Lorenzo Musetti’s No. 1 and No. 3 Andrey Rublev will begin their Hong Kong campaigns in the second round on Wednesday. Musetti meets Thomas Martin Etcheverry, while Rublev faces Yibing Wu.
(3) Andrey Rublev vs. (WC) Yibing Wu
Rublev and Wu will be facing each other for the second time in their careers when they fight for a place in the quarterfinals of the Bank of China Open on Wednesday. Their last meeting came on the grass courts of Halle in 2023, where Rublev won 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-2.
This would be a good place for Wu to take revenge. The 26-year-old Chinese player is healthy (for once), will have the crowd behind him, and already has a win under his belt in Hong Kong – edging out Fabian Marozsan 6-4, 6-2. Rublev received a bye as the third seed, so this is the Russian’s first game since a disappointing 2025 season that saw him drop to 16th in the rankings.
Choose: Wu in 3
(1) Lorenzo Musetti vs. Thomas Martin Etcherery
Musetti is looking to build on an impressive year in which he played at the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time in his young but already extremely impressive career. The Italian rose to seventh in the rankings thanks to a semi-final run at Roland Garros, three runner-up finishes (including Monte-Carlo), and multiple Masters 1000 semi-final appearances.
First for Musetti in Hong Kong is a third match against Etchereverry, who lost both of their previous tournaments in straight sets – 7-6(3), 6-2 at the 2025 Madrid Masters and 6-3, 6-4 this past fall in Vienna. Etcheverry did well to beat Valentin Royer on Tuesday, but there is no reason to think the 57th-ranked Argentine will make a sudden change against Musetti. The No. 1 seed 1 has made far greater progress in non-clay areas than Etcheverry has in recent seasons.
Select: Musetti in 2
