Michael Mmoh upsets Karen Khachanov in Hong Kong, Alexander Bublik wins opener 2026 | ATP tour | Tennis

Hong-Kong

Mmoh evokes deja-vu in Khachanov, Bublik wins in Hong Kong

Mmoh sets up Giron QF, Bublik wins first match of 2026
January 8, 2026

Michael Mmoh continued his early 2026 statement on Thursday at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open, where he upset familiar foe Karen Khachanov 7-6(2), 7-6(4) to reach the quarterfinals.

The American qualifier has just two wins on the ATP Tour in 2025, but he has already equaled that tally in the first week of the new season with his straight-sets victory over fourth-seeded Khachanov. It was Mmoh’s first victory over a Top 20 opponent since 2023, when he also got past Khachanov at the US Open.

To proceed! 💪

Michael Mmoh eliminates Khachanov 7-6 7-6 to advance in Hong Kong.#BOCHKTO2026 pic.twitter.com/0vdC3atkEk

— ATP tour (@atptour) January 8, 2026

“Funnily enough, my first junior win was at the ITF against Karen Khachanov, so we’ve been competing since I was 14,” said Mmoh, who now leads world number 17 Khachanov 2-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. “He’s a great guy who has had an incredible career, so to share the court with him I knew I had to play at the highest level possible.”

Mmoh, ranked No. 285 in the PIF ATP Rankings, failed to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set but regrouped in a clean tie-break to advance to his seventh ATP Tour quarter-final. The 27-year-old will next face compatriot Marcos Giron, who earlier upset seventh seed and defending champion Alexandre Muller 6-4, 7-6(4).

Earlier, Chinese left-hander Shang Juncheng became the first player to reach all three Hong Kong quarter-finals since the return of the ATP 250 in 2024. The 20-year-old hit 24 winners in his 6-3, 6-4 victory over fifth seed Lorenzo Sonego.

Shang, who missed six months of the 2025 season due to a foot injury, will next face second seed Alexander Bublik, who opened his 2026 season with a laser-focused 6-3, 6-3 victory over Botic van de Zandschulp.

Bublik finished 2025 with a 30-9 record since Roland Garros, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, highlighted by titles in Halle, Gstaad and Kitzbühel. Now sitting at 11th in his career, the Kazakhstani appears unwilling to let that form slip away as he begins his 2026 quest.

“We tried a lot of things before we got here,” Bublik said of his preseason. “You never know what’s going to happen [in the first match]. We chose a tactic, we stuck to it and I played well, so I’m very happy with the way I performed.”