Alexander Bublik has won the men’s singles championship at the 2026 Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open (“BOCHKTO”) after defeating top seed Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets 7-6(2), 6-3.
Seeding went according to plan this week as the tournament’s top two players reached the final and fought for their first confidence-boosting title of the season. Both players fired up their performances without seeming to have felt the effects of yesterday’s three-set semi-final. The pair were neck-and-neck until the tiebreaker, when the Kazakhstanis ran away with a 7-2 scoreline.
The pair exchanged breaks at the start of the second round, but the world No. 1. Number 11 stepped up a gear and won the second set 6-3 and took the crown at the start of the ATP Tour season.
Bublik returned in the second half of 2025 after a mental and physical reset. He quickly found his rhythm and reached the quarterfinals of the French Open and the fourth round of the US Open for the first time. He then won four titles between July and September, placing him at the top of the top 10.
The enthusiastic champion said:
“It feels great, I’m a bit overwhelmed by what I’ve achieved. This is my ninth title and it’s very special to get into the top 10 here in Hong Kong. Now we’ll relax a little, celebrate and think about my next goal. My goal was to get into the top 10 but I achieved that here, so now I have to figure out my next career milestone.”
When my ranking dropped last year, I realized I didn’t want to be there. I knew I needed to play more and relax less. This week I felt like I played better with every game. I felt like I played a great match against Jerry (Shang Juncheng), which gave me a lot of confidence.
Lorenzo is a great player, no. 5 from tomorrow and to beat him here is very satisfying.”
Musetti fought bravely, but simply couldn’t keep up with Bublik’s power and accuracy in the second round. His second place finish this year is an improvement on his quarter-final finish 12 months ago. In doubles he was able to take some solace when, together with Lorenzo Sonego, he defeated Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov in an entertaining doubles final 6:4, 2:6 (10:1). For the second time in a row, Rublev and Khachanov had to settle for second-best performance.
The Italian No. 1 seed commented:
“Of course it was a disappointment for me to lose the singles final, but Sasha (Bublik) played well. It was very close and I know that I am at this (top 10) level. I have to keep my head up and take chances when I have them. And I’m really happy about winning my first doubles title with my friend.”
The Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open 2026 is proud to be an “M” Mark event, helping to strengthen Hong Kong’s image as Asia’s sporting events capital. The “M” brand status is awarded by the Major Sports Events Committee and symbolizes intense, spectacular and unique events in the territory’s sporting calendar.
For the latest tournament updates, please visit the tournament website at www.hkmenstennisopen.com