From past pain to current power: Marin Cilic wins Hong Kong opener | ATP tour | Tennis

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From past pain to current power: Cilic wins Hong Kong opener

The 37-year-old will face Borges in the second round
January 5, 2026

Marin Cilic didn’t have the happiest memories of his only previous appearance at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open, but he put that firmly behind him on Monday with a confident return to the ATP 250.

After squandering nine match points in a first-round defeat to Jan-Lennard Struff in 2024, the 37-year-old bounced back two years later to start his 2026 season in style, edging past Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-2.

“It’s a great way to start the new season,” said Cilic, the former No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. “It’s great to be back in Hong Kong with a beautiful atmosphere. My family is here… My boys love to watch me and give me a lot of energy, so I have good eye contact with them and celebrate the victory with them.”

Despite hitting just 48 percent of his first serves, Cilic was devastating going in. He won 89 percent (24/27) of those points and fired nine aces, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The win also extended his Lexus ATP Head2Head advantage over Mannarino to 3-1.

The 2014 US Open champion has now achieved at least one ATP Tour win in 21 consecutive seasons, dating back to 2006. His success against the world No. 55 marked his first victory over a higher-ranked opponent since upsetting the then No. 55. 4 Jack Draper on his way to the fourth round at Wimbledon last year.

Cilic will next face sixth seed Nuno Borges in the second round of the hard-court tournament after the Portuguese player defeated Damir Dzumhur 6-4, 6-3 in his opening match.

Wu Yibing was the eventual winner on Day 1 in Hong Kong, where he edged Fabian Marozsan 6-4, 6-2 to book a second-round meeting with third seed and 2024 champion Andrey Rublev.