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The so-called ‘Asian Swing’ is set to commence on the ATP Tour this week. And there are a number of ATP China Open wildcards who are confirmed for the first of several events that will unfold in Asia over the coming weeks. This important part of the ATP season sees a range of players set to battle things out in Beijing for this ATP 500 title. Specifically, this tournament consists of a 32-player draw that has 8 seeds and 3 confirmed wildcards.
Furthermore, as per the official ATP China Open schedule, matches will start on September 28th and run through to October 4th. Throughout this period, there will be some top-level tennis, and there are a few ATP China Open wildcards that have been given a spot in qualifying, while some have jumped right into the main draw.
Of course, my goal here is to discuss these wildcards and keep you updated on their progress throughout the tournament. So without further ado, let me run through the specifics now.
ATP China Open wildcards updates following round one results
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As expected from such a tough tournament, the wildcards haven’t fared all that well in the first round of the ATP China Open. In fact, concerning the men’s singles event, they’ve all been taken out in the opening round. As you might recall from yesterday’s update concerning the ATP China Open wildcards, Yi Zhou was the first of the three wildcards to exit the event. He went down to Davidovich Fokina in straight sets. Yet he hasn’t been left alone for long. He was joined immediately by the other two wildcards, McDonald and Shang.
Let me share their results to let you know what you may have missed:
- Dimitrov beat McDonald (WC) – 2-6 7-6 6-1
- Nishioka beat Shang (WC) – 5-7 7-5 6-1
As you can see, while both of these wildcards put up a fight, they were both taken out in three-set battles. In fact, the results are incredibly similar, which is rather interesting. Both of the ATP China Open wildcards won the first set before losing a tight second and then being rolled over in the decider. Coincidence? Probably! As it happens, this kind of scoreline is pretty common, and winning those tight sets often makes the difference between higher-ranked guys and those who are somewhat on the outside in terms of rankings.
But how did the remaining wildcards fare in the doubles?
Men’s doubles – remaining ATP China Open wildcards updates
Unfortunately, I don’t have better news to share with respect to the one remaining doubles partnership in the ATP China Open. Of course, I say this in terms of the wildcards, and in case you missed yesterday’s updates, the remaining wildcards were the Chinese duo of Sun/Zhou. Here is the result of the match involving this partnership:
- Koolhof/Skupski (2) beat Sun/Zhou (WC) – 6-1 6-4
As you can see, these guys didn’t exactly have a great draw either. They lost to the number two seeds, which isn’t something to be ashamed of. Yet because these guys are the last of the ATP China Open wildcards to exit the event, this means that it’s all over for the wildcards in 2023. So to quickly recap, unfortunately, the ATP China Open wildcards failed to pick up a single win in the tournament this year.
However, some did come close, as reflected in the results of McDonald and Shang, so they can at least take something from the tournament!
2023 ATP China Open wildcards – updates ahead of round one
On Thursday, September 28th, five of the first-round matches in the ATP China Open were played. Yet of these five matches, just one of them included one of the ATP China Open wildcards that I have discussed below. This was the Chinese wildcard, Yi Zhou – a teenager who had been given a wildcard in an effort to provide a golden opportunity for the youngster to pick up some points. However, he was given a rather rough draw, and ultimately, he went down in straight sets to the talented Spaniard, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Then again, with Yi Zhou being the weakest of the three ATP China Open wildcards, it’s not a huge shock that he went down by a score of 6-2 6-2 to Davidovich Fokina. At the same time, I’m sure he gained valuable experience, and he could well be a guy to watch for the future. Additionally, for those of you who are interested in the ATP China Open doubles competition, one of the wildcards also competed on Thursday, September 28th. This was the duo of Cui/Wang. Ultimately, while they put up a pretty good fight against Khachanov/Rublev, they also went down in straight sets by a score of 6-4 7-5.
So, where does this leave us concerning the ATP China Open wildcards for Friday, September 29th? Let’s take a look.
Upcoming matches for the ATP China Open wildcards
Since two of the wildcards have played and lost on Thursday, September 28th, this leaves three wildcards in the draw. Note that this is the case when you focus on both singles and doubles events at the ATP China Open. And regarding their scheduled matches, let me reveal what’s on the cards:
- Juncheng Shang (WC) vs Jannik Sinner (6) – 3rd match on Lotus Court
- Mackenzie McDonald (WC) vs Grigor Dimitrov – 1st match on Brad Drewett Court
- Koolhof/Skupski (2) vs Sun/Zhou (WC) – 4th match on Brad Drewett Court
All of these matches will be played on Friday, September 29th. Therefore, I will have another update for you tomorrow regarding these ATP China Open wildcards once all of the results are in.
The ATP China Open wildcards – confirmed players and respective draws
As mentioned above, there were a range of players who were given a wildcard for the China Open with respect to the qualifying draw. Unfortunately, all of these ATP China Open wildcards lost in the opening round of qualifying. And since these wildcards were all Chinese players, this means all of the home favorites from qualifying have failed to make it. But home fans needn’t be too upset, for two of the three ATP China Open wildcards that are in the main draw are also Chinese.
This brings me to the main purpose today – to show you who these wildcards are while providing some insight into their draw and overall chances at the China Open. Additionally, for those who are interested, you can track our ATP China Open predictions throughout the event, as many of these will include the wildcards I am about to cover now.
Juncheng Shang
The first of the three ATP China Open wildcards to bring to your attention is Juncheng Shang. This talented teenager is currently ranked 158 in the world, and he has been drawn against Yoshihito Nishioka in the first round. As for his form, Juncheng Shang has mainly been competing on the Challenger Circuit this year, but he has been involved in the main draw of a few ATP-sanctioned events. Therefore, while he has a shot against Nishioka, I can’t see him getting past Evans or Sinner in the next round.
Mackenzie McDonald
Mackenzie McDonald is currently ranked 39 in the world, which is normally high enough for a main draw entry. However, the strength of the 2023 China Open is far better than usual, especially for a 500-level event. As for McDonald’s position as one of the ATP China Open wildcards, he has the toughest draw of the bunch since he has Grigor Dimitrov in the opening round.
Yi Zhou
Last but not least, Yi Zhou, another Chinese player, has snapped up the third of the ATP China Open wildcards. He is set to play against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, which is also a terrible first-round draw. Additionally, he is the weakest of the three wildcards since this 18-year-old is ranked 903 in the world. So his time in the tournament might be pretty short, in my opinion.
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