HONG KONG, January 8, 2026 (Media Release)

Alexander Bublik eased past Botic van de Zandschulp in a stunning debut at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open (‘BOCHKTO’) 2026. The second seed showed no sign of jetlag having only arrived in Hong Kong on Tuesday, and put together a tidy performance to dispose of the Dutchman, 6-3, 6-3.

After a mental and physical reset in the first half of 2025, the 28-year-old returned to the tour to win four titles, reached his first ever quarterfinals at the French Open, and the fourth round at the US Open. These impressive results propelled Bublik to a career high ranking of no. 11 in the world.

The Kazakhstani said:

“I felt relaxed. It is always a challenge at the start of the season as you need to get used to new conditions. I was practising indoors for a month before coming here, but I felt great on the court today. It is one of the fastest I have played on the tour, but the atmosphere is great. The conditions are fine for me, as I was coming from -20C. I like playing in Hong Kong, I like this city.”

15th National Games silver medallist Jerry Shang Juncheng followed Coleman Wong’s heroics with a confident win over no. 5 seed Lorenzo Sonego to reach the quarterfinals. The 20-year-old’s speed and all round game was too much for Sonego as he dismantled the Italian, 6-3, 6-4. Shang will face Bublik next in.

Shang’s win makes it two Chinese players in the quarterfinals for the first time at BOCHKTO, and first time since the 2024 Hangzhou Open.

Shang commented:

“Three times I have played here and I have played well each time. I am trying to go for more and play better tennis. Overall, the confidence is coming back and I am playing more freely and relaxed. Lorenzo plays amazing tennis, he was on the verge of the top 20 in the world, so this was a good win for me. I am playing positively, and that’s what I like.

“I am happy to play at Victoria Park in front of these amazing fans. The conditions have been tough, sometimes hot, sometimes freezing, but I am healthy, and that’s the main thing.”

Three seeds fell today. Following Sonego’s defeat by Shang, Karen Khachanov, the no. 4 seed, lost to giant killing qualifier Michael Mmoh 7-6(2), 7-6(4) in their last 16 match. The American beat the no. 1 and 6 seeds in qualifying to make the main draw, and continued his run with a win over Alejandro Tabilo in the first round proper. With a win over Khachanov, Mmoh earns the right to play Marcos Giron for a place in the last four.

No. 7 seed Alexandre Muller was also sent packing. The defending champion was eliminated by American Giron 6-4, 7-6(4) on Court One.

Wong’s busy schedule at BOCHKTO 2026 continued today as he returned to the court for a doubles quarterfinals match with the player he beat in singles yesterday, Gabriel Diallo. The pair did not show any sign of weariness from their gruelling two-hour-and-twenty-nine-minute battle, and grinded out a gutsy win over second seeds Constantin Frantzen and Robin Haase 7-6(4), 6-7(5), (10-8).

#BOCHKTO2026 9th Jan highlighted matches

1st match at Centre Court: Lorenzo Musetti (ITA) VS Coleman Wong (HKG)
2nd match at Centre Court: Andrey Rublev VS Nuno Borges (POR)
3rd match at Centre Court, not before 6PM: Juncheng Shang (CHN) VS Alexander Bublik (KAZ)

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— Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open (@Hkto_mens) January 8, 2026