Tennis News

De Minaur braces for Hurkacz test in United Cup QF

Will Alex de Minaur be the next player caught in Hubert Hurkacz’s United Cup serving barrage when the pair meets in Sydney on Friday?

The 28-year-old Pole has made an emphatic return from a seven-month injury layoff, firing 21 aces in each of his two-set wins over World No. 3 Alexander Zverev and Tallon Griekspoor. Backed by teammate Iga Swiatek — who has also won both of her singles matches — Team Poland, two-time defending runner-up, has surged into its third straight quarter-final.

Standing in their way is home favourite Team Australia, spearheaded by De Minaur and 19-year-old rising star Maya Joint. The tie gets underway with the women’s singles at 5:30 p.m. local time.

De Minaur can draw confidence from his 2-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head edge over Hurkacz, including a win in their most recent meeting at Indian Wells last year. Since then, Hurkacz has undergone knee surgery and is competing as the No. 85 in the PIF ATP Rankings, but his performances in Sydney have underlined why he is a former Top 10 player.

After reaching the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals in November, De Minaur opened his 2026 campaign with a straight-sets loss to Casper Ruud. He quickly rebounded against Czechia, however, pulling double duty to propel Australia into the quarter-finals. Hurkacz is well aware of the challenge ahead.

“Alex has been very successful in the past years,” Hurkacz said of De Minaur, who is at a career-high World No. 6. “He’s really quick, moves around the court incredibly well. It’s going to be a good challenge, especially with the Aussie crowd. It’s going to be a lot of fun, and I’m excited for the match.”

Ace machine 😮‍💨

Of course Hubi gets our @Nexo #serveoftheday!#nexo pic.twitter.com/8tQYNUTm1d

— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) January 7, 2026

Swiatek needed just 66 minutes to dispatch Joint in their only previous meeting in Seoul last September, but the six-time major champion is not taking anything for granted. While the Australian teenager will enjoy strong home support, Swiatek may have won over a few local fans with her glowing assessment of Sydney following her three-set win against Eva Lys on Monday.

“I love being here,” Swiatek said. “I could honestly live here — I love Sydney. I wasn’t sure, but I think it’s becoming my favourite city in the whole world. I really have fun here.”

If the singles matches are split, the tie will be decided by a mixed doubles rubber.

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Mmoh summons deja-vu in Khachanov upset, Bublik wins in Hong Kong

Michael Mmoh continued his statement start to 2026 on Thursday at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open, where he upset familiar foe Karen Khachanov 7-6(2), 7-6(4) to reach the quarter-finals.

The American qualifier notched just two wins on the ATP Tour in 2025, but with his straight-sets victory over the fourth-seeded Khachanov, he has already matched that number in the first week of the new season. It marked Mmoh’s first win over a Top 20 opponent since 2023, when he also moved past Khachanov at the US Open.

Moving on! 💪

Michael Mmoh takes out Khachanov 7-6 7-6 to advance in Hong Kong.#BOCHKTO2026 pic.twitter.com/0vdC3atkEk

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 8, 2026

“Funnily enough, my first ITF junior win was against Karen Khachanov, so we’ve been battling from the age of 14,” said Mmoh, who now leads World No. 17 Khachanov 2-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. “He’s a great guy who’s had an unbelievable career, so just to share the court with him, I knew I needed to play at the highest level possible.”

Mmoh, the No. 285 in the PIF ATP Rankings, failed to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set, but regrouped in a tidy tie-break to advance to his seventh ATP Tour quarter-final. The 27-year-old will next face countryman Marcos Giron, who earlier upset seventh seed and defending champion Alexandre Muller 6-4, 7-6(4).

Earlier, Chinese lefty Shang Juncheng became the first player to reach all three Hong Kong quarter-finals since the ATP 250 returned in 2024. The 20-year-old hit 24 winners in his 6-3, 6-4 victory over fifth seed Lorenzo Sonego.

Shang, who missed six months of the 2025 season due to a foot injury, will next face second seed Alexander Bublik, who opened his 2026 with a laser-focused 6-3, 6-3 win over Botic van de Zandschulp.

Bublik finished 2025 with a 30-9 record since Roland Garros, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, highlighted by titles in Halle, Gstaad and Kitzbuehel. Now at a career-high World No. 11, the Kazakhstani doesn’t seem to want to let that form slip as he starts his 2026 quest.

“We tried many things before arriving here,” Bublik said of his preseason. “You never know what’s going to happen [in the first match]. We chose a tactic, we stuck to it, and I played well, so I’m really happy with the way I performed.”

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Bergs battles past Mensik, Mertens sends Belgium to United Cup SFs

Belgium advanced to the United Cup semi-finals for the first time on Thursday after Zizou Bergs and Elise Mertens recorded singles victories over their Czech opponents to secure an unassailable 2-0 lead.

Belgium will face Switzerland in the semi-finals, while the United States will meet the winner of the Friday quarter-final between Australia and Poland.

After earning the biggest win of his career against Felix Auger-Aliassime in group play, Bergs beat Jakub Mensik 6-2, 7-6(4). The Belgian entered the event with a 2-16 mark against Top-20 opponents, but has now won two in a row after defeating Mensik in one hour and 40 minutes.

The 26-year-old was unable to serve out the match with two opportunities to do so, but was ultimately able to cross the finish line.

“First of all, I didn’t even know I was 5-4 up and then I got broken and I was 5-5,” Bergs said. “And then I break back and you just want to finish, you’re so close, you’re playing big points. I got tight, I go backwards, I play defensive. so it was a very big struggle in the end. I’m so happy for myself and the team.”

Towards the end of the match, Bergs began playing more conservatively as the pressure to claim victory mounted. Suddenly balls he had been striking with authority, he was pulling off of, allowing the Czech to impose his own will.

Mensik benefitted from a ball that hit the net and barely bounced over to earn his first service break of the match and remain alive. He then claimed another break at 5-6 with a big backhand up the line, but was unable to force a decider.

Mertens faced a tough test against two-time major singles champion Barbora Krejcikova. But after exchanging early breaks in the third, both players held serve until Mertens struck in the 11th game and held to close out a 5-7, 6-1, 7-5 victory in two hours, 33 minutes.

“I had to adjust my game in the second set,” Mertens said in an on-court interview. “I needed to play a little more aggressively, and I’m happy I was able to do that. Being up 1-0, I could play freely because of Zizou, and we’re so happy to be in the semi-finals.”

Mertens and Krejcikova, both former WTA World No. 1 doubles players, played a tight opening set in which the Czech broke serve for the first time in the 11th game before serving out the set 7-5. The 30-year-old Belgian, ranked No. 19, responded strongly in the second set, breaking twice to claim it 6-1 and force a deciding set.

Mertens’ serve proved decisive — she fired 12 aces and committed just three double faults, while Krejcikova finished with six aces and 10 double faults. Mertens converted 80 per cent of her break-point opportunities compared with 20 per cent for the Czech.

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Collignon upsets idol Dimitrov in Brisbane: 'It was an honour to play Grigor'

Belgian qualifier Raphael Collignon ended Grigor Dimitrov’s continued comeback at the Brisbane International presented by ANZ on Thursday when he upset the two-time champion 7-6(1), 6-3.

Dimitrov suffered a pectoral injury at Wimbledon and returned three matches later at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Paris, earning a win against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in late October. However, his comeback was brief, with the 34-year-old withdrawing ahead of his second-round match.

Competing again this week, Dimitrov defeated Pablo Carreno Busta in his first match in Brisbane but was unable to make inroads on the Collignon serve in their one-hour, 49-minute clash. The 23-year-old saved all three break points he faced and won 82 per cent (36/44) of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to triumphing. Collignon is up 13 spots to No. 71 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and is set to rise to a career high on Monday.

“It was an honour for me to play against Grigor,” Collignon said. “I was watching him as a kid when at home and now I am playing against him, so it was a great pleasure to play against a great champion in Grigor and I am very happy with the way I played.”

Into his second tour-level quarter-final, Collignon will next meet Brandon Nakashima. The American downed Frenchman Quentin Halys 6-2, 6-4 to advance to his second quarter-final on Australian soil.

In other action, Mpetshi Perricard backed up his upset win against fourth seed Tommy Paul with a hard-fought 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4) victory against Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata. The big-serving Frenchman, who struck 53 winners against Hijikata, has fond memories at the ATP 250 event in Brisbane, having advanced to the semi-finals last season. Aiming to match that record this week, Mpetshi Perricard will next face Aleksandar Kovacevic.

Kovacevic beat seventh seed Cameron Norrie 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4 to improve to 2-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

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ATP builds on record year with 2026 season underway

LONDON – The ATP enters 2026 on the back of a landmark period of record growth in player compensation, commercial revenues, global reach and fan engagement.

This season will feature 63 tournaments in 29 countries, culminating in the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, as the Tour accelerates its OneVision reforms to elevate premium events and strengthen the long-term future of men’s professional tennis.

The 2025 season was highlighted by significant momentum in player compensation, with a record 88 players earning more than $1 million in on-court earnings, led by World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz, who took home $21.3 million. Meanwhile the ATP Masters 1000 profit-sharing model delivered $18.3 million to 186 players – a 25 per cent uplift on base Masters 1000 prize money – marking a major shift in how success is shared across the Tour.

Bonus Pools are set to grow again in 2026, with $21.5 million available through the ATP Masters 1000 and Nitto ATP Finals Bonus Pool, and $3.07 million in the ATP 500 Bonus Pool. Challenger Tour prize money is projected to reach a record $32.4 million in 2026, up 167 per cent since 2022, underlining ATP’s commitment to players at every level of the pathway.

The continued rollout of 96-player draws at Masters 1000s and raised standards across all tournament categories have driven major venue investment in Rome, Cincinnati, Shanghai, Paris and more. In 2025 these upgrades helped deliver a record 5.55 million on-site fans across the ATP Tour, and a projected global broadcast and streaming audience of more than 1 billion delivered through ATP Media.

Commercially, ATP added five new partners and renewed six key agreements in 2025, signaling strong confidence in its strategic direction. New brands Polaroid Eyewear, Bitpanda, Stella Artois, Verizon and Purina Pro Plan joined, while long-term partners renewed, including Emirates, Lexus, Rolex and Nitto.

Digital engagement also surged, with 2.9 billion views across social channels, a 30 per cent year-on-year increase, and ATP’s global following rising 13.5 per cent year on year to 13.1 million. Collaborations with creators and platforms including Overtime, TikTok and Spotify, alongside the ATP’s global marketing campaign “It All Adds Up”, and a refreshed brand identity and logo, are set to energise fan engagement further in 2026.

Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman, said: “2025 was a landmark year for the ATP. Player compensation, commercial revenues, fan attendance and global viewership are at record highs – proof of the momentum we have built through OneVision. In 2026 our focus is clear: elevate our premium events, deliver lasting value for players and tournaments, and inspire the next generation of fans worldwide.”

2026 In Focus: Player Welfare, Rankings, Technology

Building on this progress, the ATP continues to evolve in 2026, introducing a series of reforms focused on player welfare, rankings, technology and more, including the following initiatives:

• Rankings & Scheduling Flexibility
  The rankings breakdown is reduced from 19 to 18 countable events in 2026, with one less ATP 500 commitment to create more scheduling flexibility. Separately, results earned in the week between the Paris Masters and the Nitto ATP Finals will now count toward the following year’s PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, delivering a simplified narrative towards the end of the season.

• Injury & Parental Protection
  For the first time, players who miss two consecutive automatic entry events (Masters 1000s or Grand Slams) due to injury will be able to replace those 0-point scores (Masters 1000 only) with subsequent results, up to three times per season. Separately, withdrawals related to the birth or adoption of a child will be excused without zero-pointers at Masters 1000 or ATP 500 events.

• Heat Rule Introduction
  A new Heat Rule is being implemented across ATP events, with clear protocols to suspend or adjust play in extreme conditions, reflecting ATP’s commitment to player safety and evolving climate realities.

• ATP Safeguarding Programme
  A new Safeguarding Programme will launch across the ATP Tour and Challenger Tour, creating a global, trauma-informed framework to prevent and address abuse and misconduct.

• ATP 500 Prize-Money Formula
  In a significant step toward further strengthening the partnership between players and tournaments through transparency and aligned interests, ATP 500 tournaments will adopt a profit-sharing model in 2026, aligned from the principles of the formula already established at Masters 1000 level.

• Baseline Financial-Security Programme
  The Baseline program will continue in 2026 after providing more than $2 million of support in 2025 to secure minimum-income thresholds for Top 250 players, as well as supporting younger athletes and those returning from injury.

• Video-Review Expansion
  Video review technology, successfully implemented at ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in 2025, will be available on all courts at ATP 500 events in 2026, with ATP 250 introduction set for 2027. Live Electronic Line Calling will continue to be deployed across all ATP Tour events.

• Ball Centralisation Advancements
  Following major progress in 2025, ball centralisation will advance further in 2026, with almost all tournament swings aligned on ball manufacturers to enhance playing conditions and reduce variability for players.

Further innovations and reforms will be introduced throughout the season as ATP continues to modernise the Tour through its OneVision strategy.

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Players 'not protected' over 'insane' schedule – Sabalenka

World number one Aryna Sabalenka says tennis authorities “follow their interests” with regards to the tennis calendar and are not “focusing on protecting all of us”.

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Can Belgium channel ‘Sydney vibes’ to hold off Czechia in United Cup QF?

After upsetting World No. 5 Felix Auger-Aliassime inside Ken Rosewall Arena on Tuesday, Zizou Bergs could only point to his environment when asked to explain Team Belgium’s impressive run so far at the 2026 United Cup.

“Sydney vibes, you know,” said Bergs in his post-match press conference. On Thursday, the No. 42 in the PIF ATP Rankings will hope to keep that positive feeling in the New South Wales capital going when he and his teammates take on Team Czechia in the quarter-finals of the mixed teams event.

Bergs takes on his fellow ATP Tour star Jakub Mensik in the opening singles rubber at 5:30 p.m. local time, before his countrywoman Elise Mertens meets Barbora Krejcikova in the WTA Tour singles. A mixed doubles clash will be played to decide the tie, should the teams split the singles matches, with the winner to face Switzerland in Saturday’s semi-finals.

Lining up in the last eight seemed an unlikely prospect for Belgium after it fell to defeat to China in their opening match at the United Cup, but a 3-0 upset of second seed Canada earned them top spot in Group B. Mertens downed teenage sensation Victoria Mboko in three sets to keep her team on track for a crucial clean sweep.

“I know we had to win this tie with a three-love,” said Mertens after that win. “I think you still focus on your own game, what you can do. You give yourself 100 per cent, which we did. The team behind me gave me a lot of energy.”

Meanwhile Czechia also qualified for the quarter-finals with a 1-1 group-stage record, after following a 3-0 triumph against Norway with a 1-2 defeat to host country Australia. The 20-year-old Mensik will hope to set the tone in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Bergs, before another first-time meeting, somewhat remarkably, between two-time major champion Krejcikova and Mertens.

The 30-year-old veterans have played more than 1,200 singles matches combined in their career, yet have never faced each other. Like Bergs, Krejickova will also look to the team spirit behind her for inspiration as she bids to maintain her perfect record in singles matches so far this year in Sydney.

“I’m really happy that I’m part of this event, this nice competition where we have a team,” said the Czech earlier this week. “I think we have a really good atmosphere on the team, and it’s been working really well. It’s an honour to be here and to experience this.”

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Home hope Wong wins again in Hong Kong, faces Musetti in QFs

Coleman Wong continued his history-making run at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open on Wednesday, when he battled past Gabriel Diallo to secure his quarter-final spot.

The day after he overcame Mariano Navone to become the first man representing Hong Kong to win a main-draw match in tournament history, the 21-year-old Wong prevailed 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 against Diallo to reach the last eight. The No. 150 in the PIF ATP Rankings, wild card Wong saved 11 of 15 break points he earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to a two-hour, 29-minute triumph.

“It sounds unreal,” said Wong, when reflecting on becoming the first ATP Tour quarter-finalist from Hong Kong in the Open Era. “So many people came to support me today. Gabriel is such a great player. We pushed each other to the limit and in the end, I was 5-2 but he came back to 5-5. I was like, ‘Wow, I don’t know if I can close this out’. I just kept believing in myself, kept believing in what I’ve been working on these past years.

“It’s not easy to be an athlete from Hong Kong and coming from such a small place. Being in the quarter-finals of an ATP event, I just want to keep going.”

Standing in Wong’s way for a semi-final spot at the ATP 250 will be top seed Lorenzo Musetti. The Italian rallied past Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals in Hong Kong for the second consecutive year.

Musetti now leads Etcheverry 3-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. The 23-year-old, who finished 2025 with a debut appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals, has risen one spot above Felix Auger-Aliassime to No. 6 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings after winning his Hong Kong opener.

Nuno Borges was also a second-round winner in Hong Kong on Wednesday. The Portuguese downed former World No. 3 Marin Cilic 7-5, 6-3 to set a quarter-final meeting with 2024 champion and third seed Andrey Rublev, who began his 2026 season by sinking Wu Yibing 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 in the final match of the day.

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Bencic gives Switzerland lead against Argentina in United Cup QF

Swiss player Belinda Bencic continued her strong start to the new season with a straight-sets win over Argentina’s Solana Sierra, giving Switzerland a 1-0 lead in its United Cup quarter-final tie in Perth on Wednesday.

Bencic, ranked No. 11 in the WTA Tour Drive by Mercedez-Benz rankings, broke serve in the third game of the opening set. The second set followed a similar pattern, with Bencic breaking again in the third game and seventh games before sealing a 6-2, 6-2 win in one hour, 17 minutes.

The 28-year-old has now won all three of her singles matches at the United Cup in straight sets, having also defeated France’s Leolia Jeanjean and Italy’s Jasmine Paolini during the group stage. She has also won both her mixed doubles matches this week.

Bencic, who returned from maternity leave towards the end of the 2024 season, surged from No. 421 in early January to No. 11 in the year-end rankings. She captured titles in Abu Dhabi and Tokyo and reached the semifinals at Wimbledon.

Switzerland will look to secure a place in the semifinals when three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka faces Sebastian Baez in the second singles match of the tie.

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Pain-free and perfect in Perth: Tsitsipas on ‘the biggest bliss’, despite Greece exit

The United Cup is over for this year for Team Greece, but Stefanos Tsitsipas is hopeful the 2026 edition of the mixed teams event represents the start of something new in his career.

The 27-year-old ATP Tour star finished with a 3-0 singles record for his country at RAC Arena in Perth, where he on Wednesday downed Team USA’s Taylor Fritz 6-4, 7-5 for his first Top 10 victory in more than 18 months. Despite the Americans going on to clinch the tie with a deciding mixed-doubles triumph at RAC Arena, Tsitsipas was happy to reflect on the positives after he sank Fritz to improve to 4-2 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“Pleased with the win. It was not easy getting into the match. I’ve been absent for a long time and matches like this challenge you to the fullest,” Tsitsipas, who had not played a competitive match since September due to a back injury prior to arriving in Perth, told ATPTour.com. “I feel like you really get tested in the most brutal and intense ways against players that have been very consistent in the past couple of months. Taylor is one of them. I was aware entering the court that my focus levels needed to be at their highest.

“I couldn’t allow myself to disconnect at any given moment during the match, and I delivered that excellently. My focus levels were there. I was trying to read play, trying to read the court and see what patterns he might start building up and liking a little bit more. I tried to stay away from those and played my game. Very offensive tennis. I dominated from the baseline at times. I felt like I was pretty solid in those rally exchanges. I’m very glad about my performance. It is one of those wins that adds to my confidence.”

Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari were unable to overcome Coco Gauff and Christian Harrison in the mixed doubles clash as Greece missed out on a spot in the semi-finals in Sydney. Yet the 12-time ATP Tour champion Tsitsipas feels both he and his countrywoman would be taking plenty away from the encounter.

“I spoke to Maria. I’m very proud of her, she did excellently. I’m happy that I got to share the court with her,” said the No. 34 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “We are building a great duo, me and her. I feel like every doubles match that we get to play, we come to new realisations about our games. We blend in quite well, and I feel like every match we’ve played, we’ve always received feedback and always understood how our games can interact even better.

“Obviously it sucks losing today and not capturing that win to go to Sydney, but I see that as a greater opportunity to grow from it, use it in a positive way, and hopefully come back next year with hunger.”

Tsitsipas, who revealed he is hoping to play the Adelaide International before heading to Melbourne for the Australian Open, was also elated at the way his body had held up across three singles matches and two mixed doubles rubbers in Perth.

“So far everything is good,” said the 2023 Australian Open finalist, when asked about how he felt physically. “It’s great feedback, knowing that sort of thing, knowing that I’m not feeling any aches or pains. I’m actually very pleased that I get to enjoy tennis daily, without any discomfort and pain that might be causing me more stress in everyday life… I’m super glad I get to play the sport that I love. Health is the most important thing in the world. I’m really truly enjoying every single match that I get to play pain free.

“I haven’t had that in a while, so to be able to play that way creates happiness and satisfaction, and makes me want to go back to train. Especially when you are dealing with so much pain and especially in the lower back, you are very discouraged pretty quick when you see yourself a few times in that same situation. Training doesn’t become as enjoyable anymore. To be able to do that right now is like the biggest bliss.”

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