Tennis News

Landaluce paints path to Jeddah with Orleans Challenger triumph

Spaniard Martin Landaluce boosted his chances of qualifying for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF on Sunday when he won the ATP Challenger Tour 125 event in Orleans, France.

The 19-year-old, up three places to fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, downed top seed Raphael Collignon 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3 in the Co’met Orleans Open final.

Landaluce lifted his second Challenger trophy, but this one was a work of art — literally. The Orleans Challenger was celebrating its 20th anniversary, and true to tradition, every champion receives a painting commissioned from a local artist. Landaluce’s prize was a vibrant red painting, depicting a pyramid of 20 tennis balls, symbolising the tournament’s 20 editions. It was painted by Natacha Toutain.

A champ and his trophy 🏆 #ATPChallenger | @RFETenis pic.twitter.com/D5WSmhZ1sf

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) September 28, 2025

“I don’t have much art at home, so I have plenty of space!” Landaluce said with a smile. “I think it’s beautiful, it’s very bright. I think I’m going to put it in the gym, because that’s where I work and where I push, and this trophy is thanks to that.

“I said yesterday that I wanted to bring the trophy back home, and that’s what I did. It’s amazing. This is a very beautiful tournament and it’s an honour to win this tournament.”

A former junior No. 1, Landaluce won the US Open boys’ singles event in 2022. He captured his maiden Challenger title last October in Olbia and is now aiming for his maiden trip to the 20-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. The event will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 17-21 December.

The Madrid native is closing on his Top 100 debut, currently sitting at No. 111 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

“It will happen if I still play this game, keep pushing and working day by day,” Landaluce said of his Top 100 potential. “I’m not thinking about a goal, because if I reach it, I’m going to have more goals. I’m going to be very close to it and it will be more pressure than a good thing, so I’m just thinking to play my best and play my game. My goal is to be my best version.”

Spizzirri closing in on Top 100 after Jingshan title
American Eliot Spizzirri is also approaching his Top 100 debut following his latest triumph. The 23-year-old, a former University of Texas standout who finished back-to-back seasons as the No. 1 player in the ITA singles rankings (2023, 2024), won the Jingshan Open, where he ousted Australian Alex Bolt 6-4, 6-4 in the final. Spizzirri, a two–time Challenger champion, is No. 105 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

^{Eliot Spizzirri in action at the Jingshan Challenger. Credit: Jingshan Open}

Shelbayh secures second title, first in two years
Abdullah Shelbayh returned to the winner’s circle for the first time since September 2023 by winning the Las Vegas Tennis Open. The lefty downed American Alex Rybakov 6-2, 6-4 in the championship match. Two years ago, Shelbayh made history by becoming the first player from Jordan to win an ATP Challenger Tour title.

Gaubas downs home favourite Rocha in Lisbon final
Lithuanian Vilius Gaubas won a hard-fought, three-hour, three-minute final at the Del Monte Lisboa Belém Open to claim his third Challenger crown. The 20-year-old rallied past home hope Henrique Rocha 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4 in the final. Gaubas, World No. 165, is the highest-ranked Lithuanian in the PIF ATP Rankings.

^{Vilius Gaubas celebrates winning the Lisbon Challenger. Credit: Álvaro Isidoro/FPT}

Burruchaga defeats five countrymen en route to Buenos Aires title
Roman Andres Burruchaga capped a memorable week on home soil at the Buenos Aires Challenger, where the 23-year-old did not drop a set all tournament en route to his second trophy at that level. Burruchaga defeated five fellow Argentines, including in the final, which he won 7-6(4) 6-3 against Alex Barrena.

^{Roman Andres Burruchaga triumphs on home soil in Buenos Aires. Credit: Buenos Aires Challenger}

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Tennis season too long and too intense – Swiatek

Six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek says she might have to miss mandatory tournaments to protect her health following a string of injuries among players at the China Open.

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Raducanu fails to take match points in Pegula defeat

Emma Raducanu again fails to take three match points as she is beaten by Jessica Pegula in a hard-fought last-32 match at the China Open.

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Alcaraz, tested by movement concerns & Ruud, sets Tokyo final vs. Fritz

Carlos Alcaraz faced perhaps the sternest examination of his debut run at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships on Monday, but he emerged with flying colours to book his spot in the final.

The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings overcame a resilient Casper Ruud and his own fitness concerns to secure a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory at the ATP 500 event. Alcaraz, who displayed limited movement at times during the opening set, eventually rediscovered his sharpness to set up a title showdown with former Tokyo champion Taylor Fritz.

“I had a lot of chances in the first set,” said Alcaraz. “I had four break points if I’m not wrong. It’s just about details, so I just tried to be more positive than the first set. I was a little bit mad with myself, so I just tried to play with joy again, putting a lot of positive thoughts in my mind.”

With his two-hour, eight-minute victory, Alcaraz notched his personal-best 66th win in a season. On Tuesday, the 22-year-old Spaniard will seek revenge against Fritz, who defeated him at the Laver Cup last week.

“I know he’s playing great tennis lately,” Alcaraz said of Fritz, who also defeated Alexander Zverev in San Francisco. “Since the Laver Cup against me, against Zverev, and here in this tournament, he’s feeling great and really comfortable on the court. Everything is different since San Francisco… But it’s another challenge for me and I’m looking forward to it.”

Since tweaking his left ankle in his Tokyo opener against Sebastian Baez, Alcaraz had downplayed concerns and proved it with assertive wins. Yet against Ruud, who tested him relentlessly with heavy topspin and court-stretching angles, the Spaniard’s discomfort was more apparent.

Facing break point in the seventh game, Ruud attacked with a deep approach into Alcaraz’s backhand corner. Though he got the ball back at his opponent’s feet, Alcaraz hesitated when stretching for that ball and chasing the ensuing drop volley — a moment of vulnerability that underscored his struggles in the first set.

Watch Alcaraz struggle to deal with Ruud on break point:

Alcaraz’s aggressive, risk-heavy tactics in the first set yielded 15 unforced errors, but he recalibrated in the second, finding consistency on serve: He dropped just four of 24 points behind his delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to overwhelm Ruud and level the match.

From there, Alcaraz carried that momentum into the deciding set, where he showcased his freedom of movement and fearless shotmaking, silencing any injury doubts. To overcome Fritz in the final, however, the Spaniard will need another commanding serving performance against one of the Tour’s most formidable servers.

Despite defeat, Ruud has risen two spots to 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin as the former finalist seeks to return to the Nitto ATP Finals.

Earlier on Monday, Fritz powered his way into the final by serving his way past countryman Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-3. Though outplayed at times from the baseline, Fritz compensated for 13 aces to secure his first hard-court final of 2025 and climb to fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.

“Honestly, just by botting,” Fritz said when asked how he was able to triumph. “I served insanely well: High percentage first serves and spots too. It felt like any game that I didn’t hit three aces, he was really outplaying me from the baseline. I was able to hang in on my serve, and then capitalise on that scoreboard pressure. My serve got me through it.”

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2025 Shanghai tennis prize money

The Rolex Shanghai Masters in Shanghai, China, which this year runs 1-12 October, has announced a prize money total of US $9,193,540 for the 2025 edition.

The singles champion will earn US $1,124,380, and the winning doubles team will split US $457,150. View the full prize-money breakdown and the PIF ATP Rankings points at stake below.

2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters Singles Prize Money

2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters Doubles Prize Money

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Djokovic in Sinner's half at Rolex Shanghai Masters

Novak Djokovic is on a semi-final collision course with World No. 2 and defending champion Jannik Sinner following the release of the Rolex Shanghai Masters draw Monday.

Djokovic, who fell to the Italian in the semi-finals of Roland Garros and Wimbledon this season, returns to competition for the first time since losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open semi-finals.

View Draw

The fourth-seeded Serbian and four-time Shanghai champion will play the winner of Frenchman Corentin Moutet and Marin Cilic in his opening match. He is seeded to meet Frances Tiafoe in the third round, Andrey Rublev in the fourth round and Ben Shelton or Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals.

Djokovic, No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings, is 31-11 on the year according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss index after reaching all four Grand Slam semi-finals this season. 

Sinner, who leads Djokovic 6-4 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series and beat the 40-time ATP Masters 1000 champion in last year’s Shanghai final, opens against German Daniel Altmaier or a qualifier. The former No. 1 is seeded to meet Tallon Griekspoor in the third round, Alexander Bublik in the fourth round and Taylor Fritz or Holger Rune in the quarter-finals.

In the top half, World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is seeded to meet Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals. But first he will focus on an opening match against American teen Learner Tien and Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic. He is seeded to meet Cameron Norrie in the third round, Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round and Alex de Minaur or Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals.

Zverev leads the second quarter of the draw and opens against a qualifier or Argentine Mariano Navone.

Main draw action begins Wednesday. The final is scheduled for Sunday, 12 October.

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