Hong Kong
Musetti seals Top 5 debut, meets Bublik in Hong Kong final
Top seed Musetti is chasing first title since 2022
January 10, 2026
TENNIS PHOTO NETWORK / HKCTA
Lorenzo Musetti is chasing his first title since he won two in 2022.
By Jerome Coombe
Lorenzo Musetti scored a semi-final victory of double meaning on Saturday at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open, where he also sealed his Top 5 breakthrough.
The top-seeded Italian produced a gritty display to rally past former champion Andrey Rublev 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-4 and reach his ninth ATP Tour final. Musetti, who is chasing his first title since he won two in 2022, has jumped to a career-high No. 5 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and has ensured a Top 5 berth on Monday.
“It was quite a match, I think I’ve never played like this here in Hong Kong,” said Musetti, who levelled his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Rublev at 1-1. “It was a really incredible level. Everytime I was raising his level, and in the end, I increased [mine]. So I’m really happy to be in the final.”
Alexander Bublik later ensured that it will be a championship-match between the top two seeds in Hong Kong when he rallied to a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over American Marcos Giron. If the Kazakhstani can overcome Musetti, he will rise one spot to a career-high World No. 10 on Monday.
A crucial moment of his semi-final clash with Rublev came with Musetti serving at 3-4 in the second set. He crucially saved two break points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, in a lengthy service hold that featured six Deuces, staying in contention and ultimately swinging the match in his favour late in the third.
Last year’s Nitto ATP Finals debutant, Musetti will become the third Italian in the history of the PIF ATP Rankings to be ranked inside the Top 5, after Adriano Panatta (1976) and Jannik Sinner (2024).
Signed, sealed, delivered 💌
Alexander Bublik books a spot in the @Hkto_mens final on debut.#BOCHKTO2026 pic.twitter.com/oy8nrqiTW3
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 10, 2026
Bublik was made to work in his one-hour, 41-minute semi-final win over Giron, but can now look towards a 16th ATP Tour final. He leads Musetti 2-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, but the pair has not met since 2024.
“It’s going to be a tough final,” Bublik said. “Lorenzo is just coming from Nitto ATP Finals, he’s had a hell of a season. It’s going to be a great match, I just hope for a good battle.”
