Musetti, chasing first title since 2022, meets Rublev in Hong Kong semifinal showdown

Top-seeded Lorenzo Musetti took another assured step forward on Friday, brushing aside home favourite Coleman Wong 6-4, 6-4 to book his place in the semifinals of the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open.

Musetti, who has not lifted an ATP Tour title since he won two in 2022, can now look forward to a meeting with former Hong Kong champion Andrey Rublev. “I knew I had to be really, really solid from the beginning,” said Musetti, who improved to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Wong. “It was a really close match, but I stayed really focused until the end. So, I’m really happy and proud to start 2026 well.”

Rublev hit 22 winners and saved the only break point he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, in his 6-3, 6-4 clinic against Nuno Borges. The third-seeded Rublev won his only previous meeting with Musetti in Dubai in 2020, but the Italian is a considerably improved player since then.

“I’m happy to be back in the semifinals here in Hong Kong,” said 2024 champion Rublev. “Lorenzo is playing unbelievable the last couple of years, he’s getting better and better. When I played him the first time, he was super young, so it doesn’t really count. I need to be really ready if I want to have a chance for a good fight.”

As well as reaching a career-high No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings in 2025, Musetti also reached three finals. He let slip two championship points against Alejandro Tabilo in Chengdu and later fell to Novak Djokovic in a gruelling three-hour Athens final.

Daniil Medvedev, who reached the championship match in his only previous appearance in Brisbane in 2019, is chasing his 22nd tour-level trophy

Medvedev finds his range, stays on course for Brisbane title

Daniil Medvedev recovered from a slow start on Friday before remaining on track in his title pursuit at the Brisbane International. The top seed was initially outgunned by lucky loser Kamil Majchrzak in the first set but adopted a more aggressive approach to prevail 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2 and book his spot in the semi-finals. Medvedev, who reached the championship match in his only previous appearance in Brisbane in 2019, is chasing his 22nd tour-level trophy this week after a strong finish to 2025.

“I think it was a high-quality match. I would honestly say it was a Top 10 match in terms of shotmaking,” said Medvedev, the former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. “I’m happy with myself… I managed to stay composed and hit some great shots to win the match.”

By reaching his 52nd tour-level semifinal on hard courts, Medvedev broke his tie with Gael Monfils for the second most among active players, trailing only Novak Djokovic (127). Against Majchrzak, Medvedev dropped just five points on serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats, in the deciding set.

Medvedev next plays Alex Michelsen, who edged countryman Sebastian Korda 6-3, 7-6(7) for his 50th tour-level win on hard courts. Michelsen was rock solid behind serve, saving the only break point he faced, but he was significantly helped by Korda’s 37 unforced errors during their one-hour, 39-minute clash.

In the bottom half of the draw, Aleksandar Kovacevic and Brandon Nakashima scored contrasting wins to set an all-American semifinal in Brisbane. Kovacevic weathered 24 aces from 6’8” Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard to eventually prevail 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3, while Nakashima eased past Belgian qualifier Raphael Collignon 6-3, 6-3 to reach his 10th ATP Tour semi-final.

“I’m super happy with the way I played. I knew it was going to be a very tough match, he had a couple of great wins here already,” Nakashima said of Collignon, who downed two-time Brisbane champion Grigor Dimitrov in the second round. “I knew I had to bring my best game, and I’m happy I did it in the end.”