Scouting Report: Musetti, Rune compete in Chengdu, Hangzhou; Top 10 stars at Laver Cup
The Asian swing commences on the ATP Tour from Wednesday, with 250 hard-court events at the Chengdu Open and the Hangzhou Open. In Berlin, the seventh edition of the Laver Cup will take place from 20-22 September in Germany.
Italian Lorenzo Musetti is the top seed in Chengdu, where Nicolas Jarry and Alexander Bublik compete, while Holger Rune leads the field in Hangzhou. Chinese stars Zhizhen Zhang, Shang Juncheng, Wu Yibing and Bu Yunchaokete lead home hopes across the two events.
Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev will lead Team Europe’s quest for glory at the Laver Cup against Team World.
ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch at all three events.
[ATP APP]FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN CHENGDU
Can Musetti boost slim Turin hopes? Lorenzo Musetti arrives at the hard-court event in Chengdu with an outside chance of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals. The Italian is 15th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, the highest-ranked player in action this week, but is 1080 points behind eighth-placed Alex de Minaur, who occupies the final qualification spot. If Musetti is to make his move, he will need to start with a deep run in Chengdu, where he reached the semi-finals last year.
Home hope Shang & wild card Nishikori: #NextGenATP Chinese lefty Shang Juncheng has enjoyed a standout season, highlighted by semi-finals in Hong Kong and Atlanta. The 19-year-old hopes to perform well in front of his home fans and consolidate his third-place position in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. Shang, who is currently one spot off his career-high at No. 67, is aiming to make his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in December.
Japanese star Kei Nishikori will also take to court in Chengdu after receiving a wild card. The 34-year-old enjoyed his best result of the season last month in Montreal, where he reached his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final since 2019. Nishikori will face Shang in a popcorn first-round clash.
Bublik aims to add to titles: Second seed Alexander Bublik returns to Chengdu for the third time, having reached the final on debut in 2019. The 27-year-old has captured three of his four titles on hard courts, including earlier this year in Montpellier.
Can Jarry snap losing run? Nicolas Jarry has endured a tough time in recent months, losing his past seven matches. Chasing his first win since advancing to the final in Rome in May, the Chilean will play Australian Adam Walton or Slovakian Lukas Klein in his first match.
Doumbia/Reboul lead doubles draw: Defending champions Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul return to Chengdu as the top seeds and are chasing their third title of the season together. Ivan Dodig and Rafael Matos team as the second seeds.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN HANGZHOU
1) Rune top seed: Holger Rune returns to action for the first time since his disappointing first-round exit at the US Open, aiming to rediscover his best form to keep alive his slim hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals. The Dane, currently 16th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, is 15-8 on hard courts this year, highlighted by his semi-final showing in Cincinnati and final run in Brisbane.
2) Seeded threats Khachanov & Etcheverry: Second seed Karen Khachanov lifted the trophy at the ATP 250 event in Zhuhai, where the tournament was held last year before relocating to Hangzhou for 2024. The 28-year-old is seeking his second title of the season, having triumphed on hard courts in Doha. Third seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry arrives having helped Argentina advance to the Davis Cup Final 8. The 25-year-old is in the same half of the draw as Khachanov.
3) Can Nakashima maintain form? Former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion Brandon Nakashima impressed during the North American hard-court swing, earning victories against Top 20 stars Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Holger Rune and Lorenzo Musetti across three events. The American, who advanced to the fourth round at the US Open, also won all three of his Davis Cup Group stage matches last week and will be eager to add to his one tour-level crown (San Diego 2022). He is at a career-high No. 39 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
4) Chinese hopes: Sixth seed Zhizhen Zhang and wild cards Wu Yibing and Bu Yunchaokete will all aim for deep runs to delight home support. Zhang, who starts against a qualifier, was forced to retire during his first-round loss to Jack Draper at the US Open but is fit and firing again. His best result this year on hard courts came in Marseille, where he advanced to the quarters.
Wu became China’s first ATP Tour titlist when he won the Dallas Open in 2023 but has struggled with injuries since. The Hangzhou native returned from injury last month in China, where he won an ATP Challenger Tour event. Bu, 22, has won two Challenger Tour titles in 2024 and qualified for the US Open last month (l. to Casper Ruud).
5) Cilic returns: Marin Cilic is set to play his first tour-level event since Buenos Aires in February. The 35-year-old Croatian, who has won 15 of his 20 tour-level crowns on hard, faces American Zachary Svajda in the first round.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]FIVE THINGS TO WATCH AT LAVER CUP
1) Top 10 talent: Team Europe will be spearheaded by Top 10 stars Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud and Grigor Dimitrov, while World No. 7 Taylor Fritz is the lone Top 10 representative in Team World.
2) Two-time defending champion Team World: Team World lifted the trophy for the second consecutive year in 2023 after winning for the first time in 2022. The two-time defending champ will aim to add to its haul in Berlin.
3) Laver Cup debutants: Alcaraz, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Alejandro Tabilo are the three men set to make their debuts at the event in Berlin. Kokkinakis was in the Team World squad in 2017 but did not play.
4) Borg & McEnroe lead teams for final time: Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe will lead the teams for the seventh and final time. Team Europe captain Borg has overseen four victories in the past, while McEnroe was at the helm for Team World in 2022 and 2023. It was announced in May this year that Yannick Noah would lead Team Europe and Andre Agassi Team World from 2025.
5) Unique Format: The Laver Cup will be played over three days, from 20-22 September, across five sessions. Each match win is worth one point on Friday, two points on Saturday and three points on a high-stakes Sunday. The first team to reach 13 points (out of a possible 24) wins the Laver Cup.