Coleman Wong Chak-lam was drawn against Argentina’s Mariano Navone in the first round of the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open (‘BOCHKTO’) 2026.
World no. 8 and tournament top seed Lorenzo Musetti will open against the winner of the bout between Navone’s compatriot Tomas Etcheverry and Frenchman Valentin Royer. Second seed Alexander Bublik also received a bye in the first round, and will play Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp or a qualifier.
Wong has never played the 24-year-old world number 75, Navone. Like the Hong Kong ace, Navone’s best Grand Slam Singles performance is also the third round, reaching that stage at the French Open last year.
BOCHKTO 2024 Champion Andrey Rublev will face 15th National Games Champion Wu Yibing in the second round if the Chinese player negotiates his way past Fabian Marozsan of Hungary.
Fourth seed and world no. 17 Karen Khachanov awaits the winner between qualifiers.
Jerry Shang Juncheng, who reached the semifinals at BOCHKTO the last two seasons running, begins his campaign against Argentine Francisco Comesana.
Defending champion France’s Alexandre Muller starts his title defence against Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic while 2014 US Open Champion Marin Cilic is in a clash of veterans with France’s Adrian Mannarino.
Before main draw matches on Monday afternoon, 5 January, the Qualifying Tournament begins tomorrow, Sunday 4 January.
Kai Thompson, Hong Kong Under-18 no. 1 and the driving force behind the territory’s bronze medal in the 15th National Games Youth Team competition, takes on World No. 88 Emilio Nava in the first round after accepting a wildcard to the Qualifying Tournament.
With four qualifier spots, Team Hong Kong’s Thompson will need to win two matches to claim a place in the main draw. Zhou Yi, a semifinalist at the 15th National Games alongside Coleman Wong Chak-lam, faces Francesco Maestrelli in his first qualifying match.
In the doubles, Wong, who is partnering with Canadian Gabriel Diallo this year, takes on Argentinian duo Comesana and Etcheverry, while Thompson and his partner Zhou Yi play French pair Theo Arribage and Albano Olivetti.
Taking place at the iconic Victoria Park Tennis Centre Court from 4-11 January, the ATP250 event boasts a total prize purse exceeding USD 780,000. Free entry for fans, the Qualifying Tournament begins at 12pm on Sunday, 4 January.
Tickets are on sale via Ticketflap website with prices ranging from HK$370 to HK$1,610.
For the latest tournament updates, please visit the tournament website at www.hkmenstennisopen.com
