ATP Tour

From past pain to present power: Cilic wins Hong Kong opener

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

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

“It’s a great way to start the new season,” said Cilic, the former No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. “It’s great to be back in Hong Kong with a beautiful atmosphere. My family is here… 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.”

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.

The 2014 US Open 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 en route to the fourth round at Wimbledon last year.

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

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