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Amanda Anisimova beat Jasmine Paolini in one of the best matches of 2025 at the China Open on Thursday, and victory for the American seals another new milestone in what has been an incredible season.

World No 4 Anisimova battled past Paolini 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4 to not only reach the last four of the WTA 1000 event, but also seal her qualification for the WTA Finals, to be held in Riyadh this November.

It is the first time that the 24-year-old has qualified for the WTA Finals, and she is now one of the five women to seal her place in Riyadh — with the battle for the remaining three places well and truly on.

Who has qualified?

Heading into the China Open, world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and world No 2 Iga Swiatek were already qualified for the year-end championships, while defending WTA Finals champion Coco Gauff sealed her spot by reaching the last eight in Beijing.

Gauff’s points total for the year has increased thanks to Thursday’s quarter-final win over Eva Lys, though two more players have now sealed their spot.

Thanks to her win over Paolini in a three-set thriller, Wimbledon and US Open runner-up Anisimova has officially sealed her spot, capping off a career-best season for the American — who now faces compatriot Gauff in the last four in Beijing.

And, Anisimova’s win means that Australian Open champion Madison Keys has also claimed her place for the first time since 2016, with the 30-year-old sitting fifth in the race on 4,450 points.

Keys did not enter the China Open this year and, as a Grand Slam winner, only needed to finish inside the top 20 to seal her WTA Finals place, though she has comfortably reached the top eight.

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Race to qualify

Qualification for Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Anisimova, and Keys means that there are only three spots available in the WTA Finals left to grab.

And, Jessica Pegula currently looks set to be the next player to seal her place in the year-end championships, with the 31-year-old close to qualifying for the fourth straight season.

Pegula is currently on 4,423 points in the WTA Live Race, and will move above Keys’ points tally should she beat Emma Navarro in an all-American China Open quarter-final clash on Friday.

Also close to sealing qualification is teen star Mirra Andreeva, with the 18-year-old looking to seal her debut appearance at the WTA Finals.

The Russian has already qualified in the doubles alongside Diana Shnaider, and is seventh in the singles race following her round-four China Open exit, sitting on 4,309 points.

That gives her a solid cushion over Elena Rybakina and Paolini, who currently look set to battle it out for the final spot in Riyadh.

Rybakina currently sits in eighth place with 3,806, with Paolini just behind on 3,741 points for the season.

Had Paolini beaten Anisimova in Beijing, she would have moved above Rybakina and occupied the crucial eighth spot in the race.

However, the Italian will now head to Wuhan still needing to chase down Rybakina, with both women having qualified for the 2024 WTA Finals.

Paolini, however, does have a solid cushion over 10th-placed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who herself has a significant lead over the rest of the field.

Live WTA Race to Riyadh (as of October 2, 2025)

1) Aryna Sabalenka, 9,610 – Q
2) Iga Swiatek, 8,153 – Q
3) Coco Gauff, 5,574 – Q
4) Amanda Anisimova, 5,298 – Q
5) Madison Keys, 4,450 – Q
6) Jessica Pegula, 4,423
7) Mirra Andreeva, 4,309
8) Elena Rybakina, 3,806
Cutoff
9) Jasmine Paolini, 3,741
10) Ekaterina Alexandrova, 3,136
11) Clara Tauson, 2,660
12) Elina Svitolina, 2,606
13) Emma Navarro, 2,515

Read Next: How does Iga Swiatek’s China Open exit affect world No 1 ranking battle with Aryna Sabalenka?

The post WTA Rankings Race to Riyadh: Anisimova & Keys join Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff in securing qualification appeared first on Tennis365.

Iga Swiatek has assessed her performance in her surprise defeat to Emma Navarro at the 2025 China Open and also looked ahead to her debut at the Wuhan Open.

In the fourth round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing, Swiatek racked up an astonishing tally of 70 unforced errors as she lost 4-6, 6-4, 0-6 to world No 17 Navarro.

Swiatek was on a six-match winning streak heading into the last 16 in China, having secured her third title since the start of July at the WTA 500 event in Seoul last month.

Here is every word from Swiatek’s press conference after she lost to the 24-year-old American.

Q. Iga, tough one today. Your thoughts on the match.

SWIATEK: Yeah, for sure that wasn’t most positive day. But as usual, I just need to watch it, analyse it, and just take some lessons and try next time.

Q. Could you give us a little more insight what happened, especially in the third set? Was it injury or physical issues or mental?

SWIATEK: No, like, I’m not injured. I just played bad today. I managed to, like, work on it in the second set. Then in third, probably the mistakes I did from the beginning of the match kind of came back. Yeah, like, I didn’t really, I don’t know, fix the shots that I played wrong or something. I kind of knew what I’m doing wrong.

I don’t know, I was stuck in doing it wrong rather than actually solving it. So yeah, for sure I was a bit more nervous because of that and maybe too much emotions, as well. I will try to, like, keep it more cool next time so I have more space in my head to problem solve. Honestly, I didn’t feel like anything was working. That’s why I got more and more, like, nervous.

Q. In terms of trying to find your rhythm, what adjustments were you able to make that you felt did pay off middle in that match?

SWIATEK: I don’t know. Now I would need to really watch because I was trying to just adjust, move better throughout the whole match. I think maybe there were a few games where I did, but then it stopped again. I stopped moving well again. I guess it was a matter of just little things, like sometimes making one more ball in or making a safer decisions. In first set I didn’t, and the ball went out. It’s hard to say one particular thing.

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Q. This week some other players, like Carlos [Alcaraz] and Coco [Gauff], have echoed your sentiments about the schedule, maybe that causing player fatigue or possible injuries. Do you have any other thoughts on that? Is that at all on your mind as you go into Wuhan?

SWIATEK: Well, for sure, the season is intense. I don’t have any more thoughts because I’ve been, like, talking about it long time. I don’t think it makes sense to repeat now. Yeah, I don’t have anything more to add than what I said before. Yeah, sorry. There’s nothing more. I would just repeat myself, so yeah.

Q. Looking ahead in terms of everything, is there a sense of finish line on the season at all in your mind or does it still feel like there’s a lot left mentally for you?

SWIATEK: I don’t know. Like, for sure, yeah, you can see the finish line, but it doesn’t mean that it’s easier. You should still focus on what’s happening here and now, which I think is super hard at this part of the season. You know there’s a finish line, but you don’t really want to focus on it because it’s not going to get you anywhere. It’s just going to make the process much harder.

So I’m just trying to, yeah… There are two important tournaments still ahead of us. Even though the finish line is there, I guess everybody just wants to reach it, it’s important to just stay in there. It’s for sure super hard, yeah.

Q. How are you feeling about Wuhan?

SWIATEK: Well, honestly, there are some specific things that I think I can improve on the court. I’ll just try to do that in the next days. I’ve never been there. I have no idea even how the site looks like and how the courts are. It’s I think nice to just see a new place.

For sure, it’s good that the tournament is shorter ’cause no matter if you win, no matter if you lose, you can just get on with it and do your job, that’s it, finish it a little bit earlier, just be in some kind of a rhythm. Yeah, I’ll just do my best, try to work on this stuff right now on the practice court and be ready for first match.

READ NEXT: Zheng Qinwen disagrees with Iga Swiatek’s criticism of WTA and schedule with strong message

The post Everything Iga Swiatek said in her press conference after shock China Open defeat appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner cemented their dominance on the ATP Tour with triumphs at ATP 500-level events this week, and remain well clear of the rest of the field in the ATP Rankings.

World No 1 Alcaraz triumphed at the Japan Open on her tournament debut, beating Taylor Fritz in the final, while world No 2 Sinner regained the China Open he previously won in 2023.

Having had 500 points to defend from his own China Open triumph back in 2024, Alcaraz’s triumph at the equivalent level event in Tokyo sees the Spaniard successfully defend all of those points, remaining on 11,540 points in the ATP Rankings.

But, having bettered his Beijing runner-up finish to Alcaraz last season, Sinner’s triumph sees him gain some ground on his nearest rival, rising 170 points to 10,950 points in the rankings.

Sinner will now look to defend his Shanghai Masters to gain further ground on the Spaniard, who has withdrawn from the penultimate Masters 1000 event of 2025 due to fitness concerns.

Meanwhile, thanks to his run to the Tokyo final, US star Fritz moves up one place to his career-high of world No 4 in the ATP Rankings, knocking Novak Djokovic down one spot to fifth position.

Fritz looks in pole position to remain as the world No 4 after Shanghai, with Djokovic defending 650 points from his run to the final at the Masters 1000 event twelve months ago.

Elsewhere, Alex de Minaur’s run to the China Open semi-final sees the Australian move up one place to world No 7, knocking Jack Draper back to world No 8.

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The biggest mover inside the top 20 is Jakub Mensik, who rises three places to world No 16 after reaching the last eight in Beijing.

One of the biggest moves in the rankings this week is Learner Tien, who reached the first ATP final of his career at the China Open, falling to Sinner in the final.

The 19-year-old rises a significant 16 places to world No 36 in the ATP Rankings, seeing the American star crack the top 40 of the rankings for the very first time.

Also rising significantly is Japan Open semi-finalist Jenson Brooksby, who rises 29 spots to world No 57 in the rankings after his impressive week in the Japanese capital.

However, there is disappointment for French star Arthur Fils, who was unable to defend his Japan Open title due to ongoing injury concerns that have lingered since Roland Garros.

Dropping 500 points, the 21-year-old falls seven places to world No 30 in the ATP Rankings, and faces an uphill task to remain inside the top 30 by the end of the season.

ATP Rankings Top 20 (As of October 2, 2025)

1) Carlos Alcaraz, 11,540
2) Jannik Sinner, 10,950
3) Alexander Zverev, 5,980
4) Taylor Fritz, 4,995 (+1)
5) Novak Djokovic, 4,830 (-1)
6) Ben Shelton, 4,190
7) Alex de Minaur, 3,735 (+1)
8) Jack Draper, 3,590 (-1)
9) Lorenzo Musetti, 3,555
10) Karen Khachanov, 3,190
11) Holger Rune, 2,990
12) Casper Ruud, 2,945
13) Felix Auger-Alissime
14) Andrey Rublev, 2,560
15) Tommy Paul, 2,460
16) Jakub Mensik, 2,455 (+3)
17) Alexander Bublik, 2,445 (-1)
18) Daniil Medvedev, 2,410
19) Jiri Lehecka, 2,365 (-2)
20) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, 2,240

Read Next: Carlos Alcaraz reigns supreme, Emma Raducanu reaches her big goal – 2025 rankings predictions

The post ATP Rankings: Jannik Sinner closes Carlos Alcaraz gap, Novak Djokovic -1, Learner Tien +16, Arthur Fils -7 appeared first on Tennis365.

The race to claim the final ranking points of 2025 is on, with some huge prizes still up for grabs even though the major prizes have already been handed out at this year’s Grand Slam tournaments.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are embroiled in a compelling battle to claim the prestigious year-end No 1 ranking in the men’s game, with Aryna Sabalenka well-placed to claim top spot in the women’s list.

This period of the tennis year can feel a little flat with the next Grand Slam in Australia not on the horizon until mid-January, but here are our predictions on what we can expect for the rest of 2025.

Carlos Alcaraz reigns supreme

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The ankle injury he suffered early in his run in Japan forced him to pull out of the ATP 1000 tournament in Shanghai and that will deny him a chance to lengthen his advantage over Sinner at the top of the rankings.

Yet with Sinner the defending champion in Shanghai, he cannot add to his ranking points total this week and that means Alcaraz should still be in pole position to claim the year-end No 1 ranking.

With the Italian having a lot of ranking points to defend in the final weeks of the year, including defending his ATP Finals title, Alcaraz should have enough to clinch the No 1 ranking and he may even seal the deal in front of Sinner’s home fans when he plays at this year’s ATP Finals in Turin.

Sabalenka in pole position

Aryna Sabalenka has lived through a challenging year that saw her lose two Grand Slam finals and narrowly miss out on some of her big targets, but she is the firm favourite to finish the season as world No 1.

The Belarusian took a couple of weeks off and missed this week’s China Open after her US Open win last month, with her decision opening the door for Iga Swiatek to close the gap on her at the top of the WTA Rankings.

Yet Swiatek’s shock defeat against Emma Navarro in Beijing was a massive blow to her hopes of finishing the year as world No 1, with her inconsistency likely to ensure she will not overhaul Sabalenka at the top of the rankings.

Emma Raducanu’s big goal

The British No 1 has set herself a goal of finishing inside the top 32 of the WTA Rankings in 2025, as she targets a seeded berth in the opening Grand Slam of the new year at the Australian Open.

That target looks set to to be met, with the 2021 US Open champion already inside the top 30 and pressing for more points in next week’s WTA 1000 event in Wuhan and in subsequent events in Asia.

Raducanu may have come up short in some matches she should have won this year and she was heavily beaten by some of the game’s biggest hitters on Grand Slam stages, but she is back in the mix at the top of the game and could be a player to watch in 2026.

Look out for… Sonay Kartal and Alexander Zverev

These two players appear to be headed in very different directions.

Kartal grew up playing alongside Emma Raducanu in junior events in Britain and now she is emerging from her shadow after a fine run to the fourth round at Wimbledon has been backed up by a first appearance in a WTA 1000 event in Beijing.

Her win against Mirra Andreva was a sign that she is comfortable mixing with the players at the top of the women’s game and she could target Raducanu for the British No 1 ranking if she continues on her present path.

As for Zverev, the misery continues.

The world No 3 has been clung to that lofty ranking despite a horrible run of form and a collapse of confidence that shows no sign of waning.

This German giant has not been in good form for most of 2025 and he could have a few more painful defeats to add to his record unless he finds a way to click back into top form quickly.

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The post Carlos Alcaraz reigns supreme, Emma Raducanu reaches her big goal – 2025 rankings predictions appeared first on Tennis365.

Iga Swiatek suffered a surprising fourth round defeat to Emma Navarro at the 2025 China Open, but what impact has it had on her battle with Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the WTA Rankings?

The Polish star was the favourite to win the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing, but she committed a staggering 70 unforced errors compared to 35 winners in the 4-6, 6-4, 0-6 loss to world No 17 Navarro.

Swiatek is renowned for inflicting 6-0 sets on her opponents, but she was on the receiving end of a ‘bagel’ against the 24-year-old American as the deciding set slipped away in alarming fashion.

It was Swiatek’s first-ever defeat at the China Open, which she won in her only previous appearance in 2023.

Aryna Sabalenka, Swiatek’s chief rival and the world No 1, chose to skip the event in Beijing citing a minor injury after winning the 2025 US Open last month.

The absence of Sabalenka presented Swiatek with a big opportunity to significantly reduce the gap between the pair at the peak of the rankings. At the start of the China Open, Sabalenka sat on 11,225 points — 2,792 points clear of Swiatek.

Sabalenka’s absence at this year’s event means she will lose the 215 points she earned for reaching the quarter-finals in Beijing in 2024 when the rankings update, dropping her points total to 11,010 points.

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Swiatek, meanwhile, was not defending any points as she missed the 2024 China Open, giving her a great chance to boost her points tally.

By reaching the last 16, Swiatek collected 120 points, which has increased her total to 8,553 in the Live WTA Rankings. This leaves Swiatek 2,457 points adrift of Sabalenka.

While this means Swiatek will be 335 points closer to Sabalenka than she was before the event, she has missed the chance to make a more substantial gain on the Belarusian.

The six-time Grand Slam champion would have moved up to 8,648 points if she reached the quarter-finals, while she could have jumped to 9,433 points if she claimed the title — which would have left her 1,577 points behind Sabalenka.

The loss to Navarro is, therefore, a major blow to Swiatek’s hopes of usurping Sabalenka as world No 1 before the end of the 2025 campaign.

The 24-year-old will have another opportunity to make up ground at the WTA 1000 event in Wuhan, which will begin on October 6.

Sabalenka is the reigning champion in Wuhan, while Swiatek is defending no points as she did not play the event in 2024.

READ NEXT: Wuhan Open seeds, draw date, prize money, ranking points: Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Raducanu in action

The post How does Iga Swiatek’s China Open exit affect world No 1 ranking battle with Aryna Sabalenka? appeared first on Tennis365.

Iga Swiatek was stunned by Emma Navarro as she surrendered the final set 6-0 in Beijing, with the top seed exposed by some audacious tactics served up by her American opponent.

Swiatek was in good form heading to Beijing after she won the Korea Open title last week, but she had no answer to Navarro in what was a bizarre performance from the Wimbledon champion.

The alarming statistic confirming Swiatek threw in a staggering 70 unforced errors in her match against Navarro left plenty of questions and this win may have a lasting impact, with the tactics used by the victor certain to have been noted in the locker room.

Navarro had won just five games in her two previous meetings with Swiatek, but she sealed a 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 win by taking a bold approach that saw her step up the court to return the Swiatek serve.

It reaped huge rewards as the six-time Grand Slam champion looked rushed and unsettled as she slumped to a defeat that will be a huge blow to her hopes of catching Aryna Sabalenka and topping the WTA Rankings.

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She is now due to play in another WTA 1000 event in Wuhan next week, but there must be questions over whether she will look to take a break after again voicing her concern over the tennis schedule.

“Unfortunately, I think the Asian Swing is the hardest part because you feel like the season is going to finish soon, but you still need to push,” said Swiatek prior to her defeat against Navarro.

“For me, like, I don’t know yet how my career is going to look like in a couple of years. Maybe I will have to choose some tournaments and skip them, even though they are mandatory. Yeah, like WTA with all these mandatory rules, they made this pretty crazy for us.

“I don’t think any top player will actually be able to achieve this, for example, playing the six 500 tournaments. It’s just impossible to squeeze it in the schedule.

“I think we have to be smart about it, not really care about the rules and just think what’s healthy for us. Yeah, it’s tough.

“The only thing I can do now, when I decided I’m going to play all these mandatory tournaments, is to just take care of my body, take care of the recovery. I have a good team around me also that is helping me with that. I’m experienced enough to know kind of what to do. So physically, I am good.

“There are a lot of injuries. I think it is because the season is too long and too intense.”

Several players have opted to take a break and Sabalenka skipped this week’s event in Beijing, citing an injury following her US Open win last month.

Now we wait to see what Swiatek decides to do next, with this error-strewn performance suggesting she is not operating at full level in a season when her inconsistency has been a recurring theme.

READ NEXT: Wuhan Open seeds, draw date, prize money, ranking points: Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Raducanu in action

The post Iga Swiatek posts ‘alarming’ statistic as she crashes to shock defeat in China appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz took the decision to skip the Shanghai Masters after winning the Japan Open, but what does his schedule for the rest of 2025 look like?

The world No 1 pulled out of the Masters 1000 event in Shanghai shortly after defeating Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 in the final of the ATP 500 in Tokyo.

Alcaraz suffered an ankle injury in his opening match in Japan and managed to play on, but the issue was cited as the reason for his withdrawal from Shanghai.

“I’m very disappointed to announce that I won’t be able to play the Rolex Shanghai Masters this year! Unfortunately, I’ve been struggling with some physical issues and, after discussing with my team, we believe the best decision is to rest and recover,” Alcaraz said in a video.

“I was really looking forward to playing in front of the amazing fans in Shanghai again. I hope to be back soon and see my Chinese fans next year.”

Here are all of the events Alcaraz is still due to play this year.

6 Kings Slam exhibition, Riyadh – October 15-18

Alcaraz is next set to appear at the second edition of the hugely lucrative 6 Kings Slam exhibition in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh.

The event, which will begin three days after the conclusion of the Shanghai Masters, will also feature Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The six players will each earn a $1.5million participation fee, with the winner securing an additional $4.5 million. Alcaraz lost to Sinner in the final at the 2024 edition.

Paris Masters – October 27 – November 2

The next ATP tournament on Alcaraz’s schedule is the indoor hard-court Masters 1000 in Paris, which will get underway almost a month after the Spaniard won the final in Tokyo.

The 22-year-old holds a 5-4 record from his previous four appearances at the Paris event, with his best result his quarter-final run in 2022.

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ATP Finals, Turin – November 9-16

Alcaraz will look to secure his maiden ATP Finals title in his third appearance at the season-ending championships staged on indoor hard-court in Turin.

He was a semi-finalist on his debut in 2023 and exited at the round robin stage last year, while he also qualified in 2022, but was forced to pull out due to injury.

Davis Cup Finals, Bologna – November 18-23

Alcaraz is expected to lead Spain at the 2025 Davis Cup Finals, which will be held in Bologna, Italy for the first time. The six-time Grand Slam champion is yet to win the Davis Cup.

Miami Tennis Invitational exhibition – December 8

Alcaraz has been confirmed for the inaugural Miami Tennis Invitational, where he will face Joao Fonseca in an exhibition match at loanDepot park — the home of the Miami Marlins. The one-night event will take place during the tennis off-season on December 8.

Other events Alcaraz might play

Alcaraz has not signed up for either Vienna or Basel, the indoor hard-court ATP 500 tournaments that will run from October 20-26 in the week before the Paris Masters.

It is still possible Alcaraz could appear at one of these events if he is given a late wildcard.

READ NEXT: China Open prize money & ranking points won by Sinner, Tien, de Minaur, Medvedev & co revealed

The post Carlos Alcaraz’s full schedule for rest of 2025 season revealed after Shanghai Masters withdrawal appeared first on Tennis365.

Jannik Sinner dominated Learner Tien in the final of the 2025 China Open to secure his 23rd career title and third of the season, but what impact has the victory had on his ranking?

The four-time Grand Slam champion defeated 52nd-ranked Tien 6-2, 6-2 to claim his second title at the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing to add to his triumph in 2023.

Sinner is the fourth man to win multiple titles at the China Open after Michael Chang (three titles), Rafael Nadal (two titles) and Novak Djokovic (six titles).

The Italian has now reached the final at the last nine tournaments he has played on hard courts, securing six titles — a run that began at the 2024 Cincinnati Masters.

With the 500 points earned for his victory in Beijing, Sinner has increased his points tally by 170 points to 10,950 as he lost in last year’s China Open final to Carlos Alcaraz.

Alcaraz, who replaced Sinner as the world No 1 after defeating him in the US Open final last month, remains on 11,540 points as his triumph at the Japan Open yesterday saw him defend his 500 points from his 2024 Beijing win.

This means Sinner has closed the gap to Alcaraz at the top of the ATP Rankings to 590 points.

Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Shanghai Masters and will, therefore, drop the 200 points he earned for reaching the quarter-finals at last year’s edition of the event.

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Sinner will not be able to overtake Alcaraz after Shanghai, though, as he is the reigning champion, but he could reduce the gap to 390 points if he successfully defends his 1,000 points by winning the title again.

In the battle to finish the year as the world No 1, Alcaraz remains firmly in pole position as he sits top of the Race to Turin rankings on 11,040 points — 2,590 points clear of second-placed Sinner.

What did Sinner say after his China Open win?

Sinner spoke about the special connection he has to the China Open in his post-tournament press conference.

“When you win again a title where you won already, it’s a very special place, no? It was for sure couple of years ago a turning point for my career, playing some great tennis against great opponents. This I will always remember,” said the 24-year-old.

“I come back here, and winning again, it’s very nice. Yeah, so the support has been amazing since day one.”

The world No 2 also addressed emulating Djokovic and Nadal by claiming multiple titles at the event.

“Yeah, great, of course, having my name next to them,” Sinner said. “In the same time, as I always say everyone is different, everyone tries to make his own path and way of career. I don’t know how many times they played here actually.

“But for me, this will always be a beautiful tournament no matter what’s coming in the future. It’s very unusual to come to a place for the first time and you win straightaway. This happened to me here.

“Now three finals in a row in three years. It means that I really like to play tennis here. I feel very comfortable. Yeah, it’s very nice also to see that other big, big players have played here in these stadiums. It’s very nice.”

SREAD NEXT: China Open prize money & ranking points won by Sinner, Tien, de Minaur, Medvedev & co revealed

The post Jannik Sinner closes gap to Carlos Alcaraz in ATP Rankings after China Open victory appeared first on Tennis365.

Daniil Medvedev accused the chair umpire of ‘trying to intimidate him’ after he was bizarrely handed a code violation a few minutes before he was forced to retire from his match at the China Open.

The Russian star was struck down by cramps in his semi-final match against Learner Tien and looked set to call time on the match until umpire Adel Nour intervened and accused the former US Open champion of not giving his best effort.

He handed Medvedev a code violation, with predictably sparked a big outburst from the fiery Russian, as supervisor Roland Herfel was called onto the court.

“You prefer that I retire?” Medvedev said. “Say to the guys and the cameras that you prefer I retire. I’m giving my best effort so why the hell are you saying I’m not giving my best effort. Who are you to decide for me? Who are you? What’s your name?”

Medvedev went on to suggest he was trying to improve his behaviour after he was given a $42,500 fine following an explosive outburst during his defeat in the US Open last month and he references that during this latest incident.

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“Why is every referee in the world trying to intimidate me? I didn’t say one word,” he added.

“After US Open, I’m trying to be good and this guy is doing that? I’m supposed to act good? Why are you trying to intimidate me? What’s your problem with me?”

Daniil Medvedev is in pain and cramping in his match against Learner Tien in Beijing and the umpire gives him a code violation for lack of effort.

Wow. pic.twitter.com/nbjM0KNDXg

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 30, 2025

Umpire Nour’s intervention appeared to be especially harsh, as Medvedev was clearly hoping he could battle on for a few points in the hope that the cramps might clear.

In the end, he was forced to retire with the score at 5-7, 7-5, 4-0 in the final set, with the match commentators giving their verdict on what appeared to be a brutal judgment by the umpire.

Commentator Miles MacLagan suggested he was surprised by the umpire’s intervention, as he implemented the ‘best effort’ rule all players need to follow.

“What that for best effort,” asked the former coach of Andy Murray. “I think the umpire has made a mistake there. His best efforts are what they are right now.”

Medvedev will now head to Shanghai looking to build on an impressive return to form in China and he should also be commended for controlling his anger after an pretty bizarre intervention from the umpire.

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Former British No 1 Annabel Croft has warned Emma Raducanu that her WTA Tour rivals will capitalise if she does not overcome a worrying pattern from her last two losses.

Raducanu lost 6-3, 6-7(9), 0-6 to world No 7 Jessica Pegula in the third round of the China Open after being up a set and a break and having three match points in the second set tiebreak.

The world No 32’s campaign at the WTA 250 event in Seoul ended in very similar circumstances as she fell 6-4, 6-7(10), 1-6 to Barbora Krejcikova in the second round.

Against Krejcikova, the Brit led by a set and 5-2 and was unable to convert a match point when serving for the match at 5-4, before letting a further two match points slip away in a tense tiebreak.

Speaking after Raducanu’s loss to Pegula at the WTA 1000 event in Beijing, Croft commented on the trend and also expressed concern that her compatriot had lost to a top 10 player again.

“You have to sit and talk about it because you don’t want patterns emerging like this and then players talking about it and sussing it out in the locker room,” the former world No 24 told Sky Sports.

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“Players do tend to have patterns that emerge, she’s not unique in that sense. I just think it’s unusual to have two matches like she’s had and to have three match points and not convert is very unfortunate.

“It’s such a shame because she’s played so well, but she’s let it get away from her far too quickly. And worryingly, it’s another loss against a top 10 player.”

After her victory against Raducanu, Pegula said: “That was a crazy match. It was a lot of fun.

“The tiebreak was intense, but I got myself back in and kept the pressure on. When she [Raducanu] hit the double fault, I knew I was still playing some good tennis and it was right there. I got a little lucky with my two backhand winners.

“Other than that, I tried to keep fighting for as long as I could. The crowd was awesome, this court has been good to me and I’m excited to play here. I’m happy I got through tonight and I’ll try to rest and recover.”

Raducanu will next compete at the WTA 1000 tournament in Wuhan.

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