Jannik Sinner will take on 2011 finalist Marin Cilic in the first round of the China Open in Beijing in his first appearance since his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open final. Sinner won the China Open title in 2023 and lost to Alcaraz in the final of the Beijing final last year. Sinner won two Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
Sinner would face Chinese wild card Zhang Zhizhen or a wild card in the second round. The Italian star is projected to face Karen Khachanov in the quarter final and either third seed Alex De Minaur or eighth seed Jakub Mensik, who won the Miami Masters 1000 title last March.
De Minaur, who won his first ATP 500 title of the season in Washington, will start his campaign against China’s Buyunchaokete. Mensik
In the bottom half World number 3 and three-time Beijing semifinalist Alexander Zverev will start his China Open campaign against world number 44 Lorenzo Sonego and could meet either Corentin Moutet or Tallon Griekspoor in the second round.
Zverev could renew his rivalry against 2023 Beijing finalist Danil Medvedev in the quarter final. The potential rivals for Zverev in the semifinal could be either fourth seed Lorenzo Musetti (this year’s Roland Garros semifinalist) or sixth seed Andrey Rublev in the semifinals. Musetti, who lost against Alejandro Tabilo in the Chengdu Open on Tuesday, will face Frenchman Giovanni Mpetchi Perricard in the first round. Rublev will face this year’s Wimbledon finalist Flavio Cobolli.
Alexander Bublik, who won the Huangzhou this year, is also in Zverev’s half of the draw.
Chinese Next Gen star Shang Juncheng will make his come-back from injury.
Learner Tien will face Francisco Cerundolo in the first round.
