Tennis News

Fearnley finds fine margins for Stockholm revenge, upsets Griekspoor

Jacob Fearnley’s first test at the 2025 BNP Paribas Nordic Open was to try and complete a Stockholm revenge job on Tallon Griekspoor. The Briton succeeded in his mission Monday, although not before some deciding-tie-break drama.

The No. 79 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Fearnley upset fifth seed Griekspoor 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(5) on Day 1 of the indoor ATP 250 to avenge his second-round loss to the Dutchman at the same event a year ago. Fearnley at one point led 6/2 in the third-set tie-break but lost four points in a row, including two on his own serve, before wrapping his two-hour, 44-minute win.

Pure tenacity 😲@jakefearnley01 gains revenge for a Stockholm ’24 defeat with a 6-3 6-7(6) 7-6(5) epic 🆚 [5] Griekspoor@sthlm_open | #bnppnordicopen pic.twitter.com/Yfkun2KLND

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 13, 2025

“That was very tough. I thought things were going fairly comfortably up until 5/3 when I was serving for it, and I got a little bit tight,” said Fearnley in his on-court interview. “To be fair to Tallon, he competed hard and upped his level when he needed to. It was just a war until the end. Huge respect to Tallon, but happy to be through.”

Fearnley completed victory despite being outhit 32-34 by Griekspoor in the winner count. The 24-year-old Briton’s serve was the foundation for his triumph, and he finished the match having won 78 per cent (45/58) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

After levelling his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Griekspoor at 1-1, Fearnley will next prepare for a second-round meeting against one of two brothers: Home wild cards Mikael Ymer and Elias Ymer play their first-round match on Tuesday for the right to take on the Scot.

In the opening match of the day in Stockholm, Miomir Kecmanovic raced past sixth seed Alexandre Muller to snap a four-match ATP Tour losing streak. The Serbian World No. 49 next plays Tomas Martin Etcheverry or qualifier Mark Lajal.

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Bonzi continues his 'Opelka October' with Brussels win

Benjamin Bonzi successfully blunted Reilly Opelka’s big-serving game for the second time this month on Monday at the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open.

Just 11 days after Bonzi downed the six-foot, 11-inch American in straight sets in Shanghai, the No. 53 in the PIF ATP Rankings repeated that result with a 6-4, 6-4 victory in Brussels. Bonzi withstood 13 aces from Opelka and forged a decisive five-game streak from 3-3 in the opening set en route to a 70-minute triumph at the indoor hard-court ATP 250.

“Of course it’s easier when you played someone the past week, and I knew how he would serve,” said Bonzi in his on-court interview. “But it’s completely different conditions here than Shanghai. It was way slower in China. Here it is pretty fast. It’s indoors, so his serve is way more efficient.

“I’m very happy with the way I managed to return his serve and play the points when I succeeded in putting the ball back in the court. It was a great first match here.”

Now 14-19 for the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Bonzi will take on sixth seed Sebastian Baez or his countryman Valentin Royer in the second round in Brussels. The 29-year-old is looking to build on an impressive record at indoor events: He finished his 2024 season with a 21-1 run indoors (including ATP Challenger Tour events), highlighted by lifting his maiden ATP Tour crown in Metz.

Marcos Giron was the other first-round winner on Monday in Brussels. The American eased past Mattia Bellucci 6-3, 6-4 to set a meeting with fourth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Giron has not won a set across two previous Lexus ATP Head2Head clashes with the Spaniard, although they have not met since the 2023 US Open.

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What is lucrative Six Kings Slam & who is playing?

Five of the world’s top 10 men’s players will compete at a lucrative exhibition event in Saudi Arabia. But what exactly is the Six Kings Slam?

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Boulter upsets Noskova at Japan Open

British number three Katie Boulter beats Linda Noskova to reach the second round of the Japan Open.

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Diallo, Marozsan Day 1 winners in Almaty

Gabriel Diallo has fond memories at the Almaty Open, having reached his first ATP Tour final at the event last year. On Monday, the seventh-seeded Canadian made an impressive start to his latest campaign at the ATP 250, dispatching wild card Amir Omarkhanov 6-3, 6-1.

In a dominant performance, Diallo won 93 per cent (25/27) of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and did not face a break point to advance after just 62 minutes. Diallo won his maiden tour-level trophy in ‘s-Hertogenbosch earlier this season and will aim to add to that triumph in Almaty, where he next meets Ugo Blanchet or James Duckworth.

In other Day 1 action, Fabian Marozsan beat Luca Nardi 7-6(3), 6-3. The No. 52 player in the PIF ATP Rankings recovered from squandering a 5-3 lead in the first set and now leads the Italian 3-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Marozsan has recorded 25 wins this year and is the third Hungarian man to reach that milestone in a season, joining Balazs Taroczy and Marton Fucsovics.

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Can Rune build on Shanghai run and make late Turin push?

Holger Rune and Daniil Medvedev kept themselves in Nitto ATP Finals contention with positive showings at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin as of Monday 13 October.

Holger Rune – 12th (2,490 points), +2
The Dane has climbed two spots to 12th in the Live Race after he reached the quarter-finals in Shanghai. Rune earned three wins at the ATP Masters 1000 event to close to 945 points of eighth-placed Lorenzo Musetti, who is in the final qualification spot. Rune, who competes in Stockholm this week, qualified for Turin in 2023. Rune will need an impressive final month of the season if he is to return to Italy in November, but he has found his best level on the indoor hard courts before, winning his maiden Masters 1000 title in Paris in 2022.

View the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin

Novak Djokovic – third (4,580), +1
Djokovic has climbed to third in the Live Race and is on the brink of qualifying for the prestigious year-end event following a semi-final showing in Shanghai, where he lost to eventual titlist Valentin Vacherot. The record seven-time Nitto ATP Finals champion is 35-11 on the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

Alex de Minaur – seventh (3,545)

The Australian consolidated his seventh-placed position after advancing to the quarter-finals in Shanghai. De Minaur recorded his 50th tour-level victory of the season at the event. It is the first time the 26-year-old has earned 50 wins in a season. He will next compete at the ATP 500 event in Vienna, which begins on Monday 20 October.

Daniil Medvedev – 15th (2,360), +5
Medvedev kept alive his faint chances of qualifying by reaching the semi-finals in Shanghai, beating De Minaur en route to improve to 8-4 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. The 29-year-old has competed at the year-end event for the past six years, lifting the trophy in 2020. He will hope to gain more points this week in Almaty, where he is the second seed at the ATP 250 event.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, taking place from 9-16 November at Inalpi Arena in Turin.

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Magic for Monaco: Vacherot's storybook ride leads to historic trip

It’s been a memorable world-wind trip to the Rolex Shanghai Masters for Melanie-Antoinette de Massy, president of the Monegasque Tennis Federation, Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and the Monte-Carlo Country Club.

De Massy arrived in Shanghai at midday Friday after a 20-hour trip from Monaco with Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters tournament director David Massey.

On Saturday, de Massy sat in Valentin Vacherot’s guest box along with Massey to see her countryman defeat four-time Rolex Shanghai Masters champion and World No. 5 Novak Djokovic. Twenty-four hours later, de Massy was back in Vacherot’s box to see history being made as the 26-year-old rallied from a set down to defeat his cousin Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and become the first player from Monaco in the Open Era to win an ATP Tour singles title.

“I am so, so proud of him and there’s really no words that come to mind to describe really the feelings throughout the match,” said de Massy. “He played incredibly well and the match was fantastic. We saw really some amazing points, fantastic tennis and I’m so glad to be here. I’m so glad to live this moment with him and so happy to see this historical final.”

De Massy’s phone has been receiving nonstop messages from well wishers back home as well as interview requests. Avid tennis fan Prince Albert II of Monaco followed closely Vacherot’s historic run in Shanghai and was messaging de Massy before and during the championship match.

During the final, de Massy said she received several WhatsApp messages from Prince Albert II and afterwards he spoke to her along with Vacherot.

“We spoke for 10 to 15 minutes after the match and he was so thrilled, then Prince Albert spoke to Val for about 10 minutes,” said de Massy, who received close to 100 messages after the final. “He was very touched by Val’s words in the award ceremony and was proud of Val’s results. The Prince gave interviews to the local press and congratulated the work of the Federation. The whole country is proud.”

^{David Massey and Melanie-Antoinette de Massy supporting Vacherot in Shanghai. Photo: Rolex Shanghai Masters.}

There was a watch party at the Monte-Carlo Country Club with members and many of the top junior players in Monaco. The marketplace showed the match at 10:30 in the morning on a massive screen that was organised by the Monaco Town Hall, similar to what is done for the Formula 1 race in Monte-Carlo.

“I turned on my phone, but I haven’t really watched anything yet,” said Vacherot. “I can’t wait to watch the videos, especially at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. I knew they had a big watch party. Because it’s Sunday, everyone is off work, so I think this probably the day there is the most people.”

Shortly after the final ended, Vacherot draped the Monaco flag over his shoulders before the award ceremony began. He reflected on his historic achievement and what it means for his country.

“Just to hold the flag, and to be able to do that for my country is, it’s unreal, of course,” said Vacherot, who climbed from No. 204 to No. 40 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “I’m just thinking about our little federation, our little small country, one of the smallest countries in the world. Probably the smallest federation. We have such, we have not many players, and now we have one Masters 1000 in singles, two Masters 1000 titles in doubles with Hugo Nys — also one Grand Slam final for Hugo in the Australian Open two years ago — and what we get to achieve for Monaco is unbelievable. I hope that we’re making everyone proud of us, and I hope just to keep going.”

Nys is ranked No. 19 in doubles and has been a career-high No. 12 in June 2023. He won his biggest title at ATP Masters 1000 Rome that year and also was a finalist at the Australian Open in 2023. Romain Arneodo, a winner of two doubles titles this season, is ranked No. 45 in doubles after reaching a career-high No. 38 in August.

Earlier this year at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in April, French-born Monegasque player Arneodo made history by winning the doubles title with Frenchman Manuel Guinard. Arneodo became the first Monegasque player to win the Monte-Carlo doubles title.

“For Monaco it’s absolutely extraordinary and we’ve never had a Monaco-born player in the Top 100 in singles,” said de Massy. “We’ve had, as Valentin said at the end of his semi-final match — and I really appreciated that he did that — is to remind everyone that in tennis there’s singles, but there’s also doubles, and we have extraordinary double players. In Monaco we love playing Davis Cup because we love being a team, we love being all together and with Monaco Tennis Federation — and Monaco tennis as a whole actually, whether it’s the tournament, the federation, or the club — is one big family.”

Half-brother and coach Benjamin Balleret instilled the belief in Valentin that he would break into the Top 100 and then take it to a higher level.

“When we were putting goals for Val it was not only Top 100, because it seems a little, like, ‘Oh, for some guys, we just want to be Top 100’,” said Balleret, who ranked a career-high No. 204 in 2006. “No, it’s like, ‘Let’s go. We want to be Top 50, Top 30’. You have more, even more ambition. So our role as the coach and all the team is to be behind him and to push him and to tell him that he believes that he can be a top-50 player. Because I think so many players stop believing.”

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Hurkacz, Swiatek’s Team Poland first to commit to 2026 United Cup

Former World No. 6 Hubert Hurkacz and six-time major champion and 2025 Wimbledon winner Iga Swiatek will join forces at the 2026 United Cup, making Poland the first team to commit to next year’s event.

From 2 January-11 January, Poland plus 17 other countries, featuring up to three men and up to three women, will compete side by side across Perth and Sydney for the fourth consecutive year.

In the innovative mixed teams tennis event, players will compete for the coveted trophy, a minimum AUD $17 million in prize money and 500 PIF ATP Rankings and WTA Rankings points.

Team Poland, two-time finalists, will make its fourth appearance at the United Cup.

World No. 2 Swiatek, who won her latest Grand Slam title at Wimbledon before winning her 25th career singles title in Seoul last month, will once again lead the team.

“The United Cup is always amazing. It’s always an amazing experience and just an honour to represent your country and especially alongside such great players,” said Swiatek, who holds a 14-2 win-loss singles record at the event.

“I love being part of the team and have great memories of playing this event. This tournament is different. It brings more excitement than normal tournaments we play during the year.”

Swiatek is looking forward to catching up with her Polish fans in Australia.

“They’re the best because they’re literally everywhere,” said Swiatek. “In any country that we go, there are many Polish people and in Australia, there’s a big Polish community. I think they’re really committed and really believe in us, and that’s what’s most important.”

Hurkacz also loves the team aspect of the United Cup and the trip Down Under.

“I really enjoy the team atmosphere and the opportunity to represent our country,” said Hurkacz. “And I really love coming to Australia and of course the Australian people. I really, really like the atmosphere there.”

In 2025, Poland fell 2-0 to Team USA’s Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz in the final.

In 2024, Poland held championship points in a deciding mixed doubles match before Germany triumphed 2-1.

Perth will host the first day of United Cup action on 2 January at RAC Arena, while the group stage in Sydney will begin on 3 January at Ken Rosewall Arena.

Group winners in each city will advance to the quarter-finals with one quarter-final spot in each city awarded to the best runner-up in that city.

The quarter-finals in Perth will be held on 7 January. In Sydney will be held on 8 and 9 January. The semi-finals and final will be hosted in Sydney on 10 and 11 January.

“We are delighted six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek and Hubi Hurkacz of Poland have committed early to the United Cup this summer,” United Cup Tournament Director Stephen Farrow said.

“The United Cup holds a unique position in global tennis, with the world’s best men and women representing their country at the highest level. We’re extremely proud to be delivering the fourth edition of the tournament.

“The players adore playing for their country and to be able to give countries the opportunity to bring their passion and pride together in a mixed team environment creates any energy that makes them all want to be part of it. We look forward to connecting with our sporting fans and the tennis community again this summer.”

Western Australia Tourism Minister, the Hon. Reece Whitby MLA said, “The United Cup will be a sensational start to 2026, marking the fourth consecutive summer that Perth has hosted this world-class tournament, a true testament to Western Australia’s standing as a premier destination for major sporting events,”

“This fantastic event will showcase some of the world’s best tennis players, drawing thousands of spectators to witness the action and adding millions of dollars into WA as part of our economic diversification strategy during the holiday season.”

NSW Minister for Sport and Minister for Jobs and Tourism Steve Kamper added “I’m thrilled Team Poland led by reigning Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek has committed to the 2026 United Cup. This tournament is one of the most anticipated fixtures on the NSW summer sporting calendar, with the passion shown by the world’s best tennis players competing for their nation creating an incredible atmosphere for fans. Sydney is one of the world’s great stages for international sport, and as the host of the United Cup’s biggest matches, we look forward to welcoming tennis fans from around the world for another thrilling event experience in the Harbour City.”

More To Know About The United Cup

• Participation is subject to players committing to the event by the tournament’s entry deadline of 11 November

• At the entry deadline, 10 countries will qualify for the United Cup via the five highest-ranked men and five highest-ranked women entered, based on their PIF ATP Rankings and WTA Rankings.

• Eight teams will qualify according to the best combined ranking of the highest-ranked men’s and women’s players from the same country

• At the second qualification date on 17 November, if there is a player in the Top 10 (maximum 1 ATP and 1 WTA player) of the latest PIF ATP Rankings or WTA Rankings who has entered and has an eligible team but has not been accepted based on their individual ATP/WTA ranking, they will be accepted, and their team will replace the lowest ranked team with combined ranking

• Australia is guaranteed entry, either directly via ranking or as a wild card

• Each city will host nine teams each: three groups of three countries, competing in a round-robin format

• Each tie will comprise one men’s singles and one women’s singles match featuring the No.1-ranked singles players, and one mixed doubles match

• Singles matches are best of three tie-break sets. Mixed doubles matches are two tie-break sets with a deciding Match Tie-break (10 point) at one set all

• Group winners in each city advance to the quarter-finals with one quarter-final spot in each city awarded to the best runner-up in that city

• Winners will progress to the semi-finals and final to be played in Sydney

• The United Cup official draw will be held on 17 November and will determine where the 18 countries will play across Perth and Sydney.

Tickets For The United Cup

• Tickets for the United Cup quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in Sydney go on sale at 4pm AEDT Monday 13 October via Ticketmaster with tickets from $50

• Tickets for the United Cup quarter-finals in Perth go on sale at 4pm AWST Monday 13 October via Ticketek with tickets from $43

• Tickets to the United Cup group stages will go on sale in November; Sydney group stage tickets from $40, Perth group stage tickets from $43.

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Balleret on Vacherot's fairytale run: 'When it's your brother it's even more'

Valentin Vacherot’s stunning victory at the Rolex Shanghai Masters is an achievement nobody will soon forget, least of all his coach: Benjamin Balleret.

Vacherot is more than just a player to Balleret — He is family. They are half-brothers, so it is understandably an emotional moment for Balleret.

“It’s a long way and sometimes you lose a little bit faith. Bad losses, it’s difficult emotionally because it’s family, it’s not only a player you work with, which is already difficult,” Balleret said. “You want it so much. But when it’s your brother it’s even more.

“So there was some ups and downs. To be here in front of you guys today as Val is a Masters 1000 champion, it’s just unbelievable.”

Balleret reached No. 204 in the PIF ATP Rankings, ironically the ranking at which Vacherot competed this week. Now the breakthrough Monegasque star will crack the Top 50 on Monday.

The 42-year-old Balleret did not go to college in the United States and instead embarked on his career, famously reaching the third round of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in 2006, falling to Roger Federer.

Vacherot, however, followed cousin Arthur Rinderknech to Texas A&M University. At the time, Balleret began his coaching career, spending two and a half years with Gilles Muller and nearly five years with Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

“When Val turned 18 he had a couple choices to make. He wanted to be a professional tennis player, but he was not mature enough in the head, and also in the fitness. He was so skinny. He was not developed physically,” Balleret said. “The family, we discussed it, and we advised him to go to America to college. To learn about tennis, to practise, to have a great coach with Steve Denton.”

Vacherot grew under the tutelage of Denton, the two-time Australian Open finalist. Last year, the Monegasque reached a career-high World No. 110, but a Masters 1000 trophy was not even a dream away.

When the 26-year-old began making his way through the Shanghai draw, the team’s sights were set on playing Jannik Sinner in the fourth round. However, the Italian lost to Tallon Griekspoor. He eventually played 100-time tour-level titlist Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.

“You say, ‘Okay, unbelievable. He can play Djokovic once in his life’. And he ends up beating a not 100 per cent Djokovic, but still beating him,” Balleret said. “The story to play Arthur in the final. it’s like everybody said, like a movie, like a fairytale. So that’s how we feel right now, in a fairytale.”

Now Vacherot, No. 40 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, will gain direct entry into the biggest tournaments in the world. As exciting as this victory is, they hope this is just the start.

“Already we say we want to keep going,” Balleret said. “I told him right away, ‘Amazing. We’re going to keep going. We’re going to go again. We’re going to go again full’. And we’ll see what happens next.”

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'One family that won' – Vacherot beats cousin for historic Shanghai title

World number 204 Valentin Vacherot beats his cousin Arthur Rinderknech at the Shanghai Masters to become the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion.

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