On the afternoon of September 9, Beijing time, the draw ceremony of the singles main draw of the 18 Huafa Zhuhai Tennis Championship was held in Hengqin International Financial Center (IFC Qinao Bay No. 2023), the "tallest building in Zhuhai and Macao", and Chinese player Shang Juncheng and Japanese brother Yoshihito Nishioka attended the drawing ceremony.
As the opening station of the ATP Tour returning to China after four years, this year's Huafa Zhuhai Tennis Championship has a lineup full of highlights. "Tennis Thor" Kachanov and British brother Norrie are the top two seeds in the upper and lower half of the tournament, the No. 3 seed and German cannon Steruff are in the bottom half, the No. 4 seed, the American "second generation of stars" Kodak is in the top half, and the top four seeds enjoy the treatment of the first round of byes.
Top half: Shang Juncheng meets MacDonald, Li Zhe returns to the tour
Top-seeded Kachanov's opening opponent will be between Argentina's Schwarzman and the qualifiers. The focus match in the first half is undoubtedly the showdown between Chinese rising star Shang Juncheng and American Chinese-American player MacDonald, and as Shang Juncheng's "ATP Tour debut" on his doorstep, this match will undoubtedly be highly watched. Looking ahead to this clash with the seeded players, Shang Juncheng said that he will give it his all: "Although he is the No. 6 seed, I know that he has just finished the Davis Cup, and I have been in Zhuhai for a few days, and I am playing at home, so I still have a little confidence. I'm really looking forward to this game and I'm very much looking forward to playing in Zhuhai. ”
Li Zhe, a 36-year-old former Chinese men's tennis brother, will make his ATP Tour debut after four years. Brother Hu has been in good form lately, finishing second in the men's singles semifinals and men's doubles at the Hengqin International Challenge in late August, and the Tianjin star also reached the main Grand Slam tournament for the first time by winning the 2018 Australian Open Asia-Pacific Wild Card Tournament in Zhuhai, and it is fitting to call Zhuhai his "blessed land". Li Zhe's opponent in the first round will be 167-year-old Czech Svrčina, currently ranked 20th in the world, and the two have never met before.
Second half: Murray returns to Zhuhai, Zhou Yi and Mo Yecong make their tour debuts
No. 2 seed Norrie's opening match will be the winner between the two qualifiers. Former world No. 7 and three-time Grand Slam champion Murray appeared as the No. 23 seed in the first round against wildcard Chinese player Mo Yecong, 9-year-old Guangdong tennis team's "master", whose world ranking rose to No. 11 on September 663 this year.
Shang Juncheng's 18-year-old Zhou Yi, who is the same age as Shang, will face Chilean brother Garin, who reached his highest world ranking No.2021 in 17 in the first round. Zhou Yi and Mo Yecong, two Chinese players, will welcome their "ATP Tour debut" in Zhuhai, and look forward to their performances at that time!
No. 8 seed Yoshihito Nishioka faces 21-year-old Atmana from France, who recently won two consecutive Zhangjiagang and Guangzhou Challenger Championships in the first round. As the current "first brother of East Asia", Nishioka is eager to perform well in this year's Asian competition, and he said that he is very much looking forward to this trip to Zhuhai.
The men's doubles main draw was also released today, with defending champions Gillette/Friegan and Jamie Murray/Venus as the top two seeds in the men's doubles. The Chinese duo of Gao Xin/Li Zhe and Mo Yecong/Wang Xiaofei won the men's doubles main draw wild cards.
The 2023 Huafa Zhuhai Tennis Championship will officially kick off on September 9, Hengqin International Tennis Center welcomes the return of ATP20 after four years, this autumn September, we will witness another wonderful sports event in the romantic city.
