Looking for Tennis and Racket Sports International News?

Jannik Sinner’s story at the China Open in Beijing has been one of glory, pain, and promise still to be fulfilled.

After announcing himself on Chinese soil with a dazzling title run on his debut in 2023, the Italian returned the following year to reach another final, only to fall short in an unforgettable showdown with Carlos Alcaraz that showcased the very best of their Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry. That defeat stung, but it also planted the seeds for future success.

Now, as the No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Sinner returns with renewed determination and the confidence of a player who has already conquered Beijing. Ahead of the 2025 edition, ATPTour.com revisits his journey at the ATP 500 event.

2023: Dream Debut
After a stunning run across the 2023 season, highlighted by his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Toronto, Sinner arrived in Beijing as an established Top 10 player brimming with confidence. The then-22-year-old’s level rose even further that week.

Lorenzo Musetti was forced to navigate a testing return to the Chengdu Open on Saturday, but the top seed and defending finalist showed his grit and flair to keep his title hopes alive.

In his first outing since his run to the US Open quarter-finals two-and-a-half weeks ago, Musetti overcame spirited #NextGenATP talent Dino Prizmic 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 in two hours, 16 minutes at the Chinese ATP 250 event. Prizmic matched Musetti’s 27 winners with his fearless shotmaking, but the Italian found an extra gear in the deciding set to accelerate to victory.

Musetti mania ?@ChengduOpen | #ChengduOpen | @Lorenzo1Musetti pic.twitter.com/exO9hPOBAr

“Today I started with a little bit of tension, but it’s pretty normal, it’s my first match in more than two weeks,” Musetti said. “The first match in China is always tough… Different conditions from last year, and of course the opponent: He was playing really solid, so I had to find my way and in the third set I started to play better and take the lead of the game.”

Fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, Prizmic was competing in Chengdu through the Next Gen Accelerator, which offers players aged 20 and under increased opportunity to compete on the ATP Tour.

Daniil Medvedev made a smooth start to a new era in his career Saturday at the Lynk & Co Hangzhou Open.

Competing for the first time since splitting with his coach of eight years, Gilles Cervara, the former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings dispatched Nishesh Basavareddy 6-2, 6-3 on debut at the Chinese ATP 250. Medvedev, who has been working with Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke since his dramatic first-round US Open loss to Benjamin Bonzi last month, returned to action in style with a clinical performance against #NextGenATP qualifier Basavareddy.

? @DaniilMedwed ?

[2] Medvedev blazes past Basavareddy 6-2 6-3@HangzhouOpen | #HangzhouOpen pic.twitter.com/aLBKBbCgGP

“It was a great match for me. I’m happy with the way I played, with the way I served,” said Medvedev in his on-court interview. “I’m happy to win of course. I have not been winning a lot of matches, so I’m happy to win. I really like the city, I’ve enjoyed it here, so I’m happy to stay for a couple more days.”

Medvedev won nine consecutive games from 2-2 in the first set to take complete control of his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Basavareddy. Despite being broken for the only time in the match when serving at 5-1 in the second set, he soon wrapped a victory in which he converted four of eight break points he earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Joao Fonseca put Team World on the board at the 2025 Laver Cup with a stylish debut victory before the doubles duo of Carlos Alcaraz and Jakub Mensik staked Team Europe a 3-1 lead after Friday's play in San Francisco.

The youngest player to compete at Laver Cup at age 19, Fonseca stormed back from 2-4 in the opening set against Flavio Cobolli, rattling off five games in a row and seven out of eight to take control of the singles showdown. After the #NextGenATP Brazilian's 6-4, 6-3 victory breathed life into Team World, Alcaraz and Mensik clawed back the momentum for the Europeans with a 7-6(7), 6-4 victory against Taylor Fritz and Alex Michelsen. It was Alcaraz's first competitive action since he won the US Open title and reclaimed the No. 1 PIF ATP Ranking.

Team World was staring down a potential 0-3 deficit before Fonseca fired up his team and the San Francisco crowd with an electric display of power and shotmaking that left Cobolli without answers, even with Roger Federer cheering him on from the stands.

"I think my team helped me a lot, to stay positive during the match," said Fonseca, who was born 12 days before new Team World captain Andre Agassi retired at the 2006 US Open. "I was a little bit more nervous than usual. It's normal. And then after I started talking a little bit more with Andre and the team... I was playing good in the beginning, but I was still a little bit nervous and making a lot of mistakes, but after I got through so I'm very happy with that."

Casper Ruud and Jakub Mensik powered Team Europe to a 2-0 lead at the Laver Cup on Friday, albeit in contrasting styles.

The Norwegian set the tone with a 6-4, 7-6(4) win over big-serving American Reilly Opelka, delivering a dominant serving performance of his own, while Mensik fought off Alex Michelsen 6-1, 6-7(3), 10-8.

Ruud, who revealed that he is debuting a slightly smaller racquet head, was ultra consistent behind his delivery. He won 88 per cent of his first-serve points (45/51) and erased both break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Opelka won just 16 per cent of his return points, compared to Ruud’s 28 per cent.

“The [goal was] to be in the zone, make a lot of balls, make him play and get Europe off to a good start,” said Ruud in his on-court interview. “Really happy with the match. I was in the same position last year and lost the opening match, so it’s good to get some revenge and begin strong for Europe.”

Mensik survived a late scare against Team World’s Michelsen. Serving for the match at 6-1, 5-3, Mensik lost serve and needed to complete his victory in a Match Tie-break.

Stan Wawrinka is seeking ATP Challenger Tour history this weekend. The 40-year-old, into the semi-finals at the Saint-Tropez Open, is aiming to become the oldest Challenger champion in history.

Wawrinka, former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, finished runner-up at last week's Rennes Challenger and in Aix-en-Provence in May. Should the Swiss go one step further and claim the Saint-Tropez title, he would pass Ivo Karlovic to become the oldest Challenger titlist. Karlovic won the 2018 Calgary Challenger at 39 years, four months.

Seeded fifth, Wawrinka faces Dan Added in the second match from 2 p.m. CEST / 8 a.m. ET Saturday. Fans can watch for free on Challenger TV. The stream can also be seen below. Wawrinka beat Added last week in the Rennes second round.

Watch Stan Wawrinka vs. Dan Added live on Challenger TV Saturday:

Denis Shapovalov and Mirjam Bjorklund tied the knot earlier this month, the couple announced on social media Friday, sharing stunning photos from their ceremony. The Canadian and Bjorklund married on 9 September at Lesante Cape in Zakynthos, Greece.

“It was really so special,” Shapovalov told ATPTour.com. “Every day we had in Zakynthos with our close friends and family was better than we could have ever asked for and I’m so excited I got to marry my best friend in such an incredible setting.”

The couple began dating in 2019 and Shapovalov proposed to Bjorklund in July 2023. Their wedding ceremony overlooked the Ionian Sea, providing a breathtaking backdrop.

“It was truly as amazing as we envisioned when we chose Lesante Cape for our wedding venue,” said Bjorklund, now Mirjam Shapovalova. “The weather was incredible and every moment was picture-perfect. It was the most beautiful start to our marriage and we are so excited to spend forever with each other.”

Jannik Sinner officially launched the Jannik Sinner foundation on Thursday evening at an event in Milan, where more than 100 guests gathered to celebrate the initiative. The Foundation will focus on empowering children through sport.

“I’ve been lucky to pursue my passion through tennis, but I know millions of children never get the chance to follow their dreams because they don’t have access to school,” the No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Sinner, said on stage. “Standing here tonight, I see the project is finally alive, and we are ready to help children realise their dreams.”

The foundation announced its first partnerships in both education and sports. It will collaborate with the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), the world’s largest fund dedicated to improving schooling in lower-income countries, as well as Südtirol Sporthilfe, a non-profit from Sinner’s home region that supports young athletes through funding, mentorship and development.

Laura Frigenti, CEO of GPE, welcomed the collaboration: “We are honoured that the Sinner Foundation’s first major initiative is a three-year partnership with GPE. Jannik Sinner’s vision and global influence bring fresh momentum and visibility to the education cause. Together, we can help millions of marginalised children learn and thrive.”

Yannick Noah, captaining Team Europe at this year’s Laver Cup, has been given the perfect platform to reflect on the recent dominance of his leading player, Carlos Alcaraz.

As the former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings and 1983 Roland Garros champion, Noah knows the weight rivalries carry in shaping tennis history. Having competed in an era filled with iconic clashes, the Frenchman is well placed to comment on how the sport continues to reinvent itself through new generations, such as the compelling Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner rivalry, which has hit new heights this year.

“Three, four years ago, we all thought as tennis fans that after Roger, Rafa and Djoko, after their time, [there is] gonna be a long hole: ‘What's gonna happen?’. The next thing you know, here are these champions coming,” Noah said in a pre-tournament Laver Cup press conference.

“I'm not such a great technician really, but I really believe in the energy that they bring because they are such interesting and different characters out there and very, very popular for the tennis fan. And of course they're playing great tennis, we all know that. But it's also the personalities that people like.”

Known for his on-court exuberance and flair, Noah has always placed personality at the heart of tennis. During his own career, he often thrived on rivalries: His Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Ivan Lendl, which he trailed 7-11, stood out as a defining battle that helped shape his place in the sport.

Ben Shelton has withdrawn from the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships due to injury, the tournament announced Friday.

The No. 6 player in the PIF ATP Rankings suffered a shoulder injury during his third-round match at the US Open against Adrian Mannarino and was forced to retire before starting the fifth set. He has not competed since.

The lefty won his first ATP Tour title two years ago in Tokyo on his debut at the ATP 500 event. Last year, he returned to Japan and made the quarter-finals, falling short in a final-set tie-break to eventual champion Arthur Fils.

Shelton owns a 37-18 record this season and is fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. The 22-year-old is trying to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time.

A trip to China has helped Alejandro Tabilo breathe belated life into his 2025 season.

The former No. 19 player in the PIF ATP Rankings booked his quarter-final spot at the Chengdu Open on Friday afternoon with an impressive 6-4, 6-3 victory against second seed Luciano Darderi. After a testing first eight months of 2025, during which he struggled with form and also suffered wrist and abdominal injuries, the Chilean was visibly emotional after sinking Darderi to reach his first tour-level quarter-final since last October.

Finding his rhythm ?

Qualifier Alejandro Tabilo books his 1st quarter-final in 11 months@ChengduOpen | #ChengduOpen pic.twitter.com/2n2yKUmK6a

“It’s been a very tough year for me, so I’m just happy to get the rhythm back a little bit, and hopefully this is the start again,” said Tabilo, who is 7-13 for the season, in his on-court interview. “Just keep rolling with it, but very happy with the win.”

The two-time ATP Tour champion Tabilo showed signs of his best form upon arriving in China earlier this month, when he reached an ATP Challenger Tour final in Guangzhou. In Chengdu, he won two qualifying matches against Te Rigele and Lloyd Harris, respectively, before notching his first tour-level win since Roland Garros by dispatching Jordan Thompson in the first round.

Carlos Alcaraz has been making recent headlines not only for his US Open triumph and return to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time since 2023, but also for his new blonde hair.

That look has sparked a lighthearted debate among Team Europe members as they gear up for the eighth edition of the Laver Cup in San Francisco: Who should go blonde next?

During a pre-tournament gathering at the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, Casper Ruud and Flavio Cobolli shook on what they referred to as a ‘dangerous’ agreement. The deal? Cobolli will dye his hair blonde if AS Roma win the Serie A derby against Lazio on Sunday and Team Europe lift the Laver Cup trophy.

“I think I have a guy beside me who could rock the blonde look,” Ruud said with a grin. “[He’s] Italian, stylish, and he’s fairly blonde as far as an Italian goes, so he could go full blonde. He also has blue eyes, so he could definitely go blonde!”

Sebastian Korda has had his fair share of injury woes in recent times, but he bounced back from his latest one in clinical fashion on Friday at the Lynk & Co Hangzhou Open.

The 25-year-old American, who was forced to retire from his first round at the US Open last month, returned with a 7-5, 6-3 triumph over Adam Walton at the Chinese ATP 250 event. Korda dropped serve in the opening game but reeled off four straight games from 3-5 in the first set and fired 20 aces throughout the 87-minute first-round clash.

Let's go! ??@SebiKorda marks his Hangzhou debut 7-5 6-3 ? Walton@HangzhouOpen | #HangzhouOpen pic.twitter.com/AfYXpR5xmf

“It was a tough match. He started off great… I didn’t start off too well, but I kept my composure as much as I could,” said Korda. “I thought I served really well, and when you serve well it’s a lot easier, so I’m very happy with the performance today.”

Korda was also sidelined for two-and-a-half months due to a right shin stress fracture after Roland Garros and made his return in Winston-Salem, where he withdrew ahead of his semi-final match. Into the second round on his Hangzhou debut, Korda next meets Chinese wild card Wu Yibing.

Bjorn Borg, the former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, reveals in his upcoming book, Heartbeats: A Memoir, that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

The Swede has reflected on the diagnosis ahead of the book’s release next week, telling the BBC that he has “always been checking” himself.

“[In] 2023, checked myself again, and the doctor said, ’It doesn't look too good. We have to make an operation’,” Borg told the BBC. “‘Okay. Is that necessary?’ I told them. ‘Yes’. It was difficult psychologically, for me. [Did] it spread all over? I don't know.”

The doctor told Borg that the situation was “really, really bad”. Last year, he underwent an operation and is in remission.

“[The doctor] said, ‘But you have these sleeping cancer cells in your body’. It's going to be a fight in the future, and I hope I'm going to be okay,” Borg said. “I might be okay, I might not be okay. So every six months, I go and test myself. And right now, I did my last test two weeks ago, so I'm okay. I take day by day, year by year, hopefully. It's a thing you have to live with.”

The 2025 Laver Cup begins Friday with an action-packed schedule. Team Europe's Casper Ruud and Team World's Reilly Opelka kickstart this year's edition before Jakub Mensik faces Alex Michelsen.

It will be a blockbuster evening session, during which Flavio Cobolli meets Joao Fonseca. Then, Carlos Alcaraz partners Mensik against Taylor Fritz and Michelsen. View the full order of play below.

ORDER OF PLAY - FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2025
CHASE CENTER start 1 p.m.
Casper Ruud (EUR) vs Reilly Opelka (WLD)
Jakub Mensik (EUR) vs Alex Michelsen (WLD)

Not Before 7 p.m.
Flavio Cobolli (EUR) vs Joao Fonseca (WLD)
Carlos Alcaraz (EUR) / Jakub Mensik (EUR) vs Taylor Fritz (WLD) / Alex Michelsen (WLD)

Explosive firepower, seamless movement and echoes of the ‘Big Three’ — Carlos Alcaraz has impressed Andre Agassi and Patrick Rafter, two ATP No. 1 Club members who know what it takes to reach the top of the PIF ATP Rankings.

Speaking ahead of the Laver Cup, Team World captain Agassi marveled at how Alcaraz has captured the hearts of fans worldwide while blending qualities from the likes of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

“There’s not a place in the world where he goes and he’s not the crowd favourite,” Agassi said, speaking exclusively with ATPTour.com. “And for obvious reasons. What he’s brought to the game is a mixture of the last generation we had.

“I know Novak is still playing, but Novak, Roger and Rafa — he’s like a combination of all of them in one, with the RPMs he can put [on the ball], the defence that he has like Novak, the feel that he has like Federer. To see that in one person on a tennis court is remarkable.”

Agassi spent 101 total weeks atop the PIF ATP Rankings, ninth-most all time. Alcaraz, 22, is already more than a third of the way there. The Spaniard reclaimed No. 1 honours following his sixth major title at the US Open this month. Now in his fifth stint as World No. 1, Alcaraz has held the top spot for a total of 38 weeks.

Andre Agassi and Patrick Rafter often battled at some of the sport’s biggest tournaments in their day. Now, they will stand side by side as they guide Team World at the Laver Cup.

Team World captain Agassi and vice captain Rafter, two of the 29 members in the ATP No. 1 Club, are taking over in a new era of Laver Cup leadership. Agassi is replacing John McEnroe as Team World’s captain while Yannick Noah spearheads Team Europe, formerly led by Bjorn Borg.

“Truth be told, I don’t think I would’ve done it if Pat didn’t say he would join me,” Agassi told ATPTour.com. “I literally said, ‘You’re the guy I want’. He was one of the great players, one of the great athletes, one of the great competitors.”

Agassi and Rafter met 15 times, spanning 1993-2001, in their Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry, with the American winning 10 of those matches. Now, more than two decades after their final meeting, Agassi and Rafter's mutual respect and friendship will be on display in San Francisco.

“He was one of those guys who when I lost to him, I could actually take a little solace in the fact that, ‘Well, at least Pat won and I’m happy for him’,” reflected Agassi. “He just always earned players' respect on and off the court and now to share the same side of the net with him is a win for me.”

Some of the biggest stars on the ATP Tour are ready to compete in the Laver Cup.

The Carlos Alcaraz-led Team Europe will try to defend its crown in San Francisco against Team World, headlined by Taylor Fritz.

For the first time since the event's inception in 2017, there are new captains: Yannick Noah (Team Europe) and Andre Agassi (Team World). Tim Henman (Team Europe) and Patrick Rafter (Team World) are vice captains. View the full teams for the competition below.

Team Europe
Carlos Alcaraz
Alexander Zverev
Holger Rune
Casper Ruud
Jakub Mensik
Flavio Cobolli
Alternate: Tomas Machac
Captain: Yannick Noah
Vice Captain: Tim Henman

Gael Monfils cut a dejected figure on Thursday after suffering a painful fall that forced him to retire from his opening match against Alexander Shevchenko at the Chengdu Open.

The 39-year-old Frenchman, who had taken the first set, rolled his ankle late in the second and grew visibly emotional once it became clear he could not continue. After Shevchenko leveled the contest, Monfils retired at 7-6(3), 3-6, 0-1.

Watch the moment that led Monfils to retire: 

“I loved every second of the match, and I really didn’t want to end it like this,” said Shevchenko, who helped Monfils up after he fell. “He’s my childhood hero, I enjoy watching him so much and I wish him a fast recovery. He’s incredible, there are so many people looking up to him.”

Monfils won his 13th ATP Tour title in Auckland in January and backed it up with a fourth-round run at the Australian. But the World No. 52 has now slipped to five consecutive defeats and owns an 18-15 record in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

Carlos Alcaraz was riding high Monday in New York.

The Spaniard, fresh off claiming his sixth major trophy at the US Open, enjoyed a rooftop photoshoot in front of the Manhattan skyline to celebrate his second triumph at Flushing Meadows. 

The 22-year-old became one of only three men in the Open Era to claim six Slam titles before turning 23, joining Bjorn Borg and countryman Rafael Nadal. Alcaraz achieved the feat by defeating rival Jannik Sinner, against whom he owns a 10-5 Lexus ATP Head2Head advantage.

Fans dreamt of a final between Alcaraz and Sinner inside Arthur Ashe Stadium and that is what they got. This was the pair's third consecutive major final, after Alcaraz won Roland Garros and Sinner earned revenge at Wimbledon.

Photo Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Alcaraz was asked about his rivalry with Sinner on NBC's TODAY show, which he visited with US Open women's singles champion Aryna Sabalenka.