Scouting Report
Scouting Report: Musetti, Medvedev & Fonseca among stars opening 2026 in Brisbane & Hong Kong
An executive summary of what every fan should know about the coming week
January 03, 2026
Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Lorenzo Musetti, Daniil Medvedev and Joao Fonseca are competing on the ATP Tour this week.
By ATP Staff
A range of stars are set to kickstart their 2026 campaigns this week with an ATP 250 doubleheader in Brisbane and Hong Kong.
Daniil Medvedev is the top seed at the Brisbane International presented by ANZ, where defending champion Jiri Lehecka and #NextGenATP talent Joao Fonseca also compete. Top 10 star Lorenzo Musetti headlines action at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open and is joined by former winners Andrey Rublev and Alexandre Muller.
ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch at each event.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN BRISBANE
1) Medvedev on the march: Medvedev may have endured a difficult 2025 season, but he can take confidence from his late-season surge as he begins his 2026 quest. The former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings hired coaches Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke before snapping his 15-month title drought in Almaty in October. Medvedev’s best result in Brisbane came in 2019 when he reached the final.
2) Two-time winner Dimitrov: After a heartbreaking pectoral injury at Wimbledon — when he was forced to retire two sets up against Jannik Sinner in the fourth round — Grigor Dimitrov returned in Paris but withdrew ahead of his second match. Many eyes will be on the 34-year-old’s physical state when he opens his season in Brisbane, where claimed the trophy in 2017 and 2024.
3) Defending champ Lehecka: Australia has been a happy hunting ground for Lehecka. The Czech has won both of his two ATP Tour titles in the country, having triumphed in Adelaide in 2024 and Brisbane last year. The 24-year-old is entering 2026 off the back of a stellar year, rising to a career-high World No. 16 and earning 41 wins, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
4) Fonseca & Tien seeded prospects: The past two winners of the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, Joao Fonseca and Learner Tien, make their debuts at the Australian ATP 250. Both players enjoyed breakout seasons last year, with Fonseca winning titles in Buenos Aires and Basel, while Tien triumphed in Metz and Jeddah.
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5) Cash/Glasspool lead doubles field: Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool won seven ATP Tour titles together last season and will try to win their first of the new campaign in Brisbane. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Lehecka also team in the doubles event.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN HONG KONG
1) Musetti top seed: After a season in which he competed at the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time and rose to a career-high World No. 6, there is heightened expectation on Musetti in 2026. The Italian top seed reached three finals last year, but he is aiming to win his first title since 2022, when he won in Hamburg and Naples.
2) Rublev resurgence? Having last year dropped outside of the Top 10 for the first time since 2022, Rublev will aim to start his season on the right foot in Hong Kong. The former World No. 5 won the title on his debut in 2024 but fell in the second round of his title defence last year.
3) More Muller magic? Muller became just the third player to win an ATP Tour title having lost the first set of every match he played in en route to the crown in Hong Kong last season. The Frenchman then reached the final at the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro and jumped inside the world’s Top 40.
Watch 2025 Hong Kong Final Highlights:
4) #NextGenATP Sakamoto: Rei Sakamoto, 19, has gained entry to the ATP 250 through the Next Gen Accelerator, which offers players aged 20 and under more opportunities to compete on Tour. The Japanese player won the 2024 Australian Open boys’ title and reached No. 1 in the ITF Junior Rankings.
5) Khachanov/Rublev in doubles draw: Karen Khachanov and Rublev will team in the doubles event, with singles star Musetti also in doubles action alongside Lorenzo Sonego. Sander Arends and Romain Arneodo are the top seeds.
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