A brand-new ATP 250 event will be played in China from September 18th, as the Hangzhou Open is set to enter the tennis family.
The ATP event in Hangzhou has never been held before, and this year, it will be the tournament's debut. The city is located quite close to Shanghai, which is a very attractive location to play tennis because the conditions there will be similar to what players will find at the Shanghai Masters.
It's also quite different from the other event, held simultaneously in Chengdu, which features distinct conditions that won’t be encountered in Shanghai. So, in that sense, this event seems like a better choice for preparing for the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai.
Although some names have withdrawn from the tournament, fans will still get to see Holger Rune, who is an excellent player. Karen Khachanov will also play in Chengdu, as will native player Zhizhen Zhang, who should get all the fan support.
Rune, as the top seed, will have a first-round bye. After that, he will face either Sumit Nagal or a qualifier. That's a playable draw for the young Dane, and if he wins the second-round match, as he's expected to, he will possibly face Yoshihito Nishioka or Marin Cilic.
After months of inactivity due to various injuries, Cilic is back on the courts and he's been playing solid tennis. This will be his first ATP Tour-level event since his return, and he might just surprise his fans and opponents.
The next quarter will also have some really solid players. Brandon Nakashima has played superb tennis lately and usually does well in Asia due to the quickness of the courts.
He will face either Yibing Wu or a qualifier in the second round after receiving a first-round bye as the fourth seed. Wu is a talented player who once again missed a lot of time with injuries, but he can play some inspired tennis.
There are some other challenging players in that part of the draw, including Rinky Hijikata, Luca Nardi, and Fabian Marozsan. The next quarter features native player Zhizhen Zhang, in whose quarter there are also the likes of Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Aslan Karatsev, and Mattia Bellucci.
The final quarter has the second seed of the event, Karen Khachanov, who remembers Asia fondly. He's had some solid wins in Asia, including the Olympic medal he won at the Tokyo Olympics a few years ago.
As the second seed, he will also have a first-round bye, with either Hugo Gaston or Bu Yunchaokete in the second round. Some other players in that part of the draw include Mikhail Kukushikin, an experienced veteran who can be a tricky opponent.
Alexander Shevchenko could play some solid tennis, and Luciano Darderi could do some damage despite being mostly a clay player. The full draw for the 2024 Hangzhou Open can be seen below.
2024 Hangzhou Open ATP Draw:
| Player 1 | Player 2 |
|---|---|
| Holger Rune [1] | BYE |
| Sumit Nagal | Qualifier |
| Marin Cilic | Zachary Svajda |
| Maximilian Marterer | Yoshihito Nishioka [8] |
| Brandon Nakashima [4] | BYE |
| Yibing Wu | Qualifier |
| Rinky Hijikata | Damir Dzumhur |
| Luca Nardi | Fabian Marozsan [7] |
| Zhizhen Zhang [6] | Qualifier |
| Aslan Karatsev | Mattia Bellucci |
| Corentin Moutet | Roberto Carballes Baena |
| BYE | Tomas Martin Etcheverry [3] |
| Luciano Darderi [5] | Mikhail Kukushkin |
| Alexander Shevchenko | Qualifier |
| Yunchaokete Bu | Hugo Gaston |
| BYE | Karen Khachanov [2] |
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