HONG KONG, November 20, 2024 (Press Release)
Tennis fans in Hong Kong are in for a treat as local fan favourite and world No. 8, Andrey Rublev, has confirmed to defend his title at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open (BOCHKTO) 2025. Rublev will be joined by Chinese mainland rising star Shang Juncheng and Hong Kong No. 1, Coleman Wong Chak-lam. The BOCHKTO 2025 will take place from 29 December 2024 to 5 January 2025 at the Victoria Park Tennis Centre Court.
While Rublev has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the fifth consecutive time in 2024, young guns Shang and Wong both achieved new career-best milestones after opening their season in Hong Kong this year.
At 19 years of age, Shang captured his maiden ATP Tour title by winning the Chengdu Open in September, becoming the only second Chinese player to claim an ATP title, reaching his highest ever position of No. 47 in the world.
Hometown hero Wong, aged 20, qualified for his first Masters 1000 event in Miami last season and came within a point of reaching the ATP 250 Hangzhou Open quarterfinals when he held two match points against world No. 39 Brandon Nakashima in their round of sixteen clash. Wong subsequently achieved a career-best ATP ranking of No. 128, the highest ever ATP ranking for a player from Hong Kong. He has also reached four Challenger finals and defeated five top 100 opponents to date in his young career.
The 27-year-old Rublev, who beat Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori in the 2024 final, said: “The Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open last year was a great start to the season for me as I came through a very tough field to win the championship. Hong Kong is the perfect place for me to start my season as I enjoyed overwhelming support from the fans and the conditions helped me to acclimatize and prepare well for the Australian summer.”
“I hope to defend my title in Hong Kong and start the year strong with all the support from the fans,” added Rublev.
Wong, a two-time Junior Grand Slam Doubles Champion (2021 US Open and 2022 Australian Open) commented: “I am beyond excited to come home to play at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open. As a professional athlete, I am always on the road and this event offers one of the few opportunities that to play in front of my home crowd, where I get amazing support. I look forward to having my family and friends cheer me on, as they give me so much energy to keep fighting and never give up.”
“One of my goals is to reach the top 100 in 2025, which will secure direct entry for me in many main draws on the ATP Tour. I hope to take another step towards realizing this goal in Hong Kong at the grounds where I grew up playing at Victoria Park,” Wong supplemented.
Another fan favourite from 2024, Shang Juncheng, familiarly known as Jerry on the ATP Tour, is also set to return to the BOCHKTO after an impressive run to the semifinals last year. After a round-of-16 win over Botic van de Zandschulp that took three tie-break sets and lasted over three-and-a-half hours, he beat third seed American Frances Tiafoe, a two-time US Open Singles Semifinalist, in straight sets to reach the last four. It would take Rublev three tough sets to stop the rapidly rising teenager from Beijing.
The 19-year-old Shang commented: “Starting my 2024 season in Hong Kong was a great launching pad for me. I was delighted with my run to the semifinals but it was the hard-fought wins along the way, and especially the battle against Rublev that gave me the self-belief that I could compete against, and beat the best. I have set even higher targets for the upcoming season and I hope that another good run at BOCHKTO with the fans behind me will set me up well for that.”
The ATP 250 event, which offers a total prize money exceeding US$730,000, has also welcomed the return of Bank of China (Hong Kong) (“BOCHK”) as title sponsor for a second consecutive year. BOCHKTO 2025 is one of the key opening events of the 2025 ATP calendar and an important stop in the build-up to the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open.
HKCTA President Michael Cheng said: “The Hong Kong, China Tennis Association is thrilled to confirm the return of three of the clear fan favourites from BOCHKTO 2024 once again in 2025. Defending champion Andrey Rublev dazzled everyone with his all-conquering performance last year, while two of the brightest hopes from Asia Shang Juncheng and Coleman Wong Chak-lam enjoyed breakthrough seasons after starting in Hong Kong. We hope BOCHKTO 2025 will again put them in good stead as they continue to strive towards their goals.”
The public can enjoy free access to the qualifying rounds of the ATP 250 BOCHKTO 2025 on 29 December 2024. Gold-level tickets range from HK$370 to HK$1,610, and silver-level tickets range from HK$270 to HK$1,260. The Tournament Village located just outside the centre court is free for all throughout the event.
From 20 November, tickets for BOCHKTO 2025 will be available for purchase at www.tickets.tennishk.org/atp250-2025.
