Lorenzo Musetti, Daniil Medvedev and Joao Fonseca among the stars starting in 2026 in Brisbane and Hong Kong | ATP Tour

Inspection Report

Scouting Report: Musetti, Medvedev and Fonseca among the stars to open 2026 in Brisbane and Hong Kong

The ultimate summary of what every fan should know about the upcoming week

January 03, 2026

A host of stars are set to kick off their 2026 campaigns this week with an ATP 250 double-header 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 are also competing. Top 10 star Lorenzo Musetti headlines the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open and is joined by previous winners Andrey Rublev and Alexandre Muller.

ATPtour.com looks at five things to watch at each event.

FIVE THINGS TO SEE IN BRISBANE
1) Medvedev in March: Medvedev may have endured a difficult 2025 season, but he can take confidence from his late-season surgery as he begins his 2026 quest. The former No. 1 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 tragic pectoral injury at Wimbledon – when he was forced to retire in two sets against Jannik Sinner in the fourth round – Grigor Dimitrov returned to Paris but withdrew before his second match. Many eyes will be on the 34-year-old’s fitness when he opens his season in Brisbane, where he has lifted the trophy in 2017 and 2024.

3) Hero defending Lehecka: Australia has been a fun place to hunt Lehecka. The Czech has won both of his two ATP Tour titles at home, winning in Adelaide in 2024 and Brisbane last year. The 24-year-old enters 2026 after a fantastic year, rising to World No.

4) Fonseca & Tien seeded hopes: Two past winners of the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, Joao Fonseca and Learner Tien, are making their ATP 250 debut in Australia. Both players enjoyed outstanding seasons last year, with Fonseca winning titles in Buenos Aires and Basel, while Tien triumphed in Metz and Jeddah.

5) Double Glasspool Money: Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool won seven ATP Tour titles together last season and will be looking to win their first campaign in Brisbane. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Lehecka also participated in the doubles event.

FIVE THINGS TO SEE IN HONG KONG
1) Top Musetti seeds: After a season in which he competed for the first time at the Nitto ATP Finals and rose to world No. 6, high expectations are expected of Musetti in 2026. Italy’s top seeds reached three finals last year, but are aiming to win their first title since 2022, when they won in Hamburg and Naples.

2) Revival of the Rublev? Having last year fallen outside 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 in his debut in 2024 but fell in the second round of his title defense last year.

3) More Muller magic? Muller became just the third player to win an ATP Tour title as he lost the first set of every match he played en route to Hong Kong last season. The Frenchman then reached the final of the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro and jumped into the Top 40 of the world.

Watch Hong Kong’s Final Highlights of 2025:

4) #NextGenATP Sakamoto: Rei Sakamoto, 19, earned entry to the ATP 250 through the Next Gen Accelerator, which gives players 20 and under more opportunities to compete on the Tour. The Japanese player won the 2024 Australian Open men’s title and reached No. 1 in the ITF Junior Rankings.

5) Khachanov/Rublev in double draw: Karen Khachanov and Rublev will team up in the doubles event, with singles star Musetti also taking part in the doubles alongside Lorenzo Sonego. Sander Arends and Romain Arneodo are top characters.