Hubert Hurkacz and Kamil Majchrzak advance to second round at ATP 250 events in China

Hurkacz secures opening win in Chengdu

Hubert Hurkacz returned to the ATP Tour with a 6:3, 7:6(10) victory over Alexander Shevchenko in the first round of the Chengdu Open on Thursday, 24 September 2026. The 29-year-old Polish player, seeded fifth and ranked 46th in the world, needed 81 minutes on the Chinese hard courts to eliminate the 109th-ranked Kazakh competitor. Hurkacz took early control by breaking serve in the opening game on his third break point after Shevchenko sent a ball into the doubles alley. After holding through deuce to lead 2:0, the former Wimbledon semi-finalist maintained his advantage and broke to love in the ninth game when Shevchenko missed an overhead smash at the net.

Tight second set and 22-point tie-break

The second set remained on serve without a single break point across 12 games, pushing the encounter into a 15-minute tie-break. Shevchenko missed a volley at the second point, allowing Hurkacz to build a 4-2 lead at the change of ends before the Kazakh player levelled the score at 4-4. Shevchenko earned five set points during the tie-break, including two opportunities on his own serve. Hurkacz missed a chance at 8-8 by hitting wide, then faced a set point at 9-10 where he delivered back-to-back aces. On Hurkacz's subsequent match point, Shevchenko missed a forehand to conclude the 22-point tie-break at 12-10.

Head-to-head record and rematch against Damm

Thursday's result extended Hurkacz's career record against Shevchenko to 5-0, with all five matches played on hard courts. The contest marked Hurkacz's first competitive appearance in over three weeks since his second-round exit against Ben Shelton at the 2026 US Open, following his decision to skip Poland's Davis Cup fixture in Brisbane, Australia. Hurkacz will face American Martin Damm in the second round on Saturday, 26 September 2026. Damm, ranked 106th, advanced by defeating Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki 6:1, 6:4 in 74 minutes. Damm previously defeated Hurkacz 7:6(5), 6:4 in February 2026 at an indoor ATP 250 tournament in Montpellier.

Polish success in Hangzhou and tournament stakes

Poland achieved a second opening-round victory in China on Thursday as Kamil Majchrzak advanced at the ATP 250 Hangzhou Open. Majchrzak, seeded eighth and ranked 73rd globally, eliminated Italy's Mattia Bellucci in straight sets with a 6:3, 6:4 scoreline. The win set up a second-round meeting against China's Bu Yunchaokete (ranked 111th), who beat American Michael Zheng 6:4, 6:3. The Chengdu Open features a total prize purse of $1.210 million, with the singles champion earning 250 ranking points and $184,000 before the event concludes on Tuesday, 29 September 2026.