{"id":354130,"date":"2026-01-05T23:08:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T23:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/354130\/"},"modified":"2026-01-05T23:08:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T23:08:12","slug":"from-past-pain-to-present-power-marin-cilic-wins-hong-kong-opener-atp-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/354130\/","title":{"rendered":"From past pain to present power: Marin Cilic wins Hong Kong opener | ATP Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hong Kong
\n From past pain to present power: Cilic wins Hong Kong opener<\/p>\n

37-year-old will face Borges in the second round<\/p>\n

January 05, 2026<\/p>\n

Mike Frey \/ HKCTA 2026<\/p>\n

Marin Cilic is making his second appearance in Hong Kong.
\n By ATP Staff<\/p>\n

Marin Cilic<\/a> did not carry the happiest memories from his lone previous appearance at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open<\/a>, but he put that firmly behind him on Monday with a confident return to the ATP 250.<\/p>\n

After squandering nine match points in a first-round loss to Jan-Lennard Struff<\/a> in 2024, the 37-year-old came back two years later to launch his 2026 season in style, cruising past Adrian Mannarino<\/a> 6-3, 6-2.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great way to start the new season,\u201d said Cilic, the former No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. \u201cIt\u2019s great to be back in Hong Kong with a beautiful atmosphere. My family is here\u2026 My boys love to watch me and give me great energy, so I have great eye contact with them and celebrate the victory with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite landing just 48 per cent of his first serves, Cilic was devastating when they went in, winning 89 per cent (24\/27) of those points and firing nine aces, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The win also extended his Lexus ATP Head2Head advantage over Mannarino to 3-1.<\/p>\n

The 2014 US Open<\/a> champion has now claimed at least one ATP Tour victory in 21 consecutive seasons, dating back to 2006. His success against the World No. 55 marked his first win over a higher-ranked opponent since he upset then-No. 4 Jack Draper<\/a> en route to the fourth round at Wimbledon<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cATP\"\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Cilic next face sixth seed Nuno Borges<\/a> in the second round of the hard-court tournament, after the Portuguese player defeated Damir Dzumhur<\/a> 6-4, 6-3 in his opening match.<\/p>\n

Wu Yibing<\/a> was the final winner on Day 1 in Hong Kong, where he surged past Fabian Marozsan<\/a> 6-4, 6-2 to book a second-round meeting with third seed and 2024 champion Andrey Rublev<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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