Hangzhou Open: Medvedev Leads Depleted Field as Asian Swing Peaks

Medvedev and Rublev Anchor the Draw

Hangzhou, Wednesday. The 2026 AITO Hangzhou Open gets under way today as the Asian hard-court swing reaches its climax, with Daniil Medvedev seeded first and Andrey Rublev second in a 28-player ATP 250 draw offering $1,039,090 in prize money. Running parallel to the Chengdu Open where Alejandro Tabilo defends his title against top seed Valentin Vacherot, and alongside the Laver Cup at The O2 in London (25-27 September), the Hangzhou event completes a packed final week of the Asian swing.

Medvedev, the former world number one, has endured a variable season but remains the class act in a thinned field and will be looking to pad his ATP points total before the year-end race enters its final stretch. Rublev, a consistent competitor at this level, occupies the second seed. Tomás Martín Etcheverry is seeded third and France's Quentin Halys fourth — the best result of his career at a 250-level event if he can convert his seeding into a deep run.

Eight Withdrawals Reshape the Field

The tournament opens with notable absentees. Eight players confirmed withdrawals in the days before the draw was finalised, significantly altering the field's depth. US Open semi-finalist Karen Khachanov stepped away to recover from his exertions in New York. Alex Michelsen prioritised a Davis Cup commitment. Matteo Arnaldi extended his end-of-season break after a difficult summer, while Luca Van Assche, Corentin Moutet, Daniel Altmaier, Marin Čilić and Thanasi Kokkinakis round out the list. Lucky losers and alternates including Roman Safiullin, Kyrian Jacquet and Térence Atmane have filled the vacant spots.

The wave of withdrawals follows a similar pattern at nearby Chengdu, where four players also stepped aside. The Laver Cup — featuring Team Europe's Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev against Team World's Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz — draws the very top names to London, leaving the Asian 250s to offer opportunity to players ranked from roughly 20 to 80.

Race to London Adds Stakes

With the ATP Finals qualification window narrowing, the Hangzhou title carries significant weight for players within striking distance of the top-eight cut-off. Rublev, currently outside the automatic spots, will need a strong week to keep his ATP Finals hopes alive. Etcheverry is similarly motivated, while Medvedev — already a multiple-time Finals participant — would welcome the ranking insurance a title provides.

The tournament format is a 28-draw with byes for the top seeds, meaning Medvedev and Rublev enter in the second round. Three Chinese wildcards — led by Zhang Zhizhen and Buyunchaokete — will hope to ride home support into at least one upset. First-round action runs Wednesday through Friday, with the quarter-finals on Saturday, semi-finals on Sunday and the final on Monday 28 September. The champion in Hangzhou goes straight into the record books as the tournament's third-ever singles winner.