ATP Tour
Scouting Report: Musetti & Rublev lead Chengdu, Hangzhou fields, Alcaraz in Laver Cup action
An executive summary of what every fan should know about the coming week
September 15, 2025
Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Lorenzo Musetti and Andrey Rublev are in ATP 250 action this week, while Carlos Alcaraz competes at the Laver Cup.
By ATP Staff
The ATP Tour’s 2025 Asian swing kick-starts Wednesday with an ATP 250 doubleheader in China, while the eighth edition of the Laver Cup, featuring the No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Carlos Alcaraz, will take place from 19-21 September in San Francisco.
World No. 9 Lorenzo Musetti headlines the draw at the Chengdu Open, where the Italian is bidding to boost his Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes. At the Lynk & Co Hangzhou Open, former Top 10 stars Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev are the top two seeds.
Alcaraz will aim to back up his stellar Laver Cup debut last year in Berlin by guiding Team Europe to its second consecutive success at the teams event. American Taylor Fritz leads Team World’s bid to reclaim the trophy in San Francisco.
ATPTour.com looks ahead at five things to watch at all three events.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN CHENGDU
1) Musetti Top Seed: Musetti returns to Chengdu for the third consecutive year. The Italian reached the semi-finals in 2023, before falling to Shang Juncheng in the championship match a year ago. Musetti has double motivation this time around in Chengdu: As well as chasing his third ATP Tour crown, he could also boost his Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes with a deep run in Sichuan province. The 23-year-old is currently eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.
2) Shang Defends Title: #NextGenATP star Shang made history in Chengdu a year ago, when he became the first Chinese player to win an ATP Tour title on home soil. The 20-year-old has struggled with injuries and competed in just five tournaments so far in 2025, but he will hope to channel home support to relaunch his season. Shang faces Zizou Bergs in the opening round.
Watch Shang defeat Musetti in 2024 Chengdu Final:
3) Can Darderi, Wong Back Up US Open Runs?: Luciano Darderi competes as the second seed in Chengdu, where the World No. 30 hopes to back up a third-round US Open run that only eventual champion Alcaraz was able to end. Coleman Wong also reached the third round in New York, and the Hong Kong star competes as a wild card on his Chengdu debut.
4) Prizmic On Course For Jeddah: Dino Prizmic is currently fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, and he can further boost his qualification hopes for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in Chengdu. The 20-year-old Croatian enters the main draw using a Next Gen Accelerator entry spot granted to #NextGenATP stars ranked in the Top 250 of the PIF ATP Rankings.
5) Harrison/King Lead Doubles Field: Christian Harrison and Evan King are the top seeds in Chengdu, where they seek to consolidate their chances of securing a Nitto ATP Finals debut: The Americans are currently eighth in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings. Their rivals in the draw in China include two-time defending champions Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul, who are 10th.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN HANGZHOU
1) Rublev To Rejuvenate Turin Hopes?: The 27-year-old Rublev needs to engineer a late-season surge if he is to make his sixth consecutive appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals. He is currently 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, 660 points shy of the qualification spots. Rublev is the top seed in Hangzhou, where he will first face Aleksandar Kovacevic or Luca Nardi.
2) Medvedev Seeks Turnaround: The former World No. 1 Medvedev has gone 3-5 since reaching the Halle final in June, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. He will seek a quick response in Hangzhou, where he is bidding to win his 21st tour-level title. Medvedev could face another former Top 10 star and the defending Hangzhou champion, Marin Cilic, in his opening match.
Watch Cilic Clinch Emotional Hangzhou 2024 Title:
3) Home Star Zhang Returns: Zhang Zhizhen competes for the first time since Indian Wells in March as a wild card in Hangzhou. He takes on his countryman Buyunchaokete in the first rond. Meanwhile Hangzhou native Wu Yibing, who is back inside the Top 200 after playing just six tournaments in 2024 before returning to action in March this year, opens against sixth seed Adrian Mannarino.
4) Bublik, Tien Among Seeds: Alexander Bublik, who has won 11 of his past 12 matches, will have plenty of recent success to build on as the third seed in Hangzhou. Also competing is #NextGenATP star Learner Tien, the 19-year-old seventh seed making his first ATP Tour appearance in China.
5) Cabral/Miedler Headline Doubles Draw: Francisco Cabral and Lucas Miedler are the top-seeded doubles team in Hangzhou, where they are chasing their second ATP 250 crown of the year. Americans Robert Cash and JJ Tracy, the recent US Open semi-finalists, are the second seeds.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH AT LAVER CUP
1) Alcaraz Back In Action As No. 1: For the first time since September 2023, Alcaraz will compete as the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings when he takes to court at the Laver Cup in San Francisco. The Spaniard made an immediate impact on event debut in 2024 in Berlin, where he won eight points from four matches in Team Europe’s 13-11 triumph.
2) Top 10 Talent Powers Team World: World No. 5 Taylor Fritz and No. 8 Alex de Minaur will spearhead Team World’s bid to recapture the Laver Cup trophy in front of its home fans. Fritz is competing at the event for the fifth time, including triumphs in London in 2022 and Vancouver in 2023. Australia’s De Minaur returns for his second appearance after also featuring in Team World’s London win.
3) New Captains Agassi, Noah: The eighth edition of the Laver Cup brings with it new captains for both teams. Andre Agassi has replaced his fellow ATP No. 1 Club member John McEnroe as Team World captain, with another former World No. 1 Patrick Rafter as vice-captain. Frenchman Yannick Noah takes over from Bjorn Borg as Team Europe captain, with Tim Henman his vice-captain.
4) #NextGenATP Stars Make Debut: Two of the ATP Tour’s hottest talents will make their Laver Cup debut in California. Czechia’s Jakub Mensik, who lifted his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami in March, plays for Team Europe. Brazilian Joao Fonseca, the reigning Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion, represents Team World.
5) Unique Format: As in all previous editions, the Laver Cup will be played over three days, from 19-21 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.
