Lorenzo Musetti, chasing his first title since 2022, meets Andrey Rublev in Hong Kong SF showdown | ATP tour | Tennis

Hong-Kong

Musetti, chasing first title since 2022, meets Rublev in Hong Kong SF showdown

Bublik moves closer to Top 10 debut
January 9, 2026

Is Lorenzo Musetti ready to finally end his nearly four-year wait for an ATP Tour title at this week’s Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open?

The top-seeded Italian took another confident step forward on Friday, brushing aside home favorite Coleman Wong 6-4, 6-4 to book his place in the semi-finals. Musetti, who has not won an ATP Tour title since winning two in 2022, can now look forward to meeting former Hong Kong champion Andrey Rublev.

“I knew from the start that I had to be very, very solid,” said Musetti, who improved to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Wong. “It was a very exciting match, but I remained very focused until the end. So I am very happy and proud that I can start 2026 well.”

Rublev hit 22 winners and saved the only break point he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, in his 6-3, 6-4 clinic against Nuno Borges. Third-seeded Rublev won his only previous meeting with Musetti in Dubai in 2020, but the Italian has been a significantly improved player since then.

“I’m happy to be in the semi-finals again here in Hong Kong,” said 2024 champion Rublev. “Lorenzo has been playing incredibly in recent years, he’s getting better and better. When I played with him the first time he was super young, so that doesn’t really count. I really have to be ready if I want to have a chance of a good fight.”

In addition to reaching a career-high number 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings in 2025, Musetti also reached three finals. He dropped two championship points against Alejandro Tabilo in Chengdu and later fell to Novak Djokovic in a grueling three-hour final in Athens.

Alexander Bublik moved one step closer to a debut in the World Top 10 as he defeated Shang Juncheng 6-1, 7-6(2) in 85 minutes. In his 23rd tour-level semi-final, the Kazakhstani could move up one spot to No. 10 if he wins the title at the ATP 250 event.

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“It’s very difficult to play against Jerry when he’s in the mood. In the second set he played incredible tennis,” Bublik said of Shang. “I hope I can keep it up [the momentum]. I hope I can continue well.”

Bublik will then face the American Marcos Giron. He was leading Michael Mmoh 6-3, 1-0 when the latter had to retire due to injury.