HONG KONG, January 5, 2025 (Press Release)
Alexandre Muller of France has won his maiden ATP Tour singles title at Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open 2025 after beating Kei Nishikori of Japan in three sets 2-6, 6-1, 6-3. The 67th ranked Muller came through every round this week after losing his first set, showing his grit and determination along the way to claim top prize.
The moment Alexandre Muller defeated Nishikori 2-6 6-1 6-3 to secure his maiden tour-level title @Alex2Mumu #BOCHKTO pic.twitter.com/CDscW3NVSU
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) January 5, 2025
“I’m just very happy right now. It’s been a long and tough week for me,” said the champion, who saved two match points facing Miomir Kecmanovic in the Last 16. “Everyone arrived fresh, had been practising for a few weeks and everyone was ready to fight. So, I think it was a tough draw.
“I lost the first set in every match, so I’m pretty exhausted. If I can take some record like this, losing all first sets and then taking the title, I’d be happy. I’m just so grateful to get my first title.”
Former US Open singles finalist Nishikori started strongly to claim the first set, but Muller stepped up his game in the second set and never looked back.
“I started really well, almost too good. Then I backed up a bit and he started to play much better too. He was getting a lot of balls back and I got too defensive,” admitted the 35-year-old Japanese ace.
Arends/Johnson claim doubles title
The Doubles’ Final went to the wire as Sander Arends and Luke Johnson outlasted crowd favourites Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev, 7-5, 4-6, 10-7, on a championship tiebreak to capture their second title together.
Michael Cheng, President of the Hong Kong, China Tennis Association said: “On behalf of the Hong Kong, China Tennis Association, I would like to congratulate the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open 2025 Singles and Doubles Champions, Alexandre Muller, Luke Johnson and Sander Arends. The ATP 250 tournament is the finale of a very successful inaugural Hong Kong Tennis Season, which has drawn over 200,000 local and overseas fans into the iconic Victoria Park Tennis Centre Court over the past year.”
“This week, we have once again been able to showcase Hong Kong as a top destination for international sporting events, and a hub for tennis. We are proud to be a contributor to build Brand Hong Kong, boost tourism, develop local elites, and stimulate the local economy through our portfolio of international tennis tournaments.
“We cannot thank the volunteers, officials, and staff members enough for their tireless efforts to ensure the smooth running of this world class mega event. We strive to be best in class and look forward to the start of the next Hong Kong Tennis Season later in the year”, Cheng added.
