China Open 2023 Preview: When is it, who is playing and what is the prize money?
The China Open is gearing up for a return to the tennis calendar, with a stacked draw for the men’s ATP 500 event taking place next week.
Tennis has been absent from China since 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but four years later the ATP tour is making a comeback.
And we, at Tennishead, have got everything you need to know ahead of the tournament in Beijing:
When is the China Open 2023?
The main draw of the China Open begins on Thursday 28th September with play beginning from 12:30pm local time (5:30am BST).
The tournament will conclude on Wednesday 4th October with both the singles and doubles finals.
Qualifying takes place between Tuesday 26th September and Wednesday 27th September, with the draw for the singles event being conducted on Tuesday 26th September at 2:30pm local time (7:30am BST).
Who is playing the China Open 2023?
As mentioned, the field for the China Open is full of high profile names that include eight of the world’s top 10 ranked players.
Amongst these names is Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, who is making his first ever appearance at an ATP event in China.
The Spaniard will compete in his first match since losing in the semi-final of the US Open to Daniil Medvedev, who is the second seed for the event.
Andy Murray is one of the lower ranked players who have received direct entry into the draw, but is in fact the only former champion in the 2023 event in the Chinese capital.
Wildcards have been awarded to world No.39 American Mackenzie McDonald, and Chinese players Jungcheng Shang and Yi Zhou.
Here is the full entry list for the 2023 China Open:
| Seed | Name | Seeding Ranking | Entry Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Alcaraz | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | Daniil Medvedev | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | Holger Rune | 4 | 4 |
| 4 | Stefanos Tsitsipas | 5 | 7 |
| 5 | Andrey Rublev | 6 | 8 |
| 6 | Jannik Sinner | 7 | 6 |
| 7 | Casper Ruud | 9 | 5 |
| 8 | Alexander Zverev | 10 | 12 |
| Alex de Minaur | 12 | 13 | |
| Tommy Paul | 13 | 14 | |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | 14 | 15 | |
| Karen Khachanov | 15 | 11 | |
| Cameron Norrie | 17 | 16 | |
| Lorenzo Musetti | 18 | 18 | |
| Grigor Dimitrov | 20 | 19 | |
| Nicolas Jarry | 22 | 25 | |
| Jan-Lennard Struff | 23 | 22 | |
| Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | 25 | 21 | |
| Daniel Evans | 27 | 28 | |
| Tomas Martin Etcheverry | 35 | 34 | |
| Ugo Humbert | 36 | 33 | |
| Lorenzo Sonego | 38 | 39 | |
| (WC) Mackenzie McDonald | 39 | ||
| Andy Murray | 41 | 37 | |
| (SE) Yoshihito Nishioka | 46 | ||
| Diego Schwartzman | 136 | 114 | |
| (WC) Juncheng Shang | 158 | ||
| (WC) Yi Zhou | 903 |
Where is the China Open held?
The China Open is held at the National Tennis Center in Beijing, that was opened for the 2008 Olympic Games.
It holds a total of 47 tennis courts, that includes 12 competition courts and 35 practice courts, headlined by the Diamond Court that has a capacity of 15,000 seats.
READ MORE: Welcome back! How tennis is making its return to China after four year absence
Supporting the Diamond Court are the Lotus Court (10,000 seats), the Moon Court (4,000 seats) and the Brad Drewett Court (2,000 seats).
Each of these courts have 12 stands that represent petals of lotus flowers, which was one of the emblems for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.
How much prize money is on offer at the China Open 2023?
| Event | Winner | Finalist | Semi-finalist | Quarter-finalist | Round of 16 | Round of 32 |
| Men’s singles | $679,550 | $365,640 | $194,860 | $99,560 | $53,145 | $28,345 |
| Men’s doubles* | $223,210 | $119,050 | $60,240 | $30,110 | $15,590 | — |
What are the ranking points for the China Open 2023?
| Event | Winner | Finalist | Semi-finalist | Quarter-finalist | Round of 16 | Round of 32 | Qualified | Qualifying Round Two | Qualifying Round One |
| Men’s singles | 500 | 300 | 180 | 90 | 45 | 0 | 20 | 10 | 0 |
| Men’s doubles | 500 | 300 | 180 | 90 | 0 | — | 45 | 25 | 0 |
Previous winners of the China Open
The men’s tournament in Beijing began back in 1993 as an ATP 250 event, but in 2009 was upgraded to what we now know as an ATP 500 tournament.
Here are all the singles winners since that transition:
| 2009 | Novak Djokovic |
| 2010 | Novak Djokovic |
| 2011 | Tomas Berdych |
| 2012 | Novak Djokovic |
| 2013 | Novak Djokovic |
| 2014 | Novak Djokovic |
| 2015 | Novak Djokovic |
| 2016 | Andy Murray |
| 2017 | Rafael Nadal |
| 2018 | Nikoloz Basilashvili |
| 2019 | Dominic Thiem |
Interesting facts about the China Open
Most Singles Titles: Novak Djokovic (6)
Most Doubles Titles: Bob and Mike Bryan (3)
Oldest Champion: Rafael Nadal (31)
Youngest Champion: Rafael Nadal (19)
Highest-Ranked Champion: Novak Djokovic (No.1) in 2013-15, Rafael Nadal (No.1) in 2017
Lowest-Ranked Champion: Nikoloz Basilashvili (No.34) in 2018
Most Match Wins: Novak Djokovic (29)
Shotmaking of the HIGHEST order ?
Watch extended highlights of Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal in the Beijing 2015 Final! ?
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) September 22, 2023
Where to watch the China Open 2023?
The China Open is broadcasted exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in the United Kingdom or on Tennis TV for anyone living outside the UK.
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