Preview ATP Hong Kong Open Final: Lorenzo Musetti aims first title in 4 years as Bublik seeks top-10 entry

The ATP 250 Hong Kong Open final will feature the two favourites from the draw going head-to-head, following impeccable campaigns from Lorenzo Musetti and Alexander Bublik, as they compete for the first title of the season. Both came back from a set down in their respective semi-final matches against Andrey Rublev and Marcos Giron, and will aim to start 2026 with a title that would also give them a boost in the rankings.

For Musetti, this is finally an opportunity to secure a new title in his career. Ranked in the top 10 for the past nine months, he reached three finals in 2025, but lost them all — including match points wasted in Chengdu against Alejandro Tabillo.

He was the only player inside the top 14 without a title in 2025, which is remarkable considering that his campaign this week will place him in the top 5 for the first time in his career. This marks six consecutive final losses for the Italian (between 2024 and 2025), and his last title dates back to October 2022, when he was just 19 years old.

The chaotic path of Bublik is completely different, having built his ranking through strong performances in smaller tournaments, winning four titles in 2025 — three ATP 250s and one ATP 500. Added to this were some deep runs in Masters 1000 and Grand Slam events, such as the quarter-finals at Roland Garros, which allowed the Kazakh to achieve a significant rise in the rankings during the second half of 2025, and he now sits just one victory away from entering the top 10.

Musetti had a complicated path this week — returning after a demanding end to 2025, in which he qualified at the last moment for the ATP Finals, following the final at the Hellenic Championships, making him the only participant unable to take a break before traveling to Turin. He won a match against De Minaur, but ended up finishing in the round-robin stage.

This year, the Italian has started on the right foot, although not without difficulties. He had to come back from a set down in his first-round match against Tomas Etcheverry, then defeated local player Coleman Wong in straight sets, before beating third seed Andrey Rublev in the semi-finals — again from a set down.

Musetti also took advantage of the defeats of Auger-Aliassime and De Minaur in the United Cup, accumulating enough points to momentarily reach world No. 5 — his career-best ranking so far — behind only Alcaraz, Sinner, Zverev, and Djokovic, with a significant gap remaining to the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

By now, Musetti must feel the absence of titles in his career, having only two trophies so far, both in 2022, when he was still a young rising player on the Tour. Now established as a heavyweight in the tennis world, this is the moment for the Italian to step forward and not only chase deep runs but also trophies. Starting the year with a title in Hong Kong would be the perfect precedent to go for more this season, as he has few points to defend until the clay swing begins.

Bublik comes from a curious 2024, going from considering retirement after a severe ranking drop — falling outside the top 70 — to an impressive winning streak, which made him one of the most consistent players in the second half of the season. Bublik won a Challenger title in Turin, added three ATP 250s (Gstaad, Kitzbuhel, and Hangzhou), as well as the ATP 500 in Halle, where he defeated none other than Jannik Sinner on the way.

The 28-year-old Kazakh is now just one victory away from reaching the top 10 for the first time in his career, which would also definitively push Jack Draper out of the elite group, after several months away from competition. Without a doubt, Bublik is the most experienced in finals this time, having played 15 finals and won 8 titles. After early career struggles to win trophies, he has been especially effective in recent years, winning 7 of the 8 finals he has contested since 2023.