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Men's main draw play at the 2024 China Open will begin Thursday, Sept. 26 at 11:00 a.m. local time in Beijing. This outdoor hard-court ATP 500-level event will feature numerous top players, but six-time China Open champion Novak Djokovic won't be in the 32-player draw, which will be finalized Tuesday. Below are the top title contenders and sleepers for the 2024 China Open.
Favorite
Jannik Sinner: Sinner is the defending champion at this event, and the top-ranked Italian has been the best hard-court player on the planet in 2024. He has won both of the Grand Slam events on this surface at the Australian Open and U.S. Open en route to a sparkling 35-2 hard-court record this year. Sinner's punishing groundstrokes are perfect for pushing opponents around on this surface, and he's an excellent mover for his 6-foot-3 frame.
In the Mix
Carlos Alcaraz: Alcaraz has shown a lower floor on hard courts than Sinner, as the talented Spaniard can sometimes lose his rhythm, but Alcaraz's ceiling is still the highest in the game. The world No. 3 won the two non-hard court Grand Slams in 2024 while adding a hard-court Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells. Alcaraz is 41-9 overall in 2024, including a 16-4 record on hard courts. When Alcaraz is at his best, his mix of power, speed and creativity is unmatched. Alcaraz leads Sinner head-to-head 5-4 overall and 4-2 on hard courts. Whether they project to meet in the semis or the final, that's the matchup fans at the China Open are hoping to see.
Daniil Medvedev: Medvedev is a force to be reckoned with on hard courts. Both of his hard-court Grand Slam losses this year came against Sinner, as the lanky Russian reached the final of the Australian Open and quarterfinals of the U.S. Open before running into the Italian buzzsaw. Medvedev has reached six career hard-court Grand Slam finals, winning one, and 18 of his 20 career titles have come on this surface. However, he has yet to win a title in 2024 after winning multiple titles in each of the previous six years, and his 22-7 hard-court record in 2024 is nothing special by Medvedev's lofty standards.
Alexander Zverev: Zverev will be on the opposite half of the draw from Sinner, as the big-serving German is ranked No. 2 in the world and will thus be the No. 2 seed here, with Alcaraz seeded third and Medvedev fourth. Zverev has been about equally effective on all surfaces in 2024, with .750 win rates on hard courts and grass compared to a .793 mark on clay. His only title so far in 2024 was at the Rome Masters 1000 on clay, but 14 of Zverev's 22 career titles have come on hard courts.
Two other top-10 players are on the entry list (No. 6 Andrey Rublev and No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov), while the seventh and eighth seeds at China Open are expected to be 19th-ranked Lorenzo Musetti and 23rd-ranked Karen Khachanov.
Sleepers
Jiri Lehecka: Lehecka's ranking of No. 36 doesn't do his ability justice, as the 22-year-old Czech would be a top-20 player if not for a back injury that sidelined him for nearly three months this season. In his first tournament back from injury, Lehecka notched a hard-court win over Medvedev in Cincinnati, and he has also beaten Andrey Rublev (seeded fifth at the China Open) and Stefanos Tsitsipas on hard courts this year. Lehecka recently parted ways with coach Tomas Berdych, but he's shaping up to be the Berdych of this generation as a Czech baseliner with clean and hard ball striking off both wings.
Zhizhen Zhang: Zhang will have the crowd on his side as the top-ranked Chinese player confirmed for entry in the China Open draw. The world No. 48 found success in his home country last year, winning three hard-court matches to reach the Round of 16 at the Shanghai Masters 1000. Zhang retired due to an injury at the U.S. Open less than a month ago but returned to action at the Hangzhou Open, showing that he's healthy again heading into the China Open. A fan favorite due to his shot-making skills, the Shanghai native will look to replicate the Americans' U.S. Open success and ride the crowd's support in Beijing.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard: Mpetshi Perricard isn't a name any of the top players want to see across from their own in the first round. The 6-foot-8 Frenchman can take the racquet out of your hands with his booming serve, and his rapid ascent up the rankings at age 21 has Mpetshi Perricard at No. 51 heading into the China Open. He has won three Challenger level titles on hard courts this year, plus an ATP 250 event on clay in Lyon and reached the Round of 16 on grass at Wimbledon. Mpetshi Perricard's matches often come down to a few key points in tiebreaks, and finding his vulnerable backhand in those moments is much easier said than done.
