Tennis News

Auger-Aliassime sets Lehecka final in Brussels

Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced to his fourth ATP Tour final of the season on Saturday at the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open, where he ended the run of Belgian wild card Raphael Collignon in Brussels.

The Canadian was solid throughout his 7-6(2), 6-4 win and has now earned 40 tour-level victories in 2025. Auger-Aliassime’s best year came in 2022, when he recorded 60 victories and qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals.

Aiming to return to the prestigious year-end event this season, the 25-year-old has boosted his hopes with his run in Brussels. Auger-Aliassime is ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin on 3,070 points, trailing eighth-placed Lorenzo Musetti by 415 points. The Italian currently occupies the final qualification spot.

Auger-Aliassime struck the ball aggressively off both wings to quiet the vocal Belgian crowd and end the Collignon resistance. He will compete for his eighth tour-level crown and third of the season on Sunday.

“I had a great opponent in front of me and he was inspired by playing at home,” said Auger-Aliassime, who won the ATP 250 event when it was held in Antwerp in 2022. “I knew it could be the toughest challenge of the week so far. He has been playing great for the past few weeks and months. It was really fun to play, high intensity. It was a pleasure to be a part of that and this week and we have one more to go tomorrow.”

Auger-Aliassime will meet Jiri Lehecka in the title match. The Czech reached the championship match at the ATP 250 event for the second year running after defeating big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 7-6(3), 7-6(7) in one hour and 32 minutes.

“It is always tough to prepare for these kinds of matches,” Lehecka said when asked about playing Mpetshi Perricard. “You have to concentrate 100 per cent each point as you don’t know what is coming. He has such a good serve. For me, the most important thing was to stay focused on my service games and wait for the chances.”

Into his sixth tour-level final and third of the season, Lehecka will aim to capture his third title. The 23-year-old, who has lifted trophies on hard courts in Adelaide and Brisbane, has now won 15 of his past 16 matches against players outside the Top 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Source link

'Devastated' – Rune latest to have season ended prematurely

Holger Rune becomes the latest high-profile tennis player to have his season ended prematurely after suffering an injury at the Nordic Open in Stockholm.

Source link

Schwartzman marries De Martino in Buenos Aires

Diego Schwartzman has begun a new chapter off court. The Argentine, who retired earlier this year, married longtime partner Eugenia De Martino on Thursday in Buenos Aires.

Schwartzman and De Martino started dating in 2019, with Eugenia frequently seen supporting the 33-year-old at tournaments. Schwartzman proposed to De Martino in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris in June 2024.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Diego Schwartzman (@dieschwartzman)

The former No. 8 player in the PIF ATP Rankings retired on home soil at the ATP 250 event in Buenos Aires in February. The 33-year-old won four ATP Tour titles and competed at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2020.

Source link

Fritz to face Shanghai champ Vacherot in Basel draw blockbuster

Valentin Vacherot arrives at the Swiss Indoors Basel as a newly crowned ATP Masters 1000 Champion. Yet the breakout Rolex Shanghai Masters winner will have to be at his best from the start if he is to make an impact on debut at the indoor hard-court ATP 500.

Wild card Vacherot has been drawn against top seed Taylor Fritz in a blockbuster first-round clash in Switzerland. The Monegasque, flying high at a career-high No. 40 in the PIF ATP Rankings following his fairytale Shanghai run, will be playing just his seventh main draw at an ATP Tour event.

It could be a significant week in Basel for Fritz, who is fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and well placed to secure a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals. The American is seeded to face sixth seed Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-finals and fourth seed Casper Ruud in the semi-finals.

Ruud, who is 11th in the Live Race and himself retains hopes of reaching Turin, begins his Basel title bid against a qualifier or lucky loser, while wild card Stan Wawrinka is a potential second-round opponent for the Norwegian. The former World No. 3 and home favourite Wawrinka first plays Miomir Kecmanovic, whom he leads 1-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

In the bottom half of the draw, Fritz’s fellow Turin hopeful Ben Shelton will open against a qualifier. The second-seeded American, who is 37-19 in 2025 according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, reached the Basel championship match in 2024 before falling Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Shelton is sixth in the Live Race, and will hope to rediscover his best form after suffering a shoulder injury at the US Open in late August.

Exploring the street art of Basel with Ben Ten 🎨#benshelton | #SwissIndoorsBasel pic.twitter.com/nLzDah5erc

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 18, 2025

Shelton could play fellow Turin contender Felix Auger-Aliassime, who is 10th in the Live Race, in the quarter-finals. The Canadian will hope that returning to a venue where he clinched back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023 can inspire him once again The fifth-seeded Auger-Aliassime opens against his countryman Gabriel Diallo.

The big-serving Frenchman Mpetshi Perricard will take on #NextGenATP star Joao Fonseca in an intriguing first-round encounter that sits in the same quarter of the draw as third seed Holger Rune (who plays Marcos Giron) and seventh seed Jakub Mensik (who plays home #NextGenATP star Henry Bernet.

Source link

Emotional Rune retires from Stockholm SF vs. Humbert

Holger Rune cut a distressed figure as he was assisted off court by the physio from his semi-final at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open in Stockholm on Saturday.

The Dane led Ugo Humbert 6-4, 2-2 when he felt a sharp pain in his left leg and was forced to retire after one hour, 23 minutes.

After pulling up, Rune instantly glanced his box with a disconcerted look and teared up while receiving treatment. However, he was unable to continue and was assisted off court.

Rune captured the Stockholm title in 2022 and appeared to be nearing a sixth consecutive Lexus ATP Head2Head win over Humbert. The Frenchman awaits Casper Ruud or Denis Shapovalov in Sunday’s final.

“It was not the way I wanted to win,” said Humbert. “I’m super disappointed for Holger, I hope he is going to be okay. I wish him a speedy recovery. It was a great match. He was playing a little bit better than me, but I’m really sorry for Holger.”

Watch Highlights: Humbert advances to Stockholm final

Rune is 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and aiming to make a late push to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time since 2023. Meanwhile, Humbert is into his 10th ATP Tour final, and sixth on indoor hard courts.

Source link

Djokovic ties record for most Nitto ATP Finals qualifications

Novak Djokovic has tied the record for most Nitto ATP Finals qualifications, joining Roger Federer with 18.

Djokovic was guaranteed his place at the 2025 season finale when the draws for the ATP 500 events in Basel and Vienna were released Saturday. Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are the three players who have qualified for the singles field in Turin.

The biggest highlight of the Serbian’s season came in Geneva, where he won his 100th tour-level title. He became just the third man in the Open Era to reach the milestone alongside Jimmy Connors (109) and Federer (103).

Djokovic also was a consistent force at the Grand Slam tournaments, advancing to the semi-finals at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. It was the seventh time he has made at least the semi-finals of all four majors. The 38-year-old made an ATP Masters 1000 final in Miami and a semi-final in Shanghai.

This is Djokovic’s eighth consecutive qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals. He first competed in the season finale in 2007 as a 20-year-old and has only failed to qualify for one edition of the prestigious tournament since (in 2017, when he was injured). 

The record seven-time champion first triumphed at the year-end championships in 2008 and most recently lifted the trophy in 2023. He has won two of the four editions in Turin and owns a 50-18 record at the event, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

The Nitto ATP Finals will take place at Inalpi Arena from 9-16 November.

Source link

Sinner in line for Bublik rematch in Vienna, Musetti & Tsitsipas in R1 showdown

Jannik Sinner and Alexander Bublik could reignite their see-saw 2025 rivalry next week at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.

Top seed and 2023 champion Sinner and eighth seed Bublik would face off in the quarter-finals at the indoor hard-court ATP 500 if they both make it that far. Bublik is one of just three men to have defeated the No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings in a tour-level match this year, having stunned the Italian in three sets en route to the Halle title in June. Either side of that defeat on the German grass, Sinner eased to straight-sets victories against Bublik at Roland Garros and the US Open.

Before thinking about a potential rematch with the Kazakhstani, Sinner will first concentrate on a first-round clash with Daniel Altmaier, who previously upset the Italian in a five-set thriller at 2023 Roland Garros. Sinner won their most recent meeting in Shanghai earlier this month to earn a 2-1 lead in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Tomas Machac and Flavio Cobolli are potential second-round opponents for Sinner in a stacked top half of the draw in Vienna. Bublik opens against Chengdu champion Alejandro Tabilo, while third seed Alex de Minaur plays home wild card Jurij Rodionov. De Minaur is seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and well placed to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the second consecutive year.

Still in with an outside shot at reaching Turin, seventh seed and 2020 Vienna champion Andrey Rublev opens against Cameron Norrie. The winner of that match will take on a big-hitting righty: Alexei Popyrin or Matteo Berrettini.

In the bottom half of the draw, second seed and 2021 titlist Alexander Zverev begins against a qualifier. The German, who is fourth in the Live Race, is seeded to meet his fellow Top 10 star Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals.

Lorenzo Musetti, who is eighth in the Live Race, seeks a deep run in Vienna to maintain his push for a Nitto ATP Finals debut. However, the Italian faces a tough opener in the Austrian capital against former World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas. A potential quarter-final opponent for Musetti and Tsitsipas is sixth seed Daniil Medvedev, who on Sunday will contest his second ATP Tour final of the season when he meets Alex Michelsen or Corentin Moutet at the Almaty Open.

Source link

Medvedev one match from snapping title drought in Almaty

Daniil Medvedev’s late-season charge will continue into the championship match at the Almaty Open, where he booked his spot in his first hard-court final since last year.

The second seed rallied past Australian qualifier James Duckworth 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday and simultaneously strengthened his push to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the seventh straight season. Medvedev, who has backed up semi-final runs in Beijing and Shanghai with a strong showing in Almaty, is 13th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.

Medvedev is aiming to win his first tour-level title since he triumphed at the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome in 2023. The former World No. 1 has since gone 0-6 in finals. He faces Corentin Moutet, who edged Alex Michelsen 7-5, 6-4.

Milestone for Meddy 💪@DaniilMedwed is the first player born since 1990 to reach 40 Tour-level finals!@AlmatyOpen_KZ | #AlmatyOpen pic.twitter.com/0MECCt50Fy

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 18, 2025

“I think the level was incredible today, from both me and my opponent,” said Medvedev, who improved to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Duckworth. “In the tie-break, I could have played better, but it happens. Throughout the match, there were some amazing points from both of us, so I’m really happy to be able to win this match.”

Despite a slightly passive approach in the first-set tie-break, during which he squandered two set points, Medvedev remained patient and began to find his range as the match wore on. He was particularly effective on serve, firing 15 aces and winning 85 per cent (47/55) of first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

By reaching his 40th tour-level final, Medvedev became the second active man after Novak Djokovic (143) to achieve that feat.

Watch Extended Highlights of semi-final action in Almaty:

Duckworth was aiming to reach his second final at the Kazakhstani ATP 250 after he advanced to that stage in 2021 when it was held in Astana. He came through qualifying and will leave Almaty having risen 30 spots to No. 108 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

Medvedev is tied 1-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Moutet after the Frenchman won their latest meeting in three sets in Washington this year. Their duel in Almaty will mark Moutet’s third ATP Tour final, and second this year after Mallorca.

With his two-hour, 12-minute semi-final victory, Moutet is up five spots to a career-high No. 36 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The 26-year-old has tallied 30 wins for the first time in his career, becoming the first Frenchman to do so in 2025.

In their championship-match clash in Almaty, Moutet will have to use his trademark flair and variety to disrupt Medvedev’s rhythm. However, the 20-time tour-level champion has been displaying some of his best tennis across the week alongside new coaches Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke.

Source link

Mpetshi Perricard upsets top seed Musetti in Brussels

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard earned his first win against Lorenzo Musetti in his fifth attempt on Friday, upsetting the top-seeded Italian 6-4, 7-6(8) at the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open in Brussels.

The Frenchman entered the quarter-final match with an 0-4 Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Musetti, including two losses this year at the US Open and last month in Beijing. But Mpetshi Perricard pulled no punches, dropping just six points behind his first serve (43/49), according to Infosys ATP Stats, and often moved forward to impose his will on the Turin-hopeful Musetti.

“I’m very proud. My record against him wasn’t very good,” said Mpetshi Perricard, who saved two set points in the second-set tie-break. “I stepped on the court and I said, ‘I need to try something else’, and it worked. It was a tight win. I was two match points up, then saving a set point. I’m very proud of myself.”

Mpetshi Perricard’s two career Top 10 wins have both come this month. He upset World No. 4 Taylor Fritz in Shanghai and has maintained that form to reach his third tour-level semi-final this season. He will next meet third seed Jiri Lehecka in the last four.

Mpetshi Perricard is 4-0 against Top 20 players on indoor hard courts and can improve upon that feat Saturday against World No. 17 Lehecka. The Czech led Benjamin Bonzi 6-7(8), 6-1, 4-1 when the Frenchman retired due to a left leg injury.

In other action, Felix Auger-Aliassime leapfrogged Jack Draper for ninth in the Race To Turin when he defeated Eliot Spizzirri 6-2, 7-6(6). The 25-year-old fought off the resilient Spizzirri, who held three set points on return in the second set. But Auger-Aliassime held his nerve, raising his level in a thrilling, topsy-turvy tie-break to advance.

“This sport can turn fast,” said Auger-Aliassime of letting slip a 4-2 lead in the second set. “Every opponent in the draw is difficult. You wake up every day hoping that it’s going to be your day and you prepare your best regardless of who you play.

“For a set and a half, it was tough to ask for better. Then I made one or two mistakes, but I have to give him so much credit. He raised his level, he played really well and it was a battle until the end.”

The Canadian is the second player to reach nine semi-finals this season, alongside World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz (11). Auger-Aliassime is the fourth man to record 30 hard-court match wins this season, including title runs in Adelaide and Montpellier. He leads the ATP Tour in indoor wins this decade (74).

The Montreal native is aiming for his second trip to the Nitto ATP Finals, having appeared at the year-end event in 2022. In the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, eighth-placed Musetti is currently 480 points ahead of Auger-Aliassime, who can close that gap to 330 points with the title.

Source link

Will Smith as Jannik Sinner? The Hollywood crossover we didn't see coming!

Which Hollywood star would Jannik Sinner choose to play him in a movie? The Italian recently faced that question, and his answer might catch you off guard.

“Will Smith! Why not?” Sinner said with a grin after pausing to think.

In a playful twist, Smith himself joined the fun, posting on his Instagram story an AI-generated photo of him holding the Wimbledon trophy, which Sinner won this year for the first time. Smith wrote, “I’m in!”

Smith is no stranger to the tennis world. He has been spotted at tournaments across the globe, from presenting Roger Federer with a Men In Black III suit after the Swiss’ 2012 Mutua Madrid Open title to cheering courtside at the 2018 Australian Open as home favourite Nick Kyrgios edged Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Smith also has experience bringing tennis to the big screen. He starred as Richard Williams, father of Serena and Venus, in King Richard, which was released in 2021.

Sinner, a 21-time tour-level titlist, will be back in action next week at the Erste Bank Open, an ATP 500 event in Vienna. The No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings holds a 43-6 season record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

Source link