September 29th, 2025
Missed some of last week’s tennis action? No worries – we’ve got a full recap for you below, with a breakdown of everything you missed on and off the court in the world of tennis..
Seeds roll on in Beijing and Tokyo
It’s been another odd week of scheduling, which is becoming the norm as Masters 1000 tournaments shift to 12-day events. We’d usually have a handful of championship matches to discuss on a Monday, but instead, tournaments are still ongoing in Beijing and Tokyo this week. So far, seeds have been doing well across all three competitions.
In Tokyo, Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz remain on track to meet in the final of the ATP 500. Alcaraz faces Casper Ruud in the semi-finals, with the Norwegian finding form just in time to make a late push for Nitto ATP Finals qualification. Fritz, on the other hand, takes on compatriot Jenson Brooksby, who ousted third seed Holger Rune to extend his brilliant record (9-1) in quarter-finals.
In Beijing, the men’s draw has been narrowed down to eight so far. Jannik Sinner survived a scare against qualifier Terence Atmane to book his place in the quarters, where he could face Alex de Minaur, should the Aussie see off Jakub Mensik. In the bottom of the draw, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev meet in a blockbuster clash. The Russian has won seven of their last eight meetings, including the most recent four. Win, and he’ll likely play Lorenzo Musetti for a spot in the final.
The women’s event in Beijing – a WTA 1000 – is less advanced, with just a handful of rounds played so far. There have been few major upsets, with Ekaterina Alexandrova and Elina Rybakina the only notable exits.
Alcaraz matches personal-best season
By advancing to the Beijing semi-finals, Alcaraz claimed his 65th win of 2025, matching his personal-best win tally achieved in 2023.
No other man on Tour has even won 50 matches (Fritz, Zverev and De Minaur are all close), and only three others (Sinner, Zverev and Medvedev) have crossed the 65-win mark in a single season since 2020.
Given the amount of runway Alcaraz has remaining in 2025, he’s a live chance of pushing his personal record a lot further.
“Probably it’s the best period of my career,” he said after his win in Tokyo. “I’m just feeling great on court, every time I step on the court. I just think I can do everything. I’m approaching the end of the season with a lot of confidence and these kinds of matches, this kind of level, helps a lot to keep the confidence high.
“I’m just trying to set up goals before matches, before tournaments, and trying to follow those goals. I think that helps me a lot to play great tennis and maintain the focus during the match.”
Draper announces early return from injury
Earlier this month, Britain’s Jack Draper announced that he was ending his season early. The 23-year-old has been struggling with an arm injury since the US Open after reaching a career high in the first half of the season.
While he won’t be returning to ATP action in 2025, Draper did share this week that he will be playing in December at the UTS Grand Final in London.
“I have such great memories of winning UTS in front of my home crowd a couple of years ago,” he said. “I think the format really suits my game, and it’s so much fun to play. I’m looking forward to getting back out there and competing.”
Townsend retreats after Chinese controversy
If you think you’ve been seeing Taylor Townsend’s name in the headlines a lot recently, that’s because you have. The American has been involved in yet another controversy, this time withdrawing from the Beijing Open for a “change of schedule”, just days after making racist remarks on her social media about Chinese food.
Townsend posted on her Instagram criticizing the selection at a buffet late last week, making comments such as, “What the hell … turtle and bullfrog is WILD,” and “These people are literally killing frogs, bullfrogs. Aren’t those the ones that give you warts and boils and stuff?”
She received plenty of heat for the post – which she did apologize for – and it seems her withdrawal from the Beijing Open was correlated.
Coming up this week
It’s finals time in Beijing and Tokyo. Is the Alcaraz-Sinner double going to unfold the way online tennis bookies predicted? Will Swiatek keep rolling on in Asia? All this will be revealed, before the Shanghai Masters kicks off for the men later in the week. It’s a longer format event, so expect a slow start. However, with the prospect of another Alcaraz vs Sinner final on the cards, there will be plenty to keep an eye on in Shanghai. Watch this space as we’ll have a draw preview out shortly.
