HONG KONG, January 2, 2025 (Press Release)
World No. 8 and tournament top seed Andrey Rublev was upset by Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan on Thursday at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open 2025.
The shock defeat for the defending champion has opened the door for a plethora of contenders led by second seed Lorenzo Musetti, fourth seed Arthur Fils and fan favourites Shang Juncheng and Japanese ace Kei Nishikori, as he continues on the comeback trail.
MIGHTY Marozsan
Fabian Marozsan stuns defending champion Rublev 7-5 3-6 6-3 to reach the last 8 in Hong Kong!#BOCHKTO pic.twitter.com/LMcIyUisXw
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) January 2, 2025
The 25-year old Marozsan, who dispatched Roman Safiullin in the opening round, pushed Rublev to the limit from the outset, before claiming the sixth win over Top 10 players of his career, 7-5, 3-5, 6-3.
Marozsan now advances to his sixth ATP Tour quarterfinals, his fifth on hard court when he faces off with Shang Juncheng tomorrow.
“I’m really happy I beat him, it’s a big one for me. I lost the last time I played against him, he is a great player, so this ranks as (one of my) top wins. It is not easy to beat these guys,” said an elated Marozsan post-match.
Rublev said: “I would love to have won today, but Fabian played really well. The first match is never easy especially when the guy is playing well and hitting super hard with nothing to lose. I was able to come back in the second set but in the third he did better than me, and that’s it. He deserved to win.”
In other matches on Centre Court, fan favourite Shang Juncheng continued to bask in the support of local audiences as he cleanly dispatched seventh seed Pedro Martinez in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1. That win sees Shang through to the quarter finals against momentum man Marozsan.
“I think I played some very good tennis today. Overall, very happy with my performance, a nine out of ten.
“Last year, I came in thinking maybe winning a match or two is good, never expected to be in the semis, but after this tournament started a great season for me. Coming here this year and defending quite a bit of points in the rankings and a little bit of pressure, overall I think I play very good here. It’s kind of my home court. I feel very confident on these fast courts, with the balls as well, you know with the crowd. I think really it’s just a comfortable place for me to the end.”
Earlier in the day, world No. 17 Lorenzo Musetti opened his 2025 ATP season with a commanding 6-4, 6-3 victory over qualifier Gabriel Diallo, while Spain’s Jaume Munar upset fifth seed Nuno Borges of Portugal 6-3, 7-5 to set up a quarterfinal clash with Musetti.
Musetti lost his opening match here last year, prior to a season that included 40 match wins, a maiden Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon, and an Olympic bronze medal for Italy. But Musetti wants more.
“Yeah definitely, I have a lot of unfinished business in Hong Kong and unfinished business in a lot of tournaments. If I’m thinking about last season, I made finals, but didn’t win a title,” said Musetti, a runner-up at Queen’s Club, Umag and Chengdu.
The field is now wide open at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open.
