Action spy classic starring Tom Cruise
When a mission goes wrong, spy Ethan Hunt finds himself out on a limb and under suspicion.
When a mission goes wrong, spy Ethan Hunt finds himself out on a limb and under suspicion.
Joao Fonseca and Alexander Bublik were among those to use the ATP Challenger 175 level as a springboard to bigger stages in 2025. They were not the only stars to shine at the highest category of ATP Challenger tournaments. Borna Coric earned a memorable victory against Stan Wawrinka in a thrilling Aix-en-Provence final.
Fonseca, Bublik and Coric were three of the six Challenger 175 titlists of 2025. ATPTour.com recaps this past season’s champions at that level.
Fonseca enters Challenger record books in Phoenix
Fonseca stacked milestone accomplishments in his breakthrough season, including a historic title run at the Arizona Tennis Classic. The Brazilian became the second-youngest player from South America — behind Juan Martin del Potro — to win three ATP Challenger titles.
“Having a good run at this Challenger, a 175, but it could be like an ATP 250 by the ranking of the players, easily,” Fonseca said in Phoenix. “It was super, super hard.”
South American-born players to win three Challenger titles aged 18 and under:
| Player | Age |
| Juan Martin del Potro | 17 years, 10 months |
| Joao Fonseca | 18 years, six months |
| Guillermo Coria | 18 years, 10 months |
Andre Agassi made a special appearance at the Phoenix Challenger, where the former No. 1 performed the honourary coin toss ahead of Fonseca’s quarter-final match against Hugo Gaston. In the final, Fonseca defeated Alexander Bublik 7-6(5), 7-6(0).
Kovacevic wins biggest career crown
The same week Fonseca triumphed in Phoenix, American Aleksandar Kovacevic claimed his biggest career title at the Cap Cana Challenger in the Dominican Republic. Kovacevic, like Fonseca, defeated four Top 100 players en route to the title. The former University of Illinois standout raced past Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-3 in a 71-minute final at the Republica Dominicana Open, Copa Cap Cana Ciudad Destino.
“The conditions here are very, very difficult to be ready for,” a relieved Kovacevic said after winning the trophy. “In my quarter-final match, I was cramping at the end of the match and that could be the difference. If I cramped a little bit harder, I wouldn’t have been able to continue the match or I’d have had to retire probably.”
Coric downs Wawrinka in deciding-set tie-break to triumph in Aix-en-Provence
Fan favourites Borna Coric and Stan Wawrinka delivered a championship-match showdown at the Open Aix Provence Crédit Agricole. Coric, former No. 12 in the PIF ATP Rankings, outlasted the three-time major champion 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(4) after a hard-fought three-hour, 11-minute battle on the French clay.
Coric won three consecutive Challenger titles spanning from February to March, and then added to that count in Aix-en-Provence. The Croatian was one of six players to capture four Challenger titles in 2025.
BORN-A CHAMPION 💪@borna_coric reigns supreme at @OpenduPaysdAix, clinching a tour-leading 4th Challenger title of the season! #ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/GpDPt7dws4
— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) May 4, 2025
Michelsen wins first clay-court title with dominant week in Estoril
Alex Michelsen celebrated a milestone moment at the Millennium Estoril Open, where the American captured his first clay-court title. Michelsen did not drop a set all week and following his title run, he returned to his career-high No. 32.
“My mindset has gotten better on clay since last year. I was kind of dreading it, but now I’m enjoying it,” Michelsen said after defeating Italian Andrea Pellegrino 6-4, 6-4 in the final. “I got here super early because I lost in the first round in Madrid, so I probably had five, six days of preparation before I played, so I had really good preparation this week.”
Bublik builds momentum before surging on ATP Tour
Bublik produced his career-best season, claiming four tour-level titles and propelling to a career-high No. 11 in November. Before that surge in the second half of the year, Bublik was building momentum at Challenger tournaments, including in Phoenix, where he reached the final and then on clay in Turin, where the Kazakh won the Piemonte Open Intesa Sanpaolo.
“For me, it was just keeping my level to get back to where I belong where I stayed most of my career,” Bublik said after beating Buyunchaokete 6-3, 6-3 in the Turin final. “It’s just a little step towards what I really want to achieve.”
Mpetshi Perricard serves up home victory in Bordeaux
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard leaned on a standout serving performance to win on home soil at the BNP Paribas Primrose Bordeaux. The 6’10” Frenchman outlasted former No. 16 Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-5 after hammering 26 aces in the final, during which he also saved 11 of 12 break points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
Bublik and Mpetshi Perricard’s winning form was quickly put to test, as the two faced off in the opening round of the ATP 500 event in Hamburg just two days after they each were lifting trophies. Mpetshi Perricard won their Hamburg meeting to improve to 2-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Who is competing in the 2026 United Cup? In which group will their country be competing and where?
View below the full list of groups, countries and players for the mixed-teams event, which will be played across Perth and Sydney from 2-11 January.
PERTH
Group A
| United States | |
| Taylor Fritz Mackenzie McDonald Christian Harrison |
Coco Gauff |
| Spain | |
| Jaume Munar Carlos Taberner Inigo Cervantes |
Jessica Bouzas Maneiro Andrea Lazaro Garcia Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers |
| Argentina | |
| Sebastian Baez Marco Trungelliti Guido Andreozzi |
Solana Sierra Maria Lourdes Carle Nicole Fossa Huergo |
Group C
| Italy | |
| Flavio Cobolli Andrea Pellegrino Andrea Vavassori |
Jasmine Paolini Nuria Brancaccio Sara Errani |
| France | |
| Arthur Rinderknech Geoffrey Blancaneaux Edouard Roger-Vasselin |
Leolia Jeanjean Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah Elixane Lechemia |
| Switzerland | |
| Stan Wawrinka Jakub Paul Luca Castelnuovo |
Belinda Bencic Naima Karamoko |
Group E
| Great Britain | |
| Billy Harris Jan Choinski Neal Skupski |
Emma Raducanu |
| Greece | |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas Stefanos Sakellaridis Petros Tsitsipas |
Maria Sakkari Despina Papamichail Sapfo Sakellaridi |
| Japan | |
| Shintaro Mochizuki Yasutaka Uchiyama |
Naomi Osaka Nao Hibino |
SYDNEY
Group B
| Canada | |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime Alexis Galarneau Cleeve Harper |
Victoria Mboko |
| Belgium | |
| Zizou Bergs Kimmer Coppejans Sander Gille |
Elise Mertens Greet Minnen Lara Salden |
| China | |
| Zhang Zhizhen Te Rigele Wang Aoran |
Zhu Lin You Xiaodi |
Group D
| Australia | |
| Alex de Minaur Jason Kubler John-Patrick Smith |
Maya Joint |
| Czechia | |
| Jakub Mensik Dalibor Svrcina Adam Pavlasek |
Barbora Krejcikova Linda Fruhvirtova Miriam Skoch |
| Norway | |
| Casper Ruud Viktor Durasovic |
Malene Helgo Astrid Brune Olsen Ulrikke Eikeri |
Group F
| Germany | |
| Alexander Zverev Patrick Zahraj Kevin Krawietz |
Eva Lys |
| Poland | |
| Hubert Hurkacz Daniel Michalski Jan Zielinski |
Iga Swiatek Katarzyna Kawa Katarzyna Piter |
| Netherlands | |
| Tallon Griekspoor Guy Den Ouden David Pel |
Suzan Lamens |
United Cup action in Sydney does not begin until 3 January (2 January in Perth), but many of the biggest tennis stars in the world have been working hard at Sydney Olympic Park.
Alex de Minaur practised with fellow Sydneysider Aleksandar Vukic Tuesday with Team Australia’s United Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt watching on. De Minaur has long enjoyed success at the mixed-teams event, where he has defeated Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the past.
Another man he has beaten at the season-opening event is Alexander Zverev, who is also on site and revving up for his 2026 season.
<img alt=”Alexander Zverev practises Tuesday in Sydney ahead of the United Cup.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/30/09/27/zverev-united-cup-2026-practice-tuesday.jpg?w=100%25″ />
The two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion led Germany to United Cup glory in 2024 and will hope to do so again this year beginning with his country’s clash on Sunday against the Netherlands.
<img alt=”Victoria Mboko practises Tuesday in Sydney ahead of the United Cup.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/30/09/28/mboko-united-cup-2026-practice-tuesday.jpg” />
Victoria Mboko is playing in the United Cup for the first time, leading the way for Canada alongside Felix Auger-Aliassime.
<img alt=”Felix Auger-Aliassime practises Tuesday in Sydney ahead of the United Cup.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/30/09/30/auger-aliassime-united-cup-2026-practice-tuesday.jpg” />
Auger-Aliassime ended his 2025 season playing some of the best tennis of his career, competing in the Nitto ATP Finals for the second time. He is at a career-high No. 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
<img alt=”Casper Ruud practises Tuesday in Sydney ahead of the United Cup.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/30/09/29/ruud-united-cup-2026-practice-tuesday.jpg” />
Casper Ruud has flown the flag for Norway since the inception of the event and will look to make a quick start to his campaign. The 27-year-old’s first match of the year will come Monday against Czechia’s Jakub Mensik.
<img alt=”Hubert Hurkacz practises Tuesday in Sydney ahead of the United Cup.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/30/09/31/hurkacz-united-cup-2026-practice-tuesday.jpg” />
Hubert Hurkacz has been waiting since June to step on court for an ATP Tour match after struggling with a knee injury. The Polish former World No. 6 again partners Iga Swiatek at the United Cup after falling short in the championship match in two consecutive editions.
<img alt=”Maya Joint practises Tuesday in Sydney ahead of the United Cup.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/30/09/24/joint-united-cup-2026.jpg” />
Maya Joint will try to help carry home hopes inside Ken Rosewall Arena as Australia’s No. 1 WTA player. Joint trained with Mboko on Tuesday and will open her season Saturday against Norway’s Malene Helgo.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Aryna Sabalenka loses to Nick Kyrgios in a Battle of the Sexes-style match that lacked the intensity and entertainment promised in the build-up.
Watch the best moments between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios at the Battle of the Sexes in Dubai.
Will Carlos Alcaraz claim ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours for the third time next season?
The World No. 1 is fresh off a season in which he won a career-high eighth titles and earned 71 match wins according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
The Spaniard has been working hard in the leadup to the 2026 ATP Tour season. Clive Brunskill of Getty Images photographed a day of the 22-year-old’s training in Murcia on 24 December to provide fans a look into Alcaraz’s efforts on and off the court.
<img alt=”Carlos Alcaraz trains in Murcia in preparation for the 2026 season.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/28/18/04/alcaraz-24-december-training-volley.jpg?w=100%25″ />
Nearly two weeks ago the news broke that Alcaraz had split with longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero. The 22-year-old has been training under the watchful eye of Samuel Lopez, who formally joined his team ahead of last season.
<img alt=”Carlos Alcaraz trains in Murcia in preparation for the 2026 season.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/28/18/05/alcaraz-24-december-training-lopez.jpg” />
Alcaraz is an Australian Open triumph from completing the Career Grand Slam. The six-time major champion has emerged victorious twice at each of the other three Slam tournaments: Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. He is also an eight-time ATP Masters 1000 titlist.
<img alt=”Carlos Alcaraz trains in Murcia in preparation for the 2026 season.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/12/28/18/03/alcaraz-24-december-training-lift.jpg” />
Alcaraz is next scheduled to compete in Melbourne at the Australian Open. Earlier this year, he made the quarter-finals at the event before falling to 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Aryna Sabalenka hits an ‘amazing’ return against Nick Kyrgios at the Battle of the Sexes in Dubai.
BBC Sport looks at the key questions going into the divisive Battle of the Sexes-style match between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios on Sunday.
When Aryna Sabalenka faces Nick Kyrgios, it will be under the banner of the Battle of the Sexes – but the stakes will not be as high as those that faced Billie Jean King 52 years ago.