Sinner battles cramp to claim Vienna Open title
World number two Jannik Sinner battles cramp to stage a 3-6 6-3 7-5 comeback against Alexander Zverev and claim the Vienna Open title.
World number two Jannik Sinner battles cramp to stage a 3-6 6-3 7-5 comeback against Alexander Zverev and claim the Vienna Open title.
The 2025 Rolex Paris Masters begins Monday, when former champion Karen Khachanov, Grigor Dimitrov and Arthur Rinderknech will be among the stars in action.
Khachanov faces qualifier Ethan Quinn in the final match on centre court, while 2023 finalist Dimitrov opens the night session against home favourite Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. It is the first edition of the indoor hard-court ATP Masters 1000 event in its new home, La Défense Arena.
View Monday’s full schedule below…
ORDER OF PLAY – MONDAY, 27 OCTOBER 2025
Court Central – start 11:00 AM
Luciano Darderi (ITA) vs [WC] Arthur Cazaux (FRA)
Fabian Marozsan (HUN) vs [WC] Arthur Rinderknech (FRA)
[Q] Jacob Fearnley (GBR) vs [12] Andrey Rublev
Not Before 7:00 PM
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (FRA) vs Grigor Dimitrov (BUL)
[10] Karen Khachanov vs [Q] Ethan Quinn (USA)
Court 1 – start 11:00 AM
Flavio Cobolli (ITA) vs Tomas Machac (CZE)
Cameron Norrie (GBR) vs Sebastian Baez (ARG)
[Q] Aleksandar Vukic (AUS) vs [WC] Terence Atmane (FRA)
Not Before 3:30 PM
Alexei Popyrin (AUS) vs [13] Alexander Bublik (KAZ)
Alexandre Muller (FRA) vs Brandon Nakashima (USA)
Court 2 – start 11:00 AM
Daniel Altmaier (GER) vs Marcos Giron (USA)
Learner Tien (USA) vs Nuno Borges (POR)
Francisco Cerundolo (ARG) vs [Q] Damir Dzumhur (BIH)
Alex Michelsen (USA) vs Zizou Bergs (BEL)
Guido Andreozzi (ARG) / Manuel Guinard (FRA) vs Alexander Erler (AUT) / Robert Galloway (USA)
Court 3 – start 1:00 PM
Austin Krajicek (USA) / Nikola Mektic (CRO) vs Sander Arends (NED) / Luke Johnson (GBR)
[LL] Aleksandar Kovacevic (USA) vs Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB)
Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) vs [Q] Sebastian Korda (USA)
Joao Fonseca dedicated his Swiss Indoors Basel trophy to his mother on Sunday, praising her influence in his post-match speech. The #NextGenATP Brazilian defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the title match to become the third-youngest ATP 500 champion in series history (since 2009).
“Since I was young, my mum travelled with me. Since I was 11, I only travelled with her, so that title is for her,” Fonseca said after his 86-minute win.
Fonseca triumphed at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF last December with his parents courtside. His mother and father were not in Basel throughout his run to the final. However, after the 19-year-old overcame Jaume Munar, they made a last-minute switch of flights to ensure they were in attendance during Sunday’s championship match.
“My parents just came from Brazil. They were coming to Paris and changed their flights and came here one hour before the match with my uncles,” Fonseca said. “It is just amazing to have them here for the biggest title of my career.”
Fonseca jumped into his box and embraced his parents, uncles and coach after clinching his second tour-level title in Basel. The Brazilian will rise to a career-high No. 28 in the PIF ATP Rankings and is now 25-15 on the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
Watch Fonseca celebrate with his parents:
Joao Fonseca continued his impressive rise on Sunday at the Swiss Indoors Basel, where he won his second tour-level title and first at ATP 500 level to inflict more final heartbreak on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
The 19-year-old played fearlessly in the biggest match of his life to earn a 6-3, 6-4 victory in Basel against Davidovich Fokina, who holds a 0-5 record in tour-level finals.
Fonseca is the first Brazilian to win a title above ATP 250 level since Gustavo Kuerten clinched the ATP Masters 1000 crown in Cincinnati in 2001, while he is the third-youngest player to win an ATP 500 title since the series began in 2009.
“It is crazy. I want to thank my family and my coaches who helped me achieve this amazing effort,” Fonseca said. “My parents just came from Brazil. They were coming to Paris and changed their flights and came here one hour before the match with my uncles. It is just amazing to have them here for the biggest title of my career. It is a pleasure playing this sport and this tournament and I am very happy.”
Fonseca’s victory in Switzerland marks the latest breakthrough moment in his flourishing early career. The 19-year-old won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF title in Jeddah last December and then captured his first Top 10 win at the Australian Open, where he beat Andrey Rublev.
Title success followed at the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires, where he became the youngest South American champion in the ATP Tour Era (since 1990). Fonseca will climb to a career-high No. 28 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday following his latest triumph, having started the year at No. 145.
“They were the ones that believed in me,” Fonseca said when asked about his parents. “I was thinking about going to university and they said it was my choice and they would be there to support me. I just want to thank them. Since I was young, my mum travelled with me. Since I was 11, I only travelled with her, so that title is for her.”
HISTORY IN BASEL 🏆
Joao Fonseca becomes the youngest champion since ’89 with the biggest win of his career 🔥#SwissIndoorsBasel pic.twitter.com/MktBSkjO9O
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 26, 2025
In a high-quality performance, Fonseca clubbed 15 winners in the first set, rushing Davidovich Fokina, who struggled to cope with the Brazilian’s power. The 19-year-old stood close to the baseline to dictate and converted on his fourth set point to lead. Fonseca continued to pile on the pressure in the second set and closed out on serve after failing to convert a championship point on return at 5-3. The 19-year-old leads the Spaniard 2-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series following his 86-minute victory.
Fonseca achieved a performance rating of 8.91, which combines In Attack, Conversion, Steal and Shot Quality to show overall performance level. The #NextGenATP star struck 28 winners to 19 unforced errors and struck his forehand at an average of 81 mph, six mph faster than Davidovich Fokina. Fonseca is 25-15 on the year, according to Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
Davidovich Fokina has now lost four finals in 2025 and five overall. He squandered two championship points against Miomir Kecmanovic in Delray Beach and then three against Alex de Minaur in Washington. The 26-year-old also fell in the title match in Acapulco to Tomas Machac.
Despite his latest heartbreak, the Spaniard is up to No. 15 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and will rise to a career-high on Monday.
Did You Know?
Fonseca is the second-youngest champion in tournament history after Jim Courier, 19, in 1989.
Jannik Sinner cut through cramp to reassert his indoor dominance Sunday at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.
The top seed at the ATP 500 rallied past Alexander Zverev 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to recapture the title at an event where he previously triumphed in 2023. Sinner dug deep to overcome an impressive start from Zverev and also shook off physical struggles in the first and third sets to cap a two-hour, 29-minute victory and seal his 21st tour-level crown.
Vienna Virtuoso 🎻🏆@janniksin defeats Zverev 3-6 6-3 7-5 to claim his second @ErsteBankOpen crown.#ErsteBankOpen pic.twitter.com/AJEtZ74M7l
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 26, 2025
“It feels amazing,” said Sinner, who is now on a 21-match winning streak on indoor hard courts. “It was such a difficult start in this final for me. I went a break down, had some chances in the first set but couldn’t use them. He was serving very well, but I just tried to stick there mentally and play my best tennis when it came.
“The third set was a bit of a rollercoaster, but I was feeling the ball very well at times, so I tried to push and I’m very happy of course to win another title. It’s very special.”
Zverev struck the ball cleanly off both wings in the early stages and had already earned the opening break in the fourth game when Sinner began to move gingerly and limp in between points, evoking memories of the Italian’s retirement due to cramp in Shanghai earlier this month. Zverev, himself a former champion in Vienna (2021), closed out the set, but the World No. 2 Sinner appeared to have soon shaken off his physical issue with a classy second-set display.
However, the Italian then seemingly began to struggle with cramp in his left hamstring during the seventh game of the third set, just as his eighth tour-level meeting with Zverev reached its crescendo. Yet via a combination of drinking pickle juice at changeovers and upping the aggression in his game to shorten the rallies, Sinner continued to pile the pressure on his opponent.
Watch Zverev find fortune, to Sinner’s amusement, in Vienna final third set:
The Italian clinched a decisive break for 6-5 in the third set after winning a lung-busting baseline exchange when Zverev pushed a backhand long. He soon served out to clinch his fourth title of the season, level his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Zverev at 4-4, and join Roger Federer and Andy Murray as ATP No. 1 Club members to have triumphed twice in Vienna.
“It was very difficult of course,” said Sinner of his third-set physical struggle. “The most important thing was to not give up and try to stay there. Try to see what the situation was. I just tried to make the right choices at the right time. I think that was the key today. Serving well and saving energy in my service games was important too.”
Sinner produced some scintillating tennis across his run in Austria, where he did not drop a set prior to the final. Now 48-6 for the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, the 24-year-old will be full of confidence as he prepares to end his 2025 season at the Rolex Paris Masters and the Nitto ATP Finals.
Zverev, who on Friday joined Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic in qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals, was chasing his first win against a Top 5 rival in 2025. The German will now head to Paris third in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, having leapfrogged Djokovic with his Vienna run.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Three-time ATP Tour singles champion Arthur Fils has added a new title to his resume: Public Investment Fund (PIF) tennis ambassador.
Both parties announced Sunday the 21-year-old Frenchman’s new role in supporting PIF’s mission to elevate the sport by expanding access, creating new opportunities and driving sustainable growth at every level.
“Being a PIF ambassador motivates me because I am now part of the bigger vision to grow the sport,” said Fils, who competed last season at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. “It challenges me to perform on court but also in being a role model for the next generation.”
Having reached a career-high PIF ATP Ranking of No. 14 in April, Fils has fast become a fans’ favourite for his electric tennis and expressive personality both on and off the court. Currently ranked World No. 30, he is one of just two players aged 21 or younger in the Top 30.
“I’m very happy to represent the next generation,” Fils added. “It’s a big honour for me and if some kids are dreaming to be like me, it just means that I made great work.”
The ATP and PIF unveiled a multi-year strategic partnership in 2024, signifying a shared commitment to enhance global tennis. The ATP partnership forms part of PIF’s broader sponsorship platform, investing in people, projects and partnerships with an emphasis on the brand’s four pillars: inclusivity, sustainability, youth and technology.
“PIF is opening doors for players at every level, creating a chance for the next generation, and pushing the game forward,” said Fils. “I’m proud to join the PIF family and can’t wait to see what the future holds for the sport I love.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]When it came to the next big move in the future of the Erste Bank Open, the team behind the ATP 500 dug deep into Vienna’s past.
An indoor hard-court event uniquely held across two venues, the Erste Bank Open this year featured a new tournament site: the historic Marx-Halle, a structure which served as the main cattle market of the Austrian capital for 120 years before being repurposed as an events venue.
This past 10 days, the Marx-Halle has hosted qualifying and main-draw matches for both singles and doubles at the Erste Bank Open. For tournament director Herwig Straka, the new venue has been a high-quality addition that perfectly complements the event’s longtime Centre Court venue, the Wiener Stadthalle, where Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev will clash on Sunday in a blockbuster championship match.
“We found Marx-Halle and we knew it was a brilliant location because it has enough space,” Straka told ATPTour.com when asked about his tournament’s motivations for a new second site. “It’s the same conditions as the Stadthalle and we can do what we always try to do: To expand, run activities for kids and families. Then we translated it to the idea of fans [being able to purchase] a ground ticket.”
For the previous four editions of the Erste Bank Open, the tournament’s second site was a temporary structure on the Heumarkt, a square in Vienna’s city centre. Straka says the move to the Marx-Halle was motivated by a clear set of goals, and the feedback he has received across the tournament suggests he and his team have achieved them.
“[The clearest improvement] is the number of courts,” said Straka of the Marx-Halle, which features two match courts and one practice court and can host up to 25,000 fans. “The option to run a wheelchair event now at a professional level. Maybe additional events in the future we could add. It is space, and real indoor playing conditions. That is the main difference and improvement [from the Heumarkt].”
<img alt=”Jannik Sinner” style=”width: 100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/10/26/13/50/sinner-vienna-2025-practice.jpg” />
Top seed Jannik Sinner during practice at the Marx-Halle during the 2025 Erste Bank Open. Photo Credit: e-motion/Stefan Strasser
The No. 16 in the PIF ATP Rankings Alexander Bublik, as well as other Top 40 stars Francisco Cerundolo, Flavio Cobolli, Tomas Machac, Alex Michelsen and Corentin Moutet are among those to have contested singles matches at the Marx-Halle this past week. It has also functioned as the main practice facility for all the players competing at the stacked ATP 500.
“We wanted to improve the quality for the players [with our new venue],” said Straka. “It feels one to one exactly like it does in the Stadthalle. We’ve had brilliant feedback. All the players, Jannik, Sascha, have practised there. It’s that kind of feeling we wanted to create, and we were successful.”
As well as ensuring players are catered for, Straka’s other primary concern when planning the Marx-Halle venue was for visiting fans. He cites the more ‘personal’, up-close experience available to tennis lovers as an obvious plus point.
“The fans can get very close to top players and inhale and feel much more than you could do at a main centre court,” said Straka. “The energy of the players and their game, even in practice. There are a lot of tennis fans there who play themselves actively, so for them watching Jannik practise, for example, is a big experience.
“I was very proud of the tennis in the city concept [from previous years], but at some stage you need to be ready for the next step and to improve. This is the next step.”
Fans enjoy a close-up view of the practice courts at the Marx-Halle. Photo Credit: e-motion/Stefan Strasser
Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool returned to the winner’s circle on Sunday at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, where they captured their first title since early August.
The British stars overcame Francisco Cabral and Lucas Miedler 6-1, 7-6(6) in the final of the indoor hard-court ATP 500 event. Facing a lively Austrian crowd eager to support Miedler — who captured the Vienna title with Alexander Erler in 2022 and 2024 — Cash and Glasspool held their nerve to secure a 70-minute victory.
Best in the business 🏆@cash_julian and Lloyd Glasspool defeat Cabral and Miedler 6-1 7-6(6) to secure their eighth ATP Tour crown together.@ErsteBankOpen | #ErsteBankOpen pic.twitter.com/oIyKhcwwxl
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 26, 2025
“We knew it was never going to be easy. I actually watched Erler/Miedler play the final here last year, so I knew what the stadium was going to be like,” said Cash. “We had a lot of fun out there, really great to play in an atmosphere and great to get across the line.”
Cash and Glasspool saw their imposing 22-match winning streak come to an end in the Cincinnati semi-finals, but they bounced back in style in Vienna to win their seventh title of the season. They are first in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, having already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin next month.
“We had a really hot season, then injuries here and there, so it’s great to keep the winning going throughout the year, showing why we are the top team in the world,” said Glasspool.
Highlighted by their Wimbledon triumph, Cash and Glasspool boast a 55-14 record in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. They next head to the Rolex Paris Masters, where Glasspool reached last year’s final with Adam Pavlasek.
Granollers/Zeballos triumph in Basel
Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos capped their perfect week at the Swiss Indoors Basel on Sunday by winning their fifth tour-level title of the season.
The top seeds downed Pavlasek and Jan Zielinski 6-2, 7-5 in the championship match, which was the first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between the two teams. In their first outing since winning the US Open last month, Granollers and Zeballos did not drop a set en route to the title in Basel.
<img alt=”Horacio Zeballos, Marcel Granollers” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/10/26/16/52/granollers-zeballos-basel-2025-title.jpg?w=100%25″ />Horacio Zeballos and Marcel Granollers triumph in Basel. Photo: Swiss Indoors Basel
With their victory, they jumped up to second in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, strengthening their push to claim ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours for the first time in their careers. They are now within 920 points of Cash and Glasspool.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Belinda Bencic claims her second WTA title since becoming a mother by beating Linda Noskova in straight sets in the Pan Pacific Open final.
Lorenzo Musetti’s Vienna run ended in the semi-finals on Saturday against Alexander Zverev, but the Italian’s showing still leaves him in a strong position to qualify for his Nitto ATP Finals debut. Musetti increased his lead in eighth place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin to 440 points ahead of Felix Auger-Aliassime and could seal his place in the season finale with a strong week at the Rolex Paris Masters.
With Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Zverev and Novak Djokovic already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, four spots are still up for grabs in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Alex de Minaur and Musetti currently occupy those positions, with Auger-Aliassime, Casper Ruud and Daniil Medvedev leading the chasing pack. Players have two more weeks to rack up points, with a pair of ATP 250s in Athens and Metz to follow Paris.
Musetti is bidding to join defending champion Sinner on home soil in Turin. In addition to the personal history of his Nitto ATP Finals debut, Musetti would also make Italian history if he can qualify: Never before have two Italian singles players qualified for the season finale in the same year. In 2021, Matteo Berrettini qualified, then withdrew after one match due to an injury. Sinner, an alternate, replaced him.
In Paris, Musetti will open his campaign against countryman Lorenzo Sonego or a qualifier. He could face Medvedev in the third round.
PIF ATP Live Race To Turin (entering Paris)
| Player | Points |
| 5) Taylor Fritz | 3,885 |
| 6) Ben Shelton | 3,770 |
| 7) Alex de Minaur | 3,745 |
| 8) Lorenzo Musetti | 3,685 |
| 9) Felix Auger-Aliassime | 3,245 |
| 10) Jack Draper | 2,990 |
| 11) Casper Ruud | 2,835 |
| 12) Daniil Medvedev | 2,610 |
*Draper is not competing the rest of the season due to injury
Shelton, also seeking his Turin debut, will face Flavio Cobolli or Tomas Machac in his opening match, with Andrey Rublev a potential third-round opponent. Fritz, a Turin semi-finalist in 2022 and finalist in 2024, seeks his third Nitto ATP Finals appearance. If both qualify, it would mark the first time two Americans qualify for the year-end event since Andy Roddick and James Blake both competed in 2006.
De Minaur is hoping to return to Turin for the second consecutive season. Like Musetti, the Aussie bolstered his position in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin with a semi-final showing this week. Sinner ended his run in Vienna on Saturday.
Fritz and De Minaur could meet in a pivotal quarter-final in the top half of the draw, with both players pushing for qualification. They have split 10 previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings.
With 1,000 PIF ATP Ranking points on offer in Paris, Auger-Aliassime and Ruud could both move into the top eight with the title. Medvedev, the 2020 champion at the season finale, would need further points in Athens or Metz to find a way into the top eight and extend his streak of consecutive Nitto ATP Finals to seven.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, currently on 2,585 points, could pass Medvedev for 12th by beating Joao Fonseca in Sunday’s Basel final. That would put the Spaniard on 2,755 points, 990 points behind Musetti.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]