Category: Tennis

• Mixed year ends with Melbourne seeding up in the air

• British No 1 pulls out of Tokyo and Hong Kong events

Emma Raducanu has brought an early end to her season following physical struggles in China. The British No 1 had hoped to put together a strong finish to 2025 to guarantee herself a seeding at the Australian Open in January but that is now up in the air.

There is good news on the coaching front, though, with Francisco Roig reaching a deal to continue their work together in 2026.

• Briton went down 6-3, 4-6, 1-6 to Zhu Lin

• Raducanu called for trainer twice for treatment

Emma Raducanu again struggled physically in a first-round exit at the Ningbo Open to China’s Zhu Lin, raising questions over the rest of her season.

The British No1 was back on court a week after retiring from her opening match in Wuhan with dizziness in hot and humid conditions. She posted a picture on social media from a doctor’s office and said she felt better but she faded after winning the opening set against Zhu and slumped to a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 defeat.

• World No 3 rallies from 0-3 down in second set

• 21-year-old wins first title since this year’s French Open

Coco Gauff reeled off four straight games to beat Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5 and win the Wuhan Open on Sunday in an all-American final.

The 21-year-old Gauff won her second title of the year – her first was the French Open – and she now has 11 career titles.

• Qualifier earns 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory in final

• Becomes lowest-ranked player to win a Masters 1000

Valentin Vacherot closed out one of the most shocking big tournament runs in the history of professional tennis by becoming the lowest-ranked player to win a Masters 1000 title as he roared back from a set down to defeat his cousin, Arthur Rinderknech, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and triumph at the Shanghai Masters.

There is little precedent for so many of Vacherot’s achievements over the past two weeks. At No 204, the 26-year-old had only narrowly entered the qualifying draw, where he was the second-lowest ranked direct entrant, due to a number of late injury withdrawals. He is also the third qualifier to win a Masters 1000 title in the 35-year history of the format and the first Monégasque player in history to win any ATP title.

• Qualifier and world No 54 to meet in historic match-up

• Vacherot becomes lowest-ranked Masters 1000 finalist

The Shanghai Masters will witness one of the most astounding climaxes to any tournament as two cousins, Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech, extended their shock breakthrough runs with monumental wins to face each other in the final.

Vacherot continued his fairytale by toppling an injured Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 to become the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 finalist. In his first match against a top-five opponent, the Monégasque world No 204 maintained his composure as Djokovic appeared to struggle with his left gluteal muscle from early in the first set.

Daniil Medvedev is one of a growing number of leading players who say that the balls have become unpredictable and are affecting their game

It did not take Daniil Medvedev long to realise he was in serious trouble at the French Open. As he tried to find a way past Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the first round, Medvedev simply did not feel comfortable on the ball.

With his prospects of advancing in one of the biggest tournaments in the world dwindling, the 29-year-old settled on a drastic solution. Medvedev requested completely different strings when he sent his rackets for restringing mid-match, switching from a hybrid of natural gut and polyester strings to a full polyester setup.

Remembering where to be 365 days a year, even if it means the doping control officer pressing the doorbell at 6am, can weigh heavily on players

During a particularly mischievous period of his life, many years ago, a 21-year-old Gaël Monfils returned home from a long night of partying at 5.45am and after a quick dash to the bathroom fell asleep. Minutes later he was woken up by a doping control officer at his front door: “I’m dying in my bed and somehow I hear the guy come. Barely. I’m dead and he’s coming,” says Monfils, laughing.

One of the requirements of being an elite player is providing your location for an hour each day as part of the anti-doping whereabouts system, which allows the anti-doping authorities to conduct unannounced out-of-competition doping tests. For years the Frenchman, like most other players, has assigned 6am as his usual hour, a time he is certain to be at home or in his hotel room.

• Serbian made to work in straight-sets win over Bergs

• World No 204 takes out Rune to reach the last four

Novak Djokovic battled past a spirited Zizou Bergs 6-3, 7-5 on Thursday to reach the Shanghai Masters semi-finals for a 10th time, setting up a clash with surprise package and the world No 204, Valentin Vacherot.

In challenging conditions, Djokovic was made to work harder than the scoreline suggests by his Belgian opponent, who registered more winners than the four-time champion but was undone by unforced errors.

• Australian beats Nuno Borges 7-5 6-2 to reach 50 victories this year

• World No 7 to face Daniil Medvedev in last eight as draw opens up

Alex de Minaur has hailed the milestone 50th tour-level victory in his best ever season as “amazing” after easing into the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters.

But now the Australian No 1 hopes his win – a 7-5 6-2 win over Portugal’s Nuno Borges – is just a staging post on his way to what could be his first ever ATP Masters 1000 triumph.

Every year players are pushed to their limits in a sport that chases the sun. But the number of retirements, withdrawals and injuries this season has been shocking

Jannik Sinner had tried everything but after baking for two and a half hours inside the suffocating sauna of Shanghai’s stadium court, he was finished. Even around midnight, the humidity was still so oppressive that Sinner had spent the final 20 minutes of his third-round match against Tallon Griekspoor cramping, panting and in considerable pain. Eventually, he could not even walk properly. Midway through the final set, the 24-year-old hobbled slowly to his chair using his racket as a crutch and terminated the match.

Those scenes were representative of the Shanghai Masters so far as, throughout the past week, so many players have wilted in brutal conditions. Terence Atmane and Hamad Medjedovic both retired after struggling with the heat. Francisco Comesaña appeared close to collapsing and he had to be helped mid-match by his opponent Lorenzo Musetti. Despite the benefit of competing at night, Novak Djokovic repeatedly vomited in two consecutive matches and there were times in his fourth round win over Jaume Munar where he too looked as if he had reached his limit.

• Briton retires when trailing 6-1, 4-1 against Ann Li

• Novak Djokovic vomits on court but wins in Shanghai

Emma Raducanu’s brutal run of form and luck in Asia continued at the Wuhan Open as she retired because of illness from her first-round match at the WTA 1000 event, while trailing 6-1, 4-1 against the American Ann Li.

Raducanu is the latest player to crumble in tough conditions across China, with temperatures rising to 31C with 67% humidity in Wuhan on Tuesday afternoon.

• Russian-born star has ‘hit a wall and can’t continue’

• She promises to be back in 2026 and ‘ready to rock’

Australia’s women’s tennis No 1 has put her career on hold for the rest of the year stating “mentally and emotionally I am at breaking point”.

Daria Kasatkina, who switched nationality from Russia to Australia earlier this year, immediately becoming national No 1, blamed the “emotional and mental stress” related to that change, the strain of not seeing her family and the relentless schedule of the tennis circuit.

• Heat and humidity force Italian out in third set

• Amanda Anisimova wins China Open in Beijing

Jannik Sinner was forced to retire from his third-round match at the Shanghai Masters against Tallon Griekspoor, the 27th seed, after ­suffering from cramps in humid ­conditions while trailing the Dutchman 6-7 (3), 7-5, 3-2.

In the final weeks of a long, arduous season for all, the conditions in Shanghai have been severe this past week, particularly on Sunday as ­players tried to compete in 90% humidity. Many struggled badly.

• American trounces compatriot 6-1, 6-2 in semi-final

• Zverev: organisers are favouring Alcaraz and Sinner

Amanda Anisimova continued a stellar season in which she has finished as runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open by advancing to her second WTA 1000 final of the year, outclassing Coco Gauff, the defending champion, 6-1, 6-2 in the semi-finals of the China Open.

Seeded third in Beijing, the 24-year-old American now has a 2-1 edge in her head-to-head record against her compatriot Gauff.