Hangzhou Open Draw Preview: Medvedev Gets a Friendly Path, But Trouble Lurks Throughout the Field

The Hangzhou Open draw is out, and while Daniil Medvedev landed in a favorable portion of the bracket, several sections of this ATP 250 are packed with players capable of blowing up the expected quarterfinal matchups.

Medvedev and Andrey Rublev occupy the top and bottom lines as the first two seeds, with Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Quentin Halys rounding out the top four. But this is not a draw where the seeds can simply pencil themselves into the weekend.

Michael Zheng, Yunchaokete Bu, Roman Safiullin, Aleksandar Vukic, Jaime Faria, and Terence Atmane are among the names capable of making things interesting when the Hangzhou Open begins on Sept, 23, 2026.

Medvedev Should Reach the Quarterfinals

Medvedev could hardly have asked for a better opening section.

The top seed receives a first-round bye before facing either Valentin Royer or Adam Walton. Neither matchup should concern Medvedev much if he is playing anywhere near his normal level.

The other portion of his section begins with Zhizhen Zhang against Coleman Wong.

Zhang has struggled to find wins even on the Challenger circuit, making him difficult to trust here.

Wong presents considerably more danger, particularly when his serve and aggressive forehand combo are working, but this still looks like a section Medvedev should navigate.

Jie Cui faces fifth seed Daniel Vallejo in the other opening-round matchup.

There are certainly players capable of testing Medvedev, but compared with what awaits the other leading seeds, his road to the quarterfinals looks relatively clean.

Michael Zheng Lands in a Brutal Section

The opposite side of Medvedev’s quarter could be chaos.

Fourth seed Quentin Halys receives a first-round bye, but virtually everything beneath him looks dangerous.

One of the most intriguing opening-round matches is Yunchaokete Bu against Michael Zheng, a rematch of their thrilling four-set US Open second-round encounter.

Zheng won that match 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, and the 22-year-old American has continued to establish himself as more than a promising prospect.

The former Columbia standout is now ranked No. 88 in the world after a season in which he qualified for the first three Grand Slams before receiving a US Open wild card.

Yet Zheng has been given absolutely nothing in Hangzhou.

If he gets past Bu again, he enters a section containing Halys, Roman Safiullin, Mattia Bellucci, and Kamil Majchrzak.

Safiullin remains dangerous when everything works, while Bellucci and Majchrzak meet in another first-round match that could go either way.

Whoever emerges from this section to face Medvedev in the quarterfinals will have earned it.

Marozsan and Etcheverry Headline Q3

On paper, Fabian Marozsan and Tomas Martin Etcheverry should meet in the third quarterfinal.

That does not mean they will.

Sixth seed Marozsan opens against a qualifier, while Aleksandar Vukic faces Kyrian Jacquet for the right to potentially meet him next.

Vukic is the obvious spoiler.

His serve and aggressive hard-court game can make him extremely difficult when he gets rolling, and Marozsan is not the type of favorite who can afford a poor serving day or extended dip in concentration.

Etcheverry receives a first-round bye and appears to have the cleaner route of the two seeds.

A Marozsan-Etcheverry quarterfinal remains the logical projection, but Vukic has enough weapons in his bag to prevent that matchup from ever happening.

Rublev’s Quarter Is Anything But Easy

Second seed Andrey Rublev also receives a bye, but his quarter is deeper than it initially appears.

Rinky Hijikata opens against a qualifier, and the Australian is competent enough on a hard court to punish anyone who overlooks him.

The first-round matchup between Jaime Faria and Terence Atmane may be even more interesting.

Faria is seeded seventh, but Atmane has enough power and shot-making ability to turn this into one of the better opening-round battles in the draw.

Elsewhere, Sho Shimabukuro faces Hugo Gaston, giving the bottom quarter another matchup with upset potential.

Rublev remains the obvious favorite to emerge from Q4, but there are enough capable hard-court players around him that his path should not be confused with Medvedev’s.

Hangzhou Open Draw Outlook

Medvedev appears to have received the best draw among the leading seeds, particularly through the opening two rounds.

After that, things become much less predictable.

The Halys-Zheng-Safiullin-Majchrzak-Bellucci cluster may be the toughest section of the entire bracket.

Vukic poses a real obstacle to the anticipated Marozsan-Etcheverry quarterfinal, while Rublev has several players who can turn his quarter into a fight.

Medvedev should reach the last eight. After that, this Hangzhou draw has plenty of room for disruption.