Racket Ready: Wu Yibing and Zhang Zhizhen Set to Clash in Thrilling Hangzhou Open Singles Debut
Hangzhou Open Singles Draw Announced: Wu Yibing and Zhang Zhizhen to Debut in First Round
The 2024 Hangzhou Open singles draw ceremony took place on the afternoon of September 16. Local Hangzhou player Wu Yibing and Olympic mixed doubles silver medalist Zhang Zhizhen will face qualifying players in the first round, scheduled to take place on September 19.
According to the rules, top seeds Luna and Khachanov are positioned in the upper and lower halves of the draw, respectively. They, along with third seed Echeverri and fourth seed Brandon Nakajima, will enjoy a bye in the first round. Marin Cilic, the Croatian star who won the 2014 US Open men’s singles championship, is in the upper half of the draw and will face American player Shvajda in the first round.
Chinese players Zhang Zhizhen and Zhejiang player Buyun Chaoket will also participate in the tournament. Zhang Zhizhen, who returned triumphantly from the Paris Olympics, will play as the No. 6 seed and face a qualifier in the first round. He may face No. 3 seed Echeverry in the next round. Buyun Chaoket will face Frenchman Gaston in the first round and may challenge No. 2 seed Khachanov if he advances.
Wu Yibing is in the upper half of the draw and will face a qualifier in the first round. If he advances, he will face No. 4 seed Brandon Nakajima in the second round. Nakajima is in good form this year, having made it to the quarterfinals of the US Open, making it a challenging match for Wu Yibing. Tournament director Sun Lei noted that Wu Yibing will face considerable challenges but will have certain advantages playing at home and is looking forward to his performance.
The event will start in full swing on September 17, with the first round of singles preliminaries taking place on the first day.
Author: Chief Reporter Wang Zhenkai Editor: Fang Zhihua