The ATP Tour returns to Hong Kong after more than two decades with the 2024 Hong Kong Open. While the cream of the crop will be in Australia, the special administrative region of China will see a few big names battle it out in the ATP 250 tournament.
First held in 1973, the Hong Kong Open happened every year (bar a few exceptions) until 2002. Now, it is back on the tour calendar, replacing the ATP 250 Maharashtra Open in India. Played on outdoor hardcourts, it is a warm-up event of sorts for the Australian Open. The Brisbane International and the Adelaide International remain more popular but the new tournament will likely make inroads.
The 2024 Hong Kong Open will begin on January 1 and conclude on January 7. The Victoria Park Tennis Stadium will host all matches. 28 players will feature in the singles main draw, 21 direct entrants, three wildcards and four qualifiers.
World No.5 Andrey Rublev is the biggest name in the field and will be seeded first. He will look to lift the title and join an elite list of Hong Kong Open winners including Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, and Andre Agassi. The tournament boasts cumulative prize money of $730,000. This is significantly higher than Brisbane International, although the exact breakdown has not been made public yet.
Entry to the qualifying rounds is free of cost. Tickets for the main draw, however, start from $240 for the initial rounds, but viewers can avail of a senior citizen or disabled person concession, if applicable. Tickets for the final begin from $1140, as per the official website. Main draw matchdays will kickstart at 2:00 p.m. local time (1:00 a.m. ET) during the early rounds, while the semi-finals and finals start 30 minutes later.
2024 Hong Kong Open – The biggest names in contention
Even if most top-ranked players are in Australia for the Brisbane International or the United Cup, the 2024 Hong Kong Open still has a competitive field. Andrey Rublev, fresh off a landmark season, will be raring to start his new year on a good note. He won his first ATP 1000 trophy in 2023 and will want to bag another tour title in Hong Kong.
Hindering Rublev’s chase for his ninth ATP 250 championship would be compatriot and second seed Karen Khachanov. The towering Russian struggled with injuries early last season but won the Zhuhai Championships upon return. World No.16 Frances Tiafoe is seeded third, followed by Francisco Cerundolo and 2023 ATP Comeback of the Year winner Jan-Lennard Struff.
Italian youngster Lorenzo Musetti and 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up Arthur Fils also feature. 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic used his Protected Ranking to get in. The qualifying rounds, which will happen on December 31 and January 1, will also feature a few notable names.
Benjamin Bonzi, Taro Daniel, and British Davis Cup player Liam Broady are set to battle it out for the four qualifier spots. Finnish star Otto Virtanen, who made headlines after helping the Nordic country eliminate defending champions Canada from the Davis Cup quarter-finals, is also slated to play the qualifying rounds. Fans in Hong Kong are set to witness some elite tennis after over two decades.
