Scouting Report: Musetti & Rublev Lead Chengdu, Hangzhou Fields, Alcaraz, Laver Cup Action | ATP Journey

ATP Journey

Scouting Report: Musetti & Rublev Lead Chengdu, Hangzhou Fields, Alcaraz, Laver Cup Action

The executive summary of what every fan should know about next week

September 15, 2025

The ATP Tour begins on Wednesday’s ATP Tour in China, with the 8th Laver Cup (No. 1 in PIF ATP Ranking Carlos Alcaraz) taking place in San Francisco from September 19 to 21.

The title of the world’s 9th Lorenzo Musetti in the Chengdu Open draw, the Italian is bidding to improve his Nitto ATP final. Top 10 stars Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev are the top two seeds in the Lynk & Co Hangzhou Open.

Alcaraz aims to debut in Berlin last year, leading the European team to a second straight success. American Taylor Fritz leads the world’s global bid to win the San Francisco trophy.

Atptour.com looks forward to five things in all three events.

Five things to watch in Chengdu
1) Musetti top seeds: Musetti returned to Chengdu for the third consecutive year. The Italian reached the semi-finals in 2023 and then fell to the championship in the championship game a year ago. Musetti has a dual motivation in Chengdu this time: in addition to chasing his third ATP Tour Crown, he can also improve his Nitto ATP finals by playing in-depth matches in Sichuan Province. The 23-year-old is currently ranked eighth in the PIF ATP live competition.

2) Party’s defense title: #NextGenatp star Shang made history in Chengdu a year ago when he became the first Chinese player to win the ATP Tour championship locally. The 20-year-old has played only five games so far in 2025 and has played five games, but he hopes to restart his season. Zhou faced Zizou Bergs in the first round.

Watch Week beat Musetti in the 2024 Chengdu Final:

3) Darderi, can Wong back up our public run? Luciano Darderi is Chengdu’s second seed, ranked 30th in the world, hoping to support the third round of the U.S. Open, only the final champion Alcalaz can finish. Coleman Wong also entered the third round of New York, with Hong Star competing in the wildcard debut in Chengdu.

4) Prizmic of Jeddah course: Dino Prizmic is currently ranked fourth in the PIF ATP live competition and he can further qualify for PIF’s next ATP final in Chengdu. The 20-year-old Croatian entered the main draw using the next generation accelerator entry point awarded to #NexTGenATP Stars, ranking in the top 250 in the PIF ATP rankings.

5) Harrison/Kings lead the doubles court: Christian Harrison and Evan King are Chengdu’s top seeds, trying to consolidate their chances to secure the Nitto ATP finals: The Americans are currently ranked eighth in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams rankings. Their rivals in the Chinese draw include two-time defending champion Sadio Doumbia and 10th-place Fabien Reboul.

Five things to watch in Hangzhou
1) Rubuff restored Turin hope? If he is going to make his debut in the Nitto ATP final for the sixth time, the 27-year-old Rublev needs to design a late-season surge. He is currently ranked 11th in the PIF ATP live competition, 660 points worse than the qualifiers. Rublev is the number one seed of Hangzhou and will face Aleksandar Kovacevic or Luca Nardi first.

2) Medvedev seeks turnaround: According to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, former world No. 1 Medvedev has scored 3-5 since entering the HALLE final in June. He will seek a quick response in Hangzhou, where he bids to win his 21st Tour title. Medvedev can face another top ten star and defending Hangzhou champion Marin Cilic in the opening ceremony.

Watch Cilic Clinch Emotions Hangzhou 2024 Title:

3) Zhang Zhang returns: Zhang Zhizhen competed for the first time since Indian Wells served as a wildcard in Hangzhou in March. He served as his fellow buyaokete in the first Rond. Meanwhile, Hangzhou native Wu Yibing returned to the top 200 before returning to action in March this year after only six games in 2024, opening against sixth seed Adrian Mannarino.

4) Bublik, Tien in seed: Alexander Bublik, who won 11 of the last 12 games, will earn recent success and become the third seed of Hangzhou. #NextGenATP star learner Tien also competed in the competition, the seventh seed at the age of 19, who made his first appearance in China.

5) Cabral/Miedler Title Doubles Lottery: Francisco Cabral and Lucas Miedler are the top tag teams in Hangzhou, chasing their second ATP 250 title of the year. American Robert Cash and US Open semifinalist JJ Tracy are the second seeds.

Five things to watch on Laver Cup
1) Alcaraz resumes action as 1: Alcaraz has been ranked No. 1 player in the PIF ATP rankings for the first time since September 2023, when he went to court at Laver Cup in San Francisco. The Spaniard immediately had an impact on his 2024 match debut in Berlin, where he scored eight points in four matches in the European team’s 13-11 victory.

2) Top 10 talent teams world: World No. 5 Taylor Fritz and No. 8 Alex de Minaur will lead the world’s teams to regain the Laver Cup trophy in front of home fans. Fritz competes for the fifth time, including a 2022 victory in London and Vancouver in 2023.

3) Noah’s new captain Agassi: The eighth edition of Laver Cup brings new captains to both teams. Andre Agassi replaced his first club member John McEnroe as the world captain, with another former world number one Patrick Rafter as deputy captain. Frenchman Yannick Noah took over as European captain Bjorn Borg, with Tim Henman taking over with his vice captain Tim Henman.

4) #NextGenatp star debut: Two of the hottest talents on the ATP Tour will debut at California’s Laver Cup. Jakub Mensik of Jets held his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami in March, playing for the European team. Brazilian Joao Fonseca is the next ATP final presented by PIF Championship, representing the team world.

5) Unique format: Like all previous versions, the Laver Cup will be held in five sessions in three days from September 19 to 21. Victories in each game are worth one point on Friday, two points on Saturday and high-stakes on Sunday. The first team reached 13 points (of possible 24 points) to win the Laver Cup.