Musetti, Bublik to meet in the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open final

HONG KONG - Lorenzo Musetti will be in two Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open (‘BOCHKTO’) finals tomorrow after coming through his singles semifinal and receiving a walkover with his partner Lorenzo Sonego into the doubles final.

The top seed was in a titanic struggle against 2024 BOCHKTO champion Andrey Rublev that could have gone either way. After losing a tight first set on the tie-break, the Italian kept his composure, and eventually grinded out a 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-4 victory in match of the tournament so far.

On making two finals in his opening event of 2026, the world no. 7 said:

“It feels great to start the year so well to reach a final. I had to fight really hard to win, we played a great match, with great intensity. I was prepared for a fight today, and I think I was able to play a few important points a little bit better than my opponent. I stayed positive and I think that helped me get the win. Now, I will go into recovery, try to sleep early and be in the best possible shape tomorrow for the final.”

Rublev added: 

“I had many chances, some break points but Lorenzo played well in all of them. It is all about the details and he played better than me in those moments, so he won the match. There were some moments where I could have perhaps played better, but I didn’t quite manage to do it.”

Alexander Bublik will be Musetti’s opponent in the final after the BOCHKTO debutant battled past American Marcos Giron, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. The world no. 11 had breezed past his last two opponents in straight sets but came up against a stubborn opponent today, who was looking for his fourth ATP Tour Final, and second title.

Bublik has been in tremendous form since his return to the tour last year after a mental and physical result. He reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the French Open and first fourth round at the US Open, and won four singles titles between June and September. 

On reaching his first BOCHKTO final, Bublik said:

“I let out my emotions after losing the first set and tried to forget about what happened. That really helped me refocus, and I was able to take the last two sets to win the match. I am now in the final in the first week of the season, I will try to play my best and see what happens. It will definitely be a tough match, the better player will win.”

Bublik and Musetti have met three times on the ATP Tour with the Kazakhstani winning twice.

Rublev and Musetti will be on the opposite sides of the court again tomorrow when they face each other in the doubles final. Rublev and partner Karen Khachanov came through a very tight 7-5, 3-6 (10-8) semifinal against Vasil and Kirkov and Bart Stevens while Musetti and Lorenzo Sonego had a walkover against local hope Coleman Wong Chak-lam and Gabriel Diallo in the last four as the Canadian sustained an injury during their quarterfinal and could not take part in the semifinal.

Play begins tomorrow with the singles final starting at 3:30pm, and the doubles to follow after a suitable rest period for Musetti. The free-for-all Tournament Village will open at 11am.

The Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open 2026 is proud of being an “M” Mark event that helps enhance the image of Hong Kong as Asia’s sports event capital. The “M” Mark status is awarded by the Major Sports Events Committee symbolizing intense, spectacular and signature events in the territory sports calendar.

With total prize money exceeding US$780,000, BOCHKTO 2026 takes place at the iconic Victoria Park Tennis Centre Court from today to 11 January. 

Tickets are on sale via Ticketflap website with prices ranging from HK$370 to HK$1,610. 

For the latest tournament updates, please visit the tournament website at www.hkmenstennisopen.com