Tennis News — Daily ATP & WTA Briefings

First-round play continued Thursday at the China Open, where the seeds start in the second round. Unseeded Qinwen Zheng, a US Open quarterfinalist last month, was in the first set against Han Shi as of 11:25 a.m. local time. Three other matches were also in their opening sets, among them Sofia Kenin's meeting with Ashlyn Krueger. Paula Badosa and Daria Kasatkina are scheduled to play each other at 12:30 p.m. Polina Kudermetova, who beat Yexin Ma after dropping a first-set tiebreak, faces 32nd seed Clara Tauson in the second round.

Story linkPublished Sep 30, 2026, 4:35 PM UTCUpdated Oct 1, 2026, 3:34 AM UTC

Daniil Medvedev won the Hangzhou Open on Tuesday, beating second seed Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-4. The top seed hit 23 aces and held all 11 service games, breaking once in each set. Rublev had lost both of their previous meetings on record.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina won the Chengdu Open without losing serve, defeating Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 7-6(7) in the final. He also won the Mallorca title in June. At the Japan Open, he opens against Matteo Berrettini.

In Tokyo on Wednesday, seventh seed Tommy Paul lost 6-1, 6-2 in the first round to ATP No. 32 Alejandro Tabilo, who broke him five times in seven return games.

The WTA 1000 China Open's main draw began in Beijing on Wednesday without defending champion Amanda Anisimova. Qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich, ranked 121st, beat WTA No. 37 Talia Gibson 6-1, 6-4. Oleksandra Oliynykova, ranked 47th, lost 6-2, 6-3 to wild card Yue Yuan, ranked 134th.

Story linkPublished Sep 30, 2026, 9:25 AM UTC

Magdalena Frech is into the second round of the China Open, where the seeds enter the draw, after a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 win over Elsa Jacquemot. Frech broke in the second game of the deciding set and, after Jacquemot broke back to 4-5, broke again in the next game to win. As of 11:25 p.m. local time, the only match observed in progress was Renata Zarazua against Anna Bondar, and Zarazua had taken the first set 7-6(4). Zarazua came in on a five-match losing streak that included their first-round meeting at the Korea Open last week. Bondar won that match from a set down and went on to reach the semifinals.

Story linkPublished Sep 30, 2026, 3:35 AM UTCUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 3:34 PM UTC

The 2026 Shanghai Masters, an ATP Masters 1000 event on hard courts, holds its main draw from October 7 to 18 at Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena. The tournament's entry-list announcement, published September 10, names Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. The four are announced entries, not a complete field, and an entry list sets no matchups. Entries can also change before the draw. The announcement is nearly three weeks old, so it shows where the four stood on September 10 rather than confirming their status now.

Story linkPublished Sep 30, 2026, 2:31 AM UTC

Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev will meet for the Hangzhou Open title. Medvedev, ATP No. 6 and the top seed, won 7-5, 6-4 against ATP No. 102 Roman Safiullin. Second seed Rublev conceded one game after the opening tiebreak, which he took 7-0, against ATP No. 107 Kyrian Jacquet. Medvedev has won both of their meetings on record, most recently a straight-sets quarterfinal at the 2023 US Open.

The Chengdu Open final pairs fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz and second seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Hurkacz came through 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-3 against seventh seed Denis Shapovalov, breaking in the third game of the second set and the sixth of the third, and saving all three break points he faced in the decider. Davidovich Fokina recovered from a set down against qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili, ATP No. 145. Both ATP 250 finals close their events on Tuesday.

The China Open, a WTA 1000 in Beijing, and the ATP 500 Japan Open in Tokyo both start Wednesday. Carlos Alcaraz, the 2025 Tokyo champion, is the top seed there.

Story linkPublished Sep 29, 2026, 9:19 AM UTC

Leylah Fernandez won the Singapore Tennis Open, beating Talia Gibson 7-5, 6-0 in the WTA 250 final. The sixth seed, WTA No. 31, closed a five-match week whose centerpiece was a quarterfinal win over Mirra Andreeva, the WTA No. 5. Gibson, WTA No. 62, had come through a four-match run that included a three-set win over Maria Sakkari.

At the Hangzhou Open, top seed Daniil Medvedev, ATP No. 6, reached the semifinals past Coleman Wong 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-3. Andrey Rublev needed two hours and 51 minutes against Hugo Gaston, who saved three match points before Rublev ran out the third set 6-1.

At the Chengdu Open, Hubert Hurkacz survived a 12-10 first-set tiebreak against qualifier Lloyd Harris, and Denis Shapovalov recovered from a set down against Adrian Mannarino. They meet in one semifinal. Qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili, ATP No. 145, faces second seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the other.

Hangzhou's semifinals pair Medvedev with Roman Safiullin, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Yunchaokete Bu, and Kyrian Jacquet with Rublev.

Story linkPublished Sep 28, 2026, 9:15 AM UTC

Kimberly Birrell won the Korea Open, beating Maya Joint 6-4, 6-2 in the Seoul final. Birrell, the second seed at WTA No. 56, converted six of 10 break points, and Joint held only three of her nine service games. Joint had reached the final when Alina Korneeva retired at 6-2, 1-0 in their semifinal.

At the Chengdu Open, qualifier Lloyd Harris, ranked ATP No. 136, upset top seed Valentin Vacherot 6-4, 7-6(5), striking 16 aces and holding all 11 of his service games. Nikoloz Basilashvili, ATP No. 145, won his quarterfinal against Jenson Brooksby.

Seeds kept falling at the Hangzhou Open. Kyrian Jacquet, ATP No. 107, beat sixth seed Fabian Marozsan 7-6(12), 6-4 in the quarterfinals, and Coleman Wong came through in three sets against fifth seed Adolfo Daniel Vallejo. Top seed Daniil Medvedev and second seed Andrey Rublev are the only seeds left; Medvedev plays Wong next.

At the Singapore Tennis Open, Leylah Fernandez recovered from a set down against fifth seed Maja Chwalinska to set up a final with Talia Gibson.

Story linkPublished Sep 27, 2026, 9:17 AM UTC

Talia Gibson reached the Singapore Tennis Open final without playing her semifinal, awarded a walkover over Tatiana Prozorova. Gibson, WTA No. 62, had beaten seventh seed Maria Sakkari 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.

The top seed had already gone in the quarterfinals. Leylah Fernandez won 6-2, 7-5, converting six of 11 break points as Mirra Andreeva, WTA No. 5, held four of her ten service games. Andreeva led their meetings on record 2-1 going in, both wins on clay.

Fernandez plays fifth seed Maja Chwalinska, a 6-2, 6-2 winner over fourth seed Elise Mertens, for the other final place.

Seeds kept falling at the Hangzhou Open, where Roman Safiullin, ATP No. 102, came from a set down to beat fourth seed Quentin Halys 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, a day after third seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry and seventh seed Jaime Faria lost. In Chengdu, Adrian Mannarino ended third seed Alejandro Tabilo's week 6-4, 6-4.

The Korea Open lost its third and fourth seeds in the quarterfinals, leaving Anna Bondar to face second seed Kimberly Birrell in the semifinals.

Story linkPublished Sep 26, 2026, 9:17 AM UTC

The Singapore Tennis Open has lost two of its top four seeds inside a day. Tatiana Prozorova, unseeded and ranked outside the WTA top 150, beat third seed Alexandra Eala 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in a round-of-16 match that ran three hours and nine minutes. Eala, WTA No. 18, created 17 break points and converted six; Prozorova took seven of her 12, including all three in the deciding set, the last for 5-3 before she served out the match. Eala is the highest-ranked opponent Prozorova has beaten in The Drop Shot's records, which begin in 2017.

Fifth seed Maja Chwalinska then ousted fourth seed Elise Mertens 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinals. Top seed Mirra Andreeva, WTA No. 5, faces Leylah Fernandez in another quarterfinal.

Both ATP 250s in China lost their No. 3 seeds in the round of 16. Kyrian Jacquet, ATP No. 107, beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-2, 6-3 in Hangzhou, where top seed Daniil Medvedev is drawn against Valentin Royer. Adrian Mannarino eliminated Alejandro Tabilo 6-4, 6-4 in Chengdu.

Prozorova's quarterfinal is against Xinyu Wang.

Story linkPublished Sep 25, 2026, 9:17 AM UTC

Taylah Preston, the WTA No. 92, beat top seed Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-1 in the Korea Open round of 16. Ostapenko, the WTA No. 32, served 10 double faults and held four of her eight service games, while Preston saved seven of the eight break points she faced and broke in games 2 and 4 of the second set.

Preston was outside the top 200 a year ago. On record, she has one win over an opponent ranked higher than Ostapenko: a January victory over Emma Raducanu.

Ostapenko was the only seed beaten in Thursday's round of 16. Sixth seed Anna Bondar needed 3 hours 15 minutes and a deciding-set tiebreak to get past Alina Charaeva, and third seed Lanlana Tararudee meets fifth seed Maya Joint in the quarterfinals.

In Singapore, top seed Mirra Andreeva opened her week with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Aliaksandra Sasnovich, her first match since the US Open quarterfinals.

In Chengdu, seventh seed Denis Shapovalov beat Tallon Griekspoor 6-4, 7-6(3). In Hangzhou, seventh seed Jaime Faria came from a set down against Terence Atmane.

Story linkPublished Sep 24, 2026, 9:20 AM UTC

Barbora Krejcikova did not take the court for her round of 16 at the Singapore Tennis Open, and fourth seed Elise Mertens reached the quarterfinals on a walkover. The 2024 Wimbledon champion had spent 2 hours 58 minutes the previous day on a 6-0, 5-7, 7-6(4) win over qualifier Anna-Lena Friedsam, ranked 265th.

Fifth seed Maja Chwalinska took 53 minutes in the WTA 250's other completed round of 16, beating Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-0, 6-1.

At the Korea Open, Katie Volynets won 6-3, 6-0 against eighth seed Kamilla Rakhimova — the only seeded loss in the four round-of-16 matches finished in Seoul. Third seed Lanlana Tararudee and fifth seed Maya Joint advanced, and Alina Korneeva needed 2 hours 15 minutes to get past Darya Astakhova.

In Chengdu, Jenson Brooksby beat eighth seed Sebastian Baez 7-5, 7-5, breaking in game 12 of the second set. It was his first win since Winston-Salem in August.

Story linkPublished Sep 23, 2026, 9:15 AM UTC

Seventh seed Kaitlin Quevedo came from a set down to beat Nadia Podoroska 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the SP Open final, the WTA 250 in São Paulo. Quevedo trailed 0-3 in the opening set, converted six of her nine break points and broke twice early in the third for a 4-0 lead. She now stands at WTA No. 90, up from No. 105 before the final and outside the top 150 a year ago; Podoroska is ranked WTA No. 317.

In the Korea Open's round of 32, top seed Jelena Ostapenko beat Anastasia Zakharova 6-4, 6-1 and second seed Kimberly Birrell won 7-6(2), 6-4 against Tamara Zidansek. Seventh seed Magda Linette went out, losing a deciding-set tiebreak to qualifier Darya Astakhova, ranked WTA No. 200.

At the Singapore Tennis Open, eighth seed Donna Vekic was beaten 6-1, 6-2 in 65 minutes by Xinyu Wang, ranked WTA No. 40. The ATP 250 Chengdu Open starts Wednesday.

Story linkPublished Sep 22, 2026, 9:17 AM UTC

Daria Kasatkina opened the Singapore Tennis Open, a WTA 250, with a 7-5, 6-0 loss to Aliaksandra Sasnovich, ranked WTA No. 130. It was Kasatkina's first match since her US Open first-round exit on Sept. 2, and her sixth defeat in seven matches on record. She sits at WTA No. 85, down from No. 16 a year ago.

The difference sat in the service games. Kasatkina held three of nine and hit seven double faults to Sasnovich's none, and Sasnovich broke to start the second set and again in games 3 and 5.

The Korea Open began in Seoul. Fifth seed Maya Joint saved three match points before beating qualifier Xinxin Yao 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-3, and third seed Lanlana Tararudee and eighth seed Kamilla Rakhimova also went three sets.

Wild card Dayeon Back, WTA No. 270, beat Yue Yuan 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, her first win on record at this event since she beat Jelena Ostapenko here in 2023. Ostapenko, the top seed, meets Anastasia Zakharova in the first round.

Story linkPublished Sep 21, 2026, 9:16 AM UTC

Iva Jovic defended her Guadalajara Open title, beating Peyton Stearns 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the hard-court WTA 500. Seeded second and ranked WTA No. 16, Jovic also won the 2025 edition of the event.

Jovic held all nine of her service games and converted three of five break points, breaking to open the second set and again in game seven for 5-2. Stearns saved two match points.

At the SP Open, a WTA 250, unseeded Nadia Podoroska reached the final at WTA No. 317, beating second seed Paula Badosa 6-3, 6-4. She converted six of 11 break points; Badosa held four of her 10 service games.

Podoroska meets Kaitlin Quevedo, the seventh seed at WTA No. 105, who needed two hours and 22 minutes to get past fourth seed Anna Blinkova 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

Story linkPublished Sep 20, 2026, 9:15 AM UTC

Iva Jovic will play for a second straight Guadalajara Open title. The second seed at the WTA 500, ranked WTA No. 16, won the event in 2025 and beat sixth seed Cristina Bucsa 6-4, 6-1 in the semifinals.

Peyton Stearns, unseeded at WTA No. 60, is the other finalist. She dropped serve in the first and third games against eighth seed Liudmila Samsonova, then broke in games 8 and 10 and took the tiebreak on the way to a 7-6(7), 6-2 win, converting five of 12 break points. The two have no prior meetings on record.

In São Paulo, Nadia Podoroska is the only unseeded semifinalist at the SP Open, a WTA 250. Ranked WTA No. 317, she came through 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-3 against Suzan Lamens. She meets second seed Paula Badosa, a 6-4, 6-2 winner over Mary Stoiana, while Kaitlin Quevedo plays Anna Blinkova in the other semifinal.

Story linkPublished Sep 19, 2026, 9:15 AM UTC

The Guadalajara Open, a WTA 500 on hard courts, lost its top seed in the quarterfinals. Eighth-seeded Liudmila Samsonova came through 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 against Marta Kostyuk, the WTA No. 10, breaking for 6-5 in the decider before serving it out. Kostyuk won 14 of 45 points behind her second serve. She had lost both of their previous meetings on record.

Iva Jovic, the second seed and defending champion, dropped three games against 2024 winner Magdalena Frech. Sixth seed Cristina Bucsa conceded only four to third seed Sara Bejlek. Bucsa and Jovic meet in one semifinal; Samsonova faces Peyton Stearns, who edged wild card Sloane Stephens 7-6(6), 6-4.

In São Paulo, two seeds fell in the SP Open round of 16. Nadia Podoroska, ranked WTA No. 317, beat fifth seed Eva Lys 7-5, 6-2, and third seed Solana Sierra went out 6-3, 6-2 to Suzan Lamens. Podoroska and Lamens now meet for a semifinal place. Mary Stoiana, WTA No. 116, drew second seed Paula Badosa, who recovered from a set down against Jasmin Ortenzi.

Story linkPublished Sep 18, 2026, 9:17 AM UTC

Top seed Marta Kostyuk advanced to the Guadalajara Open quarterfinals on a walkover. Wild card Taylor Townsend did not take the court for their round-of-16 match at the WTA 500, and the draw sends Kostyuk into a quarterfinal with eighth seed Liudmila Samsonova.

Samsonova needed two hours and 38 minutes and two tiebreaks to get past Kayla Day 7-6(4) 2-6 7-6(5). Second seed Iva Jovic beat Zeynep Sonmez 7-6(5) 6-4, and seventh seed Magdalena Frech came through against qualifier Caroline Dolehide 6-4 6-3.

At the SP Open, the WTA 250 in São Paulo, Teodora Kostovic reached the quarterfinals by beating ninth seed Darja Semenistaja 6-4 6-1. Kostovic is ranked WTA No. 186 to Semenistaja's No. 120. Second seed Paula Badosa opened with a 6-3 6-2 win over lucky loser Justina Mikulskyte; Badosa is WTA No. 70, down from around No. 20 a year ago.

Story linkPublished Sep 17, 2026, 9:17 AM UTC

Caroline Dolehide, a qualifier ranked WTA No. 246, beat No. 91 Renata Zarazua 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in Monday's first round at the WTA 500 Guadalajara Open. Dolehide had lost her previous six matches, with no recorded win since Washington in July 2025.

Taylor Townsend needed longer. The wild card lost the opening tiebreak to Tatjana Maria without taking a point, then broke Maria five times to win the next two sets 6-3, 6-2.

Both seeds in action came through. Seventh seed Magdalena Frech beat qualifier Nao Hibino 6-1, 6-4, and eighth seed Liudmila Samsonova won 7-6(6), 6-2 against Elsa Jacquemot. Wild card Sloane Stephens also advanced in straight sets past qualifier Carole Monnet.

The round followed Sunday's US Open men's final, which Alexander Zverev won in four sets over Ben Shelton.

Story linkPublished Sep 15, 2026, 9:18 AM UTC

Alexander Zverev closed the US Open with his second major of 2026, beating eighth seed Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 in Sunday's final in New York. The top seed and ATP No. 2 also won this year's French Open.

Zverev held 19 of his 20 service games and won 85 percent of his first-serve points, against 71 percent for Shelton. He broke in the opening game of the match and took the second-set tiebreak 7-2. Shelton won the third set 7-5, then lost serve in the first and seventh games of the fourth, finishing with 47 unforced errors, 11 of them in that closing set. Zverev has now won all three of their meetings on record.

At the WTA 500 in Guadalajara, sixth seed Cristina Bucsa closed out a first-round win over wild card Bianca Andreescu, ranked WTA No. 183, in 68 minutes, 6-4, 6-3. Fifth seed Janice Tjen came through a first-set tiebreak against Darja Vidmanova, 7-6(6), 6-2, and Panna Udvardy needed three sets to beat wild card Lois Boisson, ranked WTA No. 237.

Story linkPublished Sep 14, 2026, 9:16 AM UTC

Rybakina reaches Saturday's US Open final as the new WTA No. 1, having taken the ranking off Sabalenka merely by arriving in the semifinals, per Yahoo Sports. She edged Gauff by six points across 170.

Sabalenka took 80 minutes on the other half, holding all 10 service games, facing one break point and out-hitting Pegula 29 winners to 12. Sabalenka leads 6-4 on record and 4-4 on hard, though Rybakina owns the piece that matters most, January's Australian Open final.

Friday hands New York the men. Top seed Zverev draws Khachanov, ranked 49th and into a first US Open semifinal after Blockx retired down 3-2 in the third; Khachanov beat the top seed at the Canadian Open last August.

Tiafoe meets Shelton in the other, the eighth seed on two days' rest after 4 hours, 28 minutes and a fifth-set tiebreak with Alcaraz. The ranking question is settled before a ball is struck Saturday; the trophy is not.

Story linkPublished Sep 11, 2026, 5:13 AM UTC

The defending champion is out of the US Open, the exit landing at 3:33 a.m. — the latest finish in tournament history, and the end of an 18-match Grand Slam winning streak for Carlos Alcaraz, per the Washington Post. Ben Shelton needed five sets and 4h28m, the decider a tiebreak with no break of serve: his best win by opponent rank on record, and a first US Open semifinal since 2023.

The night before, Frances Tiafoe spent 4h38m surviving a fifth-set tiebreak against Alex Michelsen. Their all-American semifinal, Friday per CBS Sports, guarantees an American man in the final, per ABC News.

Also through: Karen Khachanov, after Alexander Blockx retired trailing 3-2 in the third.

Among the women, Elena Rybakina recovered from a set down to end the run of Qinwen Zheng, WTA No. 121 now and No. 9 a year ago, while Coco Gauff edged a 7-6(7) second set past Mirra Andreeva.

The draws read differently now: Aryna Sabalenka–Jessica Pegula and Gauff–Rybakina leave the women's top four seeds all standing, against one in the men's, Alexander Zverev.

Story linkPublished Sep 10, 2026, 5:13 AM UTC

Tiafoe is back in a Slam semifinal for the first time since the 2024 US Open, and the points count argues he shouldn't be: the 4-hour, 38-minute climb out of a two-set hole ended with Michelsen ahead 173-170 in total points and 21-10 in aces.

Sixty-one unforced errors to Tiafoe's 43 is where that lead went. Michelsen had not dropped a set all fortnight, one win from becoming the first unseeded man this century to reach a major semifinal that way, per Bleacher Report; the 11th seed broke him in game 12 of the third for 7-5 and took the fifth in a breaker.

Sabalenka, the defending champion, needed 2h21m and two tiebreaks to see off Noskova, breaking back for 4-4 in game 8 of the decider. Pegula recovered from a set down against Navarro in the other all-American quarterfinal.

Wednesday stacks five: Alcaraz against Shelton headlines, with Zverev, Khachanov and Gauff–Andreeva alongside, plus Rybakina against Zheng, the qualifier ranked WTA No. 121 who put Swiatek out in straight sets.

Story linkPublished Sep 9, 2026, 5:13 AM UTC

Saturday belonged to the fallen seeds at the US Open, starting with the ninth of them: two sets up and 150 of 298 total points won, Fritz still lost in five to Francisco Cerundolo, a 53 percent first-serve day set against the Argentine's 81 percent behind his own. Per Reuters, it is his earliest exit at his home major in four years.

Two past US Open runners-up left the women's draw inside an afternoon, as ESPN noted: Zheng Qinwen, WTA No. 121 after a career-high No. 4 in June 2025, erased a 6-1 opening set against 22nd seed Madison Keys by winning the last seven games, and Anastasia Potapova needed 98 minutes against 10th-seeded Amanda Anisimova.

Fifth-seeded Flavio Cobolli went with them, dropping a 6-0 third set to Alexander Blockx.

That is two top-10 men gone before the fourth round. Top seed Alexander Zverev is already through it in straight sets over Alejandro Tabilo, and the round of 16 lines up Carlos Alcaraz against Tommy Paul, Aryna Sabalenka against Taylor Townsend.

Story linkPublished Sep 6, 2026, 5:10 AM UTC

Two of the men's top six seeds left the US Open inside a day, and the third seed's exit costs most. Auger-Aliassime went out in four to Khachanov, winning 41 percent of his second-serve points to the 49th-ranked Russian's 61, and the 750 ATP points he defended as a semifinalist a year ago go with it, per Tennis Majors.

De Minaur fared no better against Van De Zandschulp, who held 14 of 15 service games and broke five times; the sixth seed saved three match points in defeat.

The 13th seed went too, 122nd-ranked Dane Sweeny taking the last three sets off Musetti. The women's half held to form, with Swiatek, Andreeva and Gauff through and Keys needing 2 hours 57 minutes; 32nd seed Sakkari the only seeded woman to fall.

Four men's seeds fell, in a draw already missing ATP No. 1 Jannik Sinner, out with physical issues per Yahoo Sports. Bonzi, who removed the 32nd seed, and Khachanov meet next; Sweeny draws 21st seed Darderi, while Fritz, two games conceded in 91 minutes, gets Cerundolo.

Story linkPublished Sep 4, 2026, 5:10 AM UTC

Top seed at the US Open only because Jannik Sinner withdrew with a right knee injury, as Sports Illustrated reported, Zverev needed 4 hours 52 minutes and a 1:55 a.m. finish, per ATP Tour, to get through Sonego, converting 5 of 22 break points while the Italian saved 17.

The seeds below him fared worse. The 12th seed, Rafael Jodar, managed four games in three sets against lucky loser Yunchaokete Bu, ranked 124th, while 23rd seed Andrey Rublev fell in four to Daniel Merida Aguilar and 16th-seeded Brandon Nakashima lost in straights to Alex Michelsen.

Jelena Ostapenko was the day's only women's seed to fall, beaten from a set up by Tatjana Maria. Carlos Alcaraz needed a similar reset, dropping the opener to Jaime Faria before conceding five games over the last three sets.

Next for Zverev is Quentin Halys, per the ATP's match report, while Michelsen and Merida Aguilar meet for a round-of-16 place neither was seeded to reach.

Story linkPublished Sep 3, 2026, 5:10 AM UTC

Saturday's two finals both ended with a title winner packing for New York. Ranked 66th, Diane Parry beat second-seeded Elise Mertens 6-4, 0-6, 6-3 at the Monterrey Open for the first title of her career, a second win over Mertens in a fortnight after their Cincinnati meeting on Aug. 15; she sits at WTA No. 50, from 107 a year ago.

Winston-Salem ran a similar script. Ignacio Buse beat Arthur Fery 6-3, 6-2 for his second title, after Hamburg in May at the expense of Tommy Paul, and has climbed 99 places in a year to ATP No. 36.

Both go straight into the US Open, which begins today with its seed line running one deep of the rankings: Alexander Zverev tops it at ATP No. 2, Sports Illustrated reporting that Jannik Sinner withdrew Aug. 21 with the knee injury that already cost him Cincinnati.

The first-day card takes Novak Djokovic against Mariano Navone, Daniil Medvedev against Hugo Gaston and Venus Williams against Sofia Kenin. Fery, meanwhile, drew 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti.

Story linkPublished Aug 30, 2026, 5:10 AM UTC

Nineteen players are out of the US Open across both draws, per Puntodebreak's Thursday tally, headlined by ATP No. 1 Jannik Sinner, whose right knee keeps him in Europe with Beijing and Shanghai the stated targets, per the ATP; Joao Fonseca, out with an abdominal injury, plus Emma Raducanu and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, are also absent. Carlos Alcaraz travels the other way in that same report, back from four and a half months out with a wrist problem.

The Monterrey Open spent its Thursday shedding seeds. Clara Tauson needed 2 hours 28 minutes to remove top-seeded Alexandrova, then lost her own quarterfinal hours later to Diane Parry, ranked 66th and three wins deep here after ousting Donna Vekic.

Seeds are faring no better in Winston-Salem, where 100th-ranked Benjamin Bonzi beat the 13th seed, Botic van de Zandschulp, and James Duckworth came from a set down on 15th seed Fabian Marozsan.

Elise Mertens and Ann Li are now the only seeds in Monterrey's semifinals; Winston-Salem's sends 11th-seeded Korda against Fucsovics.

Story linkPublished Aug 28, 2026, 5:10 AM UTC

The Winston-Salem Open lost its top seed inside 82 minutes. Daniil Medvedev, ATP No. 7, went out to Martin Damm, the biggest win by opponent rank of Damm's career, past Tommy Paul at ATP No. 14 in 2024, and it lands in the week he reached a career-high ATP No. 92, up 202 places on a year ago.

Six other seeds followed him out. Mees Rottgering, ranked 418th, removed 14th seed Tomas Machac, while Rinky Hijikata needed 3 hours 9 minutes and tiebreaks in the last two sets to see off fifth seed Raphael Collignon.

Off court, Joao Fonseca withdrew from the US Open with an abdominal injury, per ATP Tour, days after Jannik Sinner's right knee took the ATP No. 1 out of the same draw.

Monterrey shed a seed of its own, Janice Tjen beaten by Yuliia Starodubtseva in the round of 16, with three of the day's six winners there qualifiers or a lucky loser.

That leaves second seed Luciano Darderi the highest man standing, and a US Open field losing names before the draw is played.

Story linkPublished Aug 26, 2026, 5:10 AM UTC

France has a Masters 1000 champion again, its first in 12 years and, at 22, its youngest ever, per Tennis Majors: Arthur Fils needed three match points to close out the Cincinnati final against Frances Tiafoe, a sixth straight win on a run that also took down then-No. 7 Alex De Minaur. Fourth career title, first above 500 level.

Earlier at the same event, Coco Gauff spent 74 minutes on Jessica Pegula for a second Cincinnati crown after 2023, pushing a 3-1 series lead on record to 4-1; ESPN noted it was the tournament's first all-American women's final in 56 years.

The tune-ups thinned instead. Pablo Carreno Busta retired down 6-4, 3-0 at Winston-Salem, where Jenson Brooksby dropped five games on Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, and 78th-ranked Yuliia Starodubtseva beat No. 48 Lilli Tagger in Monterrey.

New York takes it from here: the US Open draw comes Thursday, main draw Sunday, and no Sinner, who withdrew Friday with a right knee injury per the ATP.

Story linkPublished Aug 24, 2026, 5:10 AM UTC

The day's biggest story came out of New York, not Ohio. Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the US Open with the right knee that has kept him off court since Wimbledon, as Al Jazeera reported Friday, and the seed board moves with him: tennis365 projects Alexander Zverev as the New York top seed, with the cutoff Monday and Cincinnati the last counting event.

Which makes the Cincinnati Open semifinals an audition the sixth seed no longer gets. Taylor Fritz matched Brandon Nakashima point for point at 97 apiece, out-served him 22 aces to 13 and out-hit him 41 winners to 25, and lost on games, 16-15.

Nakashima draws Frances Tiafoe, the 2024 runner-up here, through in two over Lorenzo Musetti.

Also Friday: Sara Bejlek, unseeded and ranked 111th a year ago, followed her round-of-16 win over Aryna Sabalenka by coming from a set down on Madison Keys across 2h 38m for a first WTA 1000 semifinal.

Saturday hands out the last seeding points before Monday: Cobolli against Fils, Pegula against Swiatek, and Bejlek against Coco Gauff, champion here in 2023.

Story linkPublished Aug 22, 2026, 5:10 AM UTC