The ATP has announced the addition of a newly minted Tour-level tournament to its 2024 calendar, the Hangzhou Open, following the relocation of the Zhuhai 250 event.
The tournament organizers have begun taking names of those who will play in Hangzhou. The city is located on the East Coast of China and is the capital of the country's Zhejiang province. The new tournament will be part of the ATP 250 series running from September 18th to 24th.
This tournament will be held a week after the fourth and final Grand Slam of 2024 at the US Open. The Hangzhou Open will be one of two tournaments that will mark the start of the Asian swing (along with the Chengdu Open).
Andrey Rublev is the first Top 10 player to confirm his presence at the event. The Russian, who is a champion in Hong Kong and Madrid this year, is" excited" about the prospect of showcasing his tennis skills inside the Hangzhou Olympics Tennis Centre, which hosted the 2023 Asian Games.
"I’m looking forward to coming back to China and playing in the Hangzhou Open in September. I’m excited to come to the beautiful city of Hangzhou and play in the stadium, which I know hosted the Asian Games last year."
Holger Rune and China's No. 1 ATP player Zhizhen Zhang will also play there. Zhang, in particular, is fond of the city. Last year, he won a gold medal at the Asian Games, guaranteeing his place at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"It was an excellent experience to play at the Hangzhou Olympics Tennis Center in last year’s Asian Games. It has nice facilities and there is a great atmosphere there."
The World No. 42 is not the only history-making Chinese man. Last year, Yibing Wu became the first Chinese player to win an ATP title when he defeated John Isner in the Dallas Open final.
The 24-year-old Hangzhou native will be pumped to return to his home city after losing in the round of 16 of the Asian Games. Wu hopes to recover from an undisclosed injury that has limited him to just three matches this season.
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