September 22nd, 2025
It’s been a jam-packed week of tennis with dual team events and a host of tournaments underway in Asia. If you missed some of the action, read on for a full rundown of everything that happened last week, on and off the court.
Team World reclaim Laver Cup
The eighth edition of the Laver Cup took place over the weekend, with Team World claiming their third victory in the team format, 15-9.
It was a come-from-behind victory for Team World, who lost three of four matches on day one as Joao Fonseca was the only victor on Friday. However, a clean sweep on Saturday – including a surprise Taylor Fritz win over Carlos Alcaraz – gave them a good lead heading into the final day.
Alcaraz bounced back from his loss, winning both his singles and doubles matches on Sunday to give Team Europe a shot at defending their title. But, another impressive performance from Fritz, who beat Alexander Zverev, as well as Alex de Minaur, who was undefeated across his three matches, meant Team World sealed their victory.
?Laver Cup 2025 Champions?
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 22, 2025
Team World defeats Team Europe 15-9 for their third Laver Cup Win.#LaverCup pic.twitter.com/UcQu0dVUQm
Italy defend BJK Cup
Italy defended their Billie Jean King Cup title on Sunday, becoming world champions for the sixth time when they defeated the United States 2-0 in the final.
It was Jasmine Paolini and Elisabetta Cocciaretto who starred in the victory, taking down Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro respectively, both in straight sets. Earlier, Italy had navigated their ties against China and Ukraine to make the final, while the United States saw off Kazakhstan and Great Britain.
The Italian team become the first country to defend their title since 2016, when the Czech Republic won three in a row.
Swiatek reclaims 2025 momentum
Iga Swiatek quickly returned to her winning ways in Seoul on the weekend, claiming the 2025 Korea Open (WTA 500) in dominant fashion. The Pole had lost in the US Open quarter-finals despite being favorite to win the tournament, but showed no signs of slowing down as she rolled to her 25th title on Sunday, losing just one set all week.
Chengdu and Hangzhou pending
Over on the ATP Tour, the extension of the Shanghai Masters to a 12-day event means that the two ATP 250 tournaments taking place are still underway.
In Chengdu, top seed Lorenzo Musetti is a heavy favorite to take out the title, having made his way through to the semi-finals. He’ll face Alexander Shevchenko, while in the other semi, Brandon Nakashima and Alejandro Tabilo face off for a spot in the final.
In Hangzhou, Alexander Bublik is in the box seat to pick up title number four of the year. He plays Chinese wildcard Yibing Wu in the final four, and will take on either Corentin Moutet or Valentin Royer in the championship match. Interestingly, the top two seeds – Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev – both crashed out early in Hangzhou, continuing their poor runs of form in 2025.
Monfils’ career in doubt after injury
Frenchman Gael Monfils sadly suffered another injury in Chengdu, casting doubt on the future of the 39-year-old’s career.
Monfils hasn’t won a match since Wimbledon, with early losses in Washington, Toronto and New York, plus a retirement in Cincinnati. He played brilliantly in his opening match against Shevchenko, but an ankle injury forced him to pull out in the third set.
“Well… it’s clearly not the best moment of my career right now, let’s be honest,” he posted on social media.
“There’s a lot going on, a lot of questions… but hey. Not the best vibes, not much luck, and today the ankle gives out, just bad luck. But honestly, I’m doing really well as a person and that’s what matters most.”
Six Kings makes surprising addition
In a twist that few saw coming, the beleaguered Stefanos Tsitsipas received a call up to compete at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh later this year. The Greek has been having a grim year, slipping out of the world’s top 25 having been a top-10 regular for the past half decade.
However, with the withdrawal of Jack Draper from the Saudi Arabian exhibition event, Tsitsipas was next on the tournament organizer’s list to get an invite. Perhaps it’s just what the 27-year-old needs to kick start his career.
Coming up this week
It’s a strange week on the ATP Tour this week, with the Chengdu and Hangzhou tournaments featuring mid-week finals. Twin ATP 500 events in Tokyo and Beijing then kick off on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. These will be ones to watch, with Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner back in action – albeit in parallel tournaments – as they prepare for the upcoming Shanghai Masters.
On the WTA Tour, their big week is here already with the Beijing WTA 100 beginning on Wednesday. Most of the Tour’s big names will be in attendance as players begin to switch their focus towards qualifying for the season-ending WTA Finals.
