Former world No. 3 Marin Čilić and South Korean tennis fixtures Kwon Soon-woo and Chung Hyeon lead the entry list for the 10th Seoul Open, which gets underway with qualifying matches on Oct. 25 at the Olympic Park Tennis Courts in Songpa-gu, Seoul, according to tournament organizers.
Seoul Open Returns to ATP Challenger 125 Status With Record Prize Pool
Competition features a 32-player singles draw and a 16-player doubles bracket, backed by a record total prize pool of $225,000 USD (approximately 330 million KRW). The singles champion will collect $33,650 USD alongside 125 ATP ranking points.
Marin Čilić Headlines Direct Acceptances Alongside Defending Champion Sho Shimabukuro
The Association of Tennis Professionals released direct acceptance lists featuring nine players ranked between No. 80 and No. 120 globally. Čilić, currently ranked No. 80 and carrying a 21-title ATP Tour résumé alongside his 2014 US Open singles crown, stands as the tournament’s most decorated entrant. Defending champion Sho Shimabukuro of Japan (No. 109) returns to defend his title. The field also features 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games singles gold medalist Coleman Wong of Hong Kong (No. 101), who finished as runner-up last year, and Wu Yibing of China (No. 113), the first Chinese male player to win an ATP Tour singles title. French left-hander Terence Atmane (No. 99), a semifinalist at last year’s Cincinnati Masters, rounds out the notable international entries.
Kwon Soon-woo and Chung Hyeon Spearhead the Domestic Challenge in Seoul
On the home front, two-time ATP Tour titlist Kwon Soon-woo (No. 161) targets his first home soil tournament victory in seven years after reaching a career-high ranking of No. 52. Former Australian Open semifinalist Chung Hyeon (No. 558) enters through the qualifying rounds, requiring two wins across the opening two days starting Oct. 25 to advance to the main draw. Seventeen-year-old Cho Min-hyuk earned a main draw wildcard by winning the domestic junior qualifying tournament.
Tournament Schedule and Opening Day Korean Showcase
Organizers have designated the Oct. 25 opening day as “Korean Players Day,” clustering matches featuring domestic entrants. Singles main draw action begins Oct. 26, with the semifinals scheduled for Oct. 31 and the championship match set for Nov. 1. Seoul Metropolitan Tennis Association President Kim Eun-sun stated that the event aims to give weekend recreational players close access to world-class competition while transforming the Olympic Park venue into an autumn tennis festival.
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