather is nice, the event is beautiful, so all in all it makes it easier to adjust. It’s less hot than in Australia but warmer than in Monaco, where I was training, so it’s good. And also the people here are really – really! – into tennis and are very nice so it’s perfect.”

On these fast courts, powerful players like Cilic and Diallo can make wonders. German Jan-Lennard Struff, too, and so that’s why he doesn’t regret following Coleman Wong’s advice and starting his 2026 season in Hong Kong. “Honestly, I played here two years ago. It was very nice. I liked it here. Fans were very friendly. I felt like the tournament was well organized as well. Courts are pretty fast. I remember from two years ago, which I like a lot. That’s also one thing why I chose the tournament. I also practiced in Mallorca in the pre-season with Coleman one time and the year before as well. We talked a bit as well. It’s a beautiful tournament. I enjoyed my stay here last time, and I’m happy that I could come back here.”

Struff, who added that it was getting tougher and tougher to leave his family at home, finds ways to get into the right headspace by allowing himself a bit of tourism while in Hong Kong. “Two years ago, I went up to the peak to see the view of the city, which is really nice. There are also cafés and restaurants I’ve gotten used to. I walked a bit in the city and asked the tournament director if he could give me some good advice. It’s getting harder to stay away from home, but at least here it’s very nice.”

Cilic has brought his wife and two sons with him to Hong Kong, but he also enjoyed how the scheduling of the event let him save as much as holiday season as possible. “There were some other options, but here I really like it and one thing is also that I always love to spend Christmas at home, and here I get one day extra at home. After I don’t know how many days spent on tour, it matters! (He laughs) I just enjoyed my time with the family, recharged, and got here. The kids are here watching every single point. So they also love it here and they are so fun.” Players and fans alike are finding the perfect mix of performance and entertainment in Hong Kong, launching the 2026 season smoothly.

Check out SINGLES DRAW results, DOUBLES DRAW results and ORDER OF PLAY on hkmenstennisopen.com

WAIT… WHAT DID THEY SAY?

Coleman Wong, the home favorite, winner in doubles with Gabriel Diallo (7-6(7), 3-6, 10-6): “First time for us playing together and it’s been a good one, I think. We really enjoyed it, and I’m really happy to get my first win here. Everyone is good here, so I’ve been trying to get better every day. I managed to practice with people like Gabriel and Rublev, which is really important as it helps me a lot, and I really enjoy how we also share different, you know, techniques a little bit. (On the atmosphere) : For doubles and for a match like this, the first round of an ATP 250 it was amazing! But everyone loves tennis here, so not sure it’s all because of me, but hopefully it is, and I hope there are more and more players coming up from Hong Kong.”

Yibing Wu, winner in singles against Fabian Marozsan (6-4, 6-2): “Yes, Fabian is a great player. Big serve and very heavy balls on the baseline. It takes a lot of energy for me to bring his ball back, especially on his service game. But I think I did well overall. I controlled my emotions and took the chances when I had them. So I’m happy that I could make it today. I was playing better in practice, but of course, in practice, you could play great tennis, but once you come to the match, you always feel different pressures. A lot of people are coming to watch. The environment is different. I’m glad I made some good shots. I wouldn’t say I surprised myself, though. Hopefully, the people who come to watch enjoy my tennis.”

Marin Cilic, winner of Adrian Mannarino (6-3, 6-2) in the first round:

“A tricky first match! Adrian and I have known each other since we were 13 or 14, so it’s great to see him playing so well at that age. That’s a compliment to me as well. So, yeah, always tricky. Adrian is playing fantastic on these kinds of fast courts, and I have to say I played an extremely efficient match, did a lot of great things, and used my chances. There were a couple of other opportunities where I could have also done something more, and I had maybe one game where I was a little bit under pressure on my serve, but overall it was a really, really clean and solid match. (…) My body is feeling really good now. That’s the bottom line, and that’s where I wanted to get to. Last year was very challenging. I started the season being ranked outside of the top 100, so I had to battle for half the season. So it was quite a battle, and I’m extremely proud of myself for what I went through, what I accomplished, and now I’m in a good position to have some really good results this year.”

Gabriel Diallo, who will start in singles on Tuesday against Jesper de Jong: “I took two weeks off to recover, and then we did seven weeks of training this winter. We were really able to push the body and work on new things to bring to my game. I also switched racquets: I’m still playing with the Blade (Wilson), but now it’s the K Blade. We also switched things a bit with the strings, adding natural gut to get a bit more feeling. I had a great year, and now people know what to expect from me, so it’s going to be interesting to try to remain unpredictable.”

YOU HAVE TO SEE THAT!

Coleman Wong, Wu Yibing, Shang Juncheng, and Marin Cilic got to ride the special tramway (in Hong Kong they say “Ding Ding”) set up by the tournament in the heart of the city. Players actually did part of their media day inside the tram with the reporters and got to chat with each other while taking pictures by the windows. Here’s how to get a taste of the very own Hong Kong way of doing public transportation!

DON’T TELL ME YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED THAT!

Hmmm, what do we think Pat Cash is making of Lorenzo Musetti’s net game here? Both enjoyed some time on court during a clinic on site, but even when it’s for fun, you can trust tennis players to keep a game face when it comes to nailing their shots!

COME BACKSTAGE!

In life, you often need hobbies and a plan B, so who’s to say Andrey Rublev hasn’t found a new calling in Hong Kong this year? Isn’t the top seed looking the part here, baking goods at the Kee Wah Bakery, a very famous traditional Chinese bakery brand first opened in 1938? Tennis players and their infamous laser focus and perfectionism can absolutely be put to the bakery task!

JOIN THE FUN!

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