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Victoria Mboko’s promising young career has continued with her first WTA 250 title as she defeated Cristian Bucsa 7-5, 6-7, 6-2 in Hong Kong.

Having won the opening set, Mboko looked to be on her way to a straight-sets victory over Bucsa but the Spaniard fought back to draw both players level.

However, Mboko powered through the deciding set to move into the top 20 for the first time in her career.

The title comes as part of a remarkable year for the teenager which included a shock win over Coco Gauff in Montreal.

The youngster started the year at No 333 but at the beginning of March she broke into the top 200 after winning five ITF singles titles. A run to the third round of the French Open saw her crack the top 100 for the first time.

That rise continued in August when she broke into the top 30 after winning the Canadian Open as a wildcard. Along the way, she claimed the impressive scalps of Gauff and Naomi Osaka.

That put her to a career-high of No.24 as she became the top-ranked Canadian. A slight dip in form at the US Open and the two WTA 1000 events in China was ended with her run in Hong Kong.

WTA Ranking Points Earned In Hong Kong

Mboko’s run has seen her add 244 points to her tally which has taken her up to 18th in the rankings, a career high for the Canadian.

In doing so, she has moved up three spots past Karolina Muchova, Elise Mertens and Diana Shnaider having started the year ranked world No.333.

Bucsa has also moved to a career-high spot of 32 following her impressive run in the tournament. The 133 points she earned saw her rise 15 spots and she is now the third-highest-ranked Spaniard.

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Prize Money Earned At WTA 250 Event

As well as ranking points, Mboko has earned some more prize money with $36,300 being given to the champion. That sees her overall prize money tally rise to $1,506,598.

For Bucsa, she earned $21,484 for finishing runner-up which puts the 27-year-old’s tally at $4,097,012.

Read next: Aryna Sabalenka reveals ‘best lesson’ she learned from Novak Djokovic as off-court friendship continues

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Jannik Sinner’s Paris Masters final opponent Felix Auger-Aliassime said the Italian is “not invincible” as he looks to pull off an upset.

The Canadian is all that stands in the way of Sinner and a fifth ATP 1000 title, but the Italian is a heavy favourite going into the match, despite both players being on two wins in their overall head-to-head.

They last faced each other at the US Open, with Sinner winning three sets to one, and while Auger-Aliassime admitted that and a crushing 6-0, 6-2 defeat in Cincinnati were in his mind, he maintained that Sinner was beatable.

“Especially in Cincinnati, the defeat was very tough,” Auger-Aliassime recalled. “I was far from beating him. So at the US Open, he was much better.

“At one point, I saw him hesitate. And in fact, at one point, I almost managed to turn the tide and turn the match around in my favour.

“For various reasons, perhaps he had a dip in form, and the match took an unexpected turn. But it was encouraging to see him.

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“Sinner isn’t invincible. He’s very strong, yes. Sometimes he’s unstoppable, but he’s not invincible.”

While the record may be two a piece, Sinner has won the last two meetings but Auger-Aliassime was looking forward to the tactical challenge of facing the former world no.1.

“We’re 2-2, but it’s not like — you know, obviously he’s the favourite on paper, because we played a good match I think in New York. I think it was good tennis. But he still got the best of me.

“Obviously the first times I won it was before he was Jannik, you know. It was, like, young Jannik. He improved a lot since then.

“But it’s always good to play him. I feel like he pushes players to be very, very disciplined tactically and to execute their game, you know, almost perfectly in order to win.

“You know, you have to be ready to play your best tennis and to not make cheap mistakes. So I’m going to try to do that and win tomorrow.

“I don’t want to look ahead too much, but I’m watching tennis. I see everything that’s happening, the players, the momentum of everyone. Jannik and Carlos are indeed at a very high level. There are also players who have shown a consistent level like Fritz, for instance. They’ve shown a lot of consistency.

“I have a lot of work to do on that field, but for some months now I can see that I’m reaching the right level, that I’m actually controlling my game. You know, when I compare that period in 2022, when I won 16 matches in a row, that was actually a wonderful period, but that helped me to learn from that period, as well. These are the two important phases of my career, then and now.”

Read next: What Jannik Sinner’s Paris Masters demolition of Alexander Zverev means for his world No 1 bid

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Aryna Sabalenka has spoken of the “best lesson” she has learned from Novak Djokovic as the two of them continue to spend plenty of time together.

The friendship between the pair appears to be one of the best on the tour with them regularly practicing together but also seen going for double dates with their respective partners.

When asked about her friendship with the 24-time Slam champion, Sabalenka said being able to have a wider perspective was the “best lesson” she had learned from Djokovic.

“How to stay settled and how to look at everything as you’re looking from the outside on the situation on the court, off the court,” she said. “Just to, like, be able to sit back and look at everything.

“Kind of like it’s not you looking, it’s someone else looking at your situation.

“I think that’s the best lesson that you could take from Novak.”

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That ability to take a step back and analyse things with a clear head would have come in handy in what has sometimes been a challenging season for the world No.1.

Before the US Open, Sabalenka had failed to add to her Grand Slam tally and admitted it was “tough” to fall so close to the prize each time.

“I mean, it was tough. It was really tough. It was tough lessons. But at the end I think it was much-needed lessons. I had to learn how to control myself even better,” the 27-year-old said.

“Even though I improved a lot in that part of the game, still, you know, not good enough. I think in those big finals, that’s one thing that was missing, was my emotions.

“I think especially after Roland Garros and the media and everything that happened after the match, I just had to sit back and look at everything from the side, yeah, and take better control over my emotions.

“After winning US Open, I was actually quite grateful for those lessons.”

Her final challenge of the year is to try and win the WTA Finals for the first time in her career. Her only final appearance came in 2022 while she has reached the semi-finals in the previous two years.

Sabalenka said she prepared for the season finale as if it were another Grand Slam.

“There is no difference in my preparation. It’s also one of the biggest tournaments. I have a little time between the last tournament I played and Riyadh. I had few days off, then I was back on court practicing. Yeah, it’s the biggest tournament of the year. My preparation is the same way here as to the Grand Slams.

“It’s been pretty intense. I really hope I can play well here.”

Sabalenka will begin her tournament against No.8 seed Jasmine Paolini on Sunday.

Read next: What Jannik Sinner’s Paris Masters demolition of Alexander Zverev means for his world No 1 bid

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Coco Gauff has said men’s tennis would be ‘more exciting’ if a third player broke into the Carlos Alcaraz/Jannik Sinner dominance.

While in the women’s, the last four Grand Slams have been won by four different players, in the men’s it is not such a balanced story with either Sinner or Alcaraz having won every title since Novak Djokovic’s US Open victory in 2023.

And while it has led to one of the early signs of one of the all-time great tennis rivalries, it does sometimes feel like the preceding rounds are just processional before a Sinner-Alcaraz final takes place.

On the subject, Gauff, who won the French Open this season, said it would be more exciting if a third name was able to break through.

“It’s honestly great to have four different champions, because I feel like all the girls have had a competitive year,” she said in Riyadh ahead of the WTA Finals.

“And I think that it makes the sport more exciting when there’s multiple chances for something to happen.

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“Although Carlos and Jannik are doing great, there’s talk about there needing to be a third person and I feel like to make it more interesting, it’s better to have different champions than the same two.

“I don’t want to downplay anything, the rivalry they have is great and exciting for the sport too. But long term, I think it’s more exciting for me as a fan, watching the semis and the quarters not knowing who is going to win, whereas knowing who’s going to win… but that just shows how great they are.”

Gauff is aiming to retain her WTA Finals crown and starts her campaign with a group stage match against fellow American Jessica Pegula on Sunday.

The pair have faced each other seven times in the past with Pegula winning four of them, and Gauff said it was always tricky facing her countrywoman.

“It’s always tricky playing her, but especially since we played so recently I think that she’s going to know what to expect, and vice versa.

“The things that I necessarily probably did really well in that match that got me that win may not work in this match because she probably could recognise those things as well, capitalise off of it.

“Yeah, I think it’s one of those matches that you have your game plan, but you have to be able to adjust because she might know my game plan already.”

Read next: What Iga Swiatek said after extending stellar streak with Madison Keys WTA Finals hammering

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In the first semi-final at the 2025 Paris Masters, Felix Auger-Aliassime delivered a stellar performance to beat Alexander Bublik in straight sets.

Auger-Aliassime earned a 7-6(3), 6-4 victory against world No 16 Bublik to progress to his maiden Paris Masters final and second career Masters 1000 title match.

The result has seen Auger-Aliassime make a big jump in the Race to the ATP Finals in Turin, and it has ended Bublik’s hopes of qualifying for the season-ending event.

Felix Auger-Aliassime makes major ATP Finals move as he reaches Paris Masters final

• Felix Auger-Aliassime is now in a strong position to qualify for the ATP Finals as he has overtaken Lorenzo Musetti in the Race to Turin
• Alexander Bublik can no longer qualify for the ATP Finals as he needed to win the Paris Masters
• Auger-Aliassime sent a confident message ahead of the final in Paris

Neither player faced a break point in a serve-dominated and high-quality opening set, with Auger-Aliassime claiming two mini-breaks to take the tiebreak.

Auger-Aliassime’s lofty level dropped in the early stages of the second set as he was broken by Bublik in his opening two service games.

After trailing 1-4, though, Auger-Aliassime won five straight games to seal the win, having broken the big-serving Bublik three times in the set.

How has Auger-Aliassime’s win against Bublik affected the Race to Turin?

Auger-Aliassime’s triumph over Bublik has moved him above Lorenzo Musetti into the eighth and final qualification spot for the ATP Finals.

The Canadian’s run to the final in Paris has earned him 650 points, putting him on 3,845 points in the Race to Turin rankings.

Lorenzo Musetti, who started the week in the No 8 spot, is now 160 points adrift of Auger-Aliassime.

Auger-Aliassime’s qualification for the ATP Finals is not yet assured as Musetti will play at the ATP 250 in Athens next week.

If Auger-Aliassime wins the Paris title, though, he will move onto 4,195 points — a total that will guarantee his spot in Turin as Musetti would not be able to earn enough points to overtake him.

Winning the Paris title would lift Auger-Aliassime above Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur into fifth position in the Race.

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Bublik, who is 11th in the Race to Turin, needed to win the Paris Masters to keep his hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals alive. His semi-final elimination, though, has mathematically ruled him out.

The Russian-born Kazakh may still have the chance to feature in Turin as an alternate.

What did Auger-Aliassime say after reaching the final?

Auger-Aliassime will face either Jannik Sinner or Alexander Zverev in the Paris final as he aims to win the biggest title of his career.

In an interview with Tennis TV, Auger-Aliassime was asked how happy he was with the way he imposed his game and character on the match.

“Yeah, I’m so happy, and a Masters 1000 final sounds so good. You don’t play those finals every week, so hopefully I can go all the way and get the title,” the 25-year-old said.

“These are the matches you train for and play for. It’s always great to play these guys, to see how my game matches with them. I’ve been playing tennis for a long time, training all this year to improve, and I’ve made some great improvements.

“And now tomorrow, I have a chance to showcase it in front of everyone, so I’m gonna wake up ready. With these guys, you have to be so sharp, tactically disciplined. They don’t give you anything, so you have to be ready to play your A-game.”

READ NEXT: Why it is ‘difficult to draw any conclusions’ about Jannik Sinner’s Paris Masters level: Ex-ATP star

The post How Felix Auger-Aliassime’s Paris Masters win over Alexander Bublik affects ATP Finals Race appeared first on Tennis365.

Former ATP player Nicolas Escude has admitted he has struggled to make sense of Jannik Sinner’s physical struggles at the 2025 Paris Masters.

Sinner has overcome Zizou Bergs, Francisco Cerdundolo and Ben Shelton without dropping a set to reach his maiden semi-final at the prestigious indoor event.

The world No 2 is vying to win his fifth career ATP Masters 1000 title and his first of the 2025 campaign, having claimed his most recent title at this level at the 2024 Shanghai Masters.

Jannik Sinner’s Paris Masters fitness assessed

• Jannik Sinner has reached the Paris Masters semi-finals in convincing fashion, but there were moments of physical concern in his third round and quarter-final matches
• Nicolas Escude, a tennis analyst and former world No 17, thinks it is “difficult to draw any conclusions” about Sinner’s “true level of play” in Paris given the Italian’s physical issues
• The Frenchman has noticed that Sinner’s coaching team have been “pushing him more than usual” in Paris

Sinner looked to be in discomfort for spells during his 7-5, 6-1 third round win against Cerundolo in Paris, raising concerns over his fitness.

The 24-year-old stretched out his right leg, and his movement between points looked laboured at times — particularly in the first set.

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The four-time Grand Slam champion was then troubled in the early stages of his quarter-final victory over Shelton as he grimaced and appeared to limp between points.

This did not last long, though, and Sinner delivered a high-quality performance to prevail 6-3, 6-3 against the world No 7.

Escude’s verdict on Sinner’s fitness

Speaking in his role as an analyst for Eurosport France, Escude weighed in on Sinner’s physical state.

“We don’t really know what to make of it. He seems a bit unsteady,” said Escude (translated from French).

“Without going so far as to say he’s limping, but we see him stretching and grimacing after some rallies.

“But the result is there. He still hasn’t lost a set, but it’s difficult to draw any conclusions about Sinner’s true level of play. What impact does his physical condition have on his game? It’s hard to tell.

“His stable (team) is pushing him a lot, especially Daren Cahill, more than usual.”

What next for Sinner?

Sinner will face world No 3 Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals of the Paris Masters in a rematch of last week’s Vienna Open final, which he won 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

READ NEXT: Hellenic Championship draw: Djokovic the favourite as Musetti makes late-gasp ATP Finals bid

The post Why it is ‘difficult to draw any conclusions’ about Jannik Sinner’s Paris Masters level: Ex-ATP star appeared first on Tennis365.

Victoria Mboko started the 2025 season more than 300 places behind Leylah Fernandez in the WTA Rankings, but she will finish the campaign ahead of her fellow Canadian as she proved why she is the rising star of women’s tennis.

The 19-year-old Mboko and Fernandez faced each other for the first time on the WTA Tour when they met in the semi-final of the Hong Kong Open and it was the teenager who came out victorious.

2021 US Open runner-up Fernandez dominated early on as she won the opening set, but Mboko hit back to secure a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory to reach her second final of the year following her title run at the Canadian Open in August.

She will face first-time WTA finalist Cristiana Busca in the showpiece match after the Spaniard defeated Maya Joint 6-3, 6-1.

Mboko had already secured the Canadian No 1 year-end ranking before the match, but her victory shows once again just how meteoric her rise has been in 2025.

The youngster started the year at No 333 while Fernandez was at No 31 on January 6, but at the beginning of March she broke into the top 200 after winning five ITF singles titles. Top 200 became the top 100 on the back of her run to the third round of the French Open.

In August, she not only made her top 50 bow, but also her top 30 debut after winning the Canadian Open as a wildcard, defeating four Grand Slams winners – including former world No 1 Naomi Osaka and reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff – en route to the title.

With that win she peaked at No 24 and moved ahead of Fernandez in the battle to be the Canadian No 1, a title she never relinquished.

After a dip in form at the US Open and the two WTA 1000 events in China, she returned to form in Hong Kong.

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Mboko broke into the top 20 after her opening win at the Hong Kong Open and her run to the semi-final meant she was assured of staying ahead of Fernandez with the WTA 250 event their last tournament of the 2025 calendar.

With her latest win, Mboko is at No 18 in the Live Rankings and sits on 2,070 points while Fernandez finishes her campaign at No 22 on 1,821 points.

But 18th place is the ceiling for Mboko – at least for this year – as she will remaing behind 17th place Ludmilla Samsonova in the rankings even if she wins the title as she will move to 2,157 points with the Russian on 2,209.

With no ranking points to defend at the Australian Open next year, she will no doubt be eyeing an even bigger milestone early in the new year.

The post Victoria Mboko shows she is undisputed Canadian No 1 as she wins Leylah Fernandez battle appeared first on Tennis365.

Tennis great Novak Djokovic returns to action at his “home” event, the Hellenic Championships, next week and he has received a cushy draw, but all eyes are likely to be on Lorenzo Musetti as he looks to secure qualification for the ATP Finals.

Playing in his first tournament since losing in the semi-final of the Shanghai Masters, Djokovic is the headline act at the ATP 250 tournament as he is the highest-ranked player in the draw and also the only Grand Slam champion.

The Serbian – who moved permanently to Greece with his family a few months ago – is the top seed at the Athens event and receives a bye into the second round along with the rest of the top four.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner will face either Alejandro Tabilo or Adam Walton in the second round with world No 46 and sixth seed Nuno Borges a projected quarter-final opponent.

Although Djokovic would be favourite against either Tabilo (82) and Walton (83), he has a poor record against the former as the Chilean has 2-0 head-to-head record against the world No 1 as he beat him earlier this year at the Monte Carlo Masters and at the 2024 Italian Open.

Both of those were in straight sets and they were on clay.

If the seeds hold, then Djokovic will likely meet fourth seed Brandon Nakashima in the semi-final with the American facing either Marcos Giron or Pedro Martinez in the second round while he could take on eighth seed Fabian Marozsan in the last eight.

Djokovic is looking to win his second title of the year as his only other trophy this year has come at the Geneva Open.

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Musetti headlines the bottom half of the draw and he accepted a late entry into the main draw following his ATP Finals qualification setback at the Paris Masters.

The Italian is currently eighth in the Race To Turin, but he lost in the round of 32 at the ATP 1000 event and will be overtaken by Felix Auger-Aliassime if the Canadian wins his semi-final against Alexander Bublik.

The pair are separated by just 90 points and Auger-Aliassime will also be in action next week as he has entered the Moselle Open with Alexander Bublik also in the draw in France.

However, Bublik will need to win the Paris Masters to have any hope of qualifying.

Djokovic, of course, has already qualified for the ATP Finals, but it remains to be seen if he will participate. If he decides not to enter, like he did last year, then it leaves two places up for grabs.

Musetti, though, has been handed a tough task as he will face either Botic van de Zandschulp or Stan Wawrinka in the second round while he is projected to meet fifth seed Alexandre Muller in the quarter-final.

We could have an all-Italian semi-final as Musetti’s compatriot Luciano Darderi is seeded third, but he will likely have to get past seventh seed Alexei Popyrin in the last eight.

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There is no clear favourite for the 2025 WTA Finals, but the Sky Sports pundits have leaned towards the American pair of Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova to win this year’s trophy.

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka is the bookmakers’ top bet to win the season-ending tournament in Riyadh, while many in the tennis community feel it is hard to ignore world No 2 Iga Swiatek as she always delivers when under pressure.

Gauff, meanwhile, is the defending champion after beating both Sabalenka and Swiatek en route to lifting last year’s trophy, while Anisimova is one of the form players across 2025 as she finished runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open and won two WTA 1000 events.

Those four headline the draw in Saudi Arabia with Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini, Elena Rybakina and Madison Keys the other players in the draw at the lucrative event.

So who will win this year’s title, according to the Sky Sports pundits Tim Henman, Laura Robson, Gigi Salmon, Jonathan Overend, Ryan Harrison and Raz Mirza?

Reigning French Open champion Gauff received three votes, Anisimova two, and Sabalenka and Swiatek one each.

If you are wondering why there are seven votes and only six panellists, Salmon couldn’t separate Gauff and Anisimova as she stated: “I’m a little bit heart and head on this one. My head says Gauff will successfully defend her title.

“She had a really good Asian swing, winning Wuhan, the serve is looking better and even if she has a wobble with it she is so mentally tough that she can get through it.

“My heart says Amanda Anisimova, Tour Finals debutant, ranked 359 at the end of 2023 after taking a break from the sport and 36 at the end of 2024.

“This year she has reached two Grand Slam finals, bouncing back impressively after both final losses and most recently winning the WTA 100 Beijing title, taking her to world No 4. It would be a fairy-tale ending to 2024 for Anisimova.”

Harrison also went with Gauff while Robson says it is difficult to look past the defending champion as the courts will likely favour the two-time Grand Slam winner.

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“If the conditions are anything like last year, not super high bouncing, but a high enough bouncing fast court, then it will suit Gauff really well. I would assume it’s going to be the same. But I think that that automatically gives her a great chance of winning the title.”

Overend was the other pundit to go with Anisimova as he hopes it is a case of third time lucky following her near misses at the two most recent Grand Slams.

“My winner is Anisimova. I can’t stop now. After tipping her to win Wimbledon, and coming close, then backing her at the US Open, and coming much closer, I’m banking on third time lucky!” he said. “She’ll enjoy the courts, enjoy the challenge of her group rivals and finish an incredible season in style.”

The Case For Sabalenka And Swiatek

Of course, you can never discount four-time Grand Slam winner and reigning US Open champion Sabalenka and Henman feels the fact that she doesn’t have to worry about the world No 1 ranking will count in her favour.

Unlike in previous campaigns, the year-end No 1 spot has already been secured by the Belarusian as Swiatek can no longer overtake her – even if the Pole wins the title undefeated.

“I think Sabalenka will win WTA Finals. She is guaranteed No 1 ranking so will play with lots of freedom. With the court surface and altitude, conditions are perfect for her to outpower everyone,” the former British No 1 said.

Swiatek is the only other former champion in the field as she won the 2023 title, defeating Pegula in the final, and she gets the nod from Mirza.

“Sabalenka, Gauff and Anisimova seem to be this year’s picks with our pundits, but no one has gone for Swiatek!” he said.

“Her form may have taken a real dive after her victory in Cincinnati and the conditions may not be so favourable, but I’m backing the Wimbledon champion to find her A-game and win the title for the second time in three years.”

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Alexander Bublik has secured a major breakthrough in the ATP Rankings after a thrilling Paris Masters quarter-final win over Alex de Minaur on Friday.

In a pulsating contest inside the La Defense Arena, 13th seed Bublik battled back from a set down to stun sixth seed de Minaur 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-5 in the French capital.

It is the second straight top-10 win for the Kazakh, who defeated fourth seed Taylor Fritz in the third round on Thursday, and he has now reached his first Masters 1000 semi-final, continuing what has been a career-best year.

The 28-year-old reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the French Open back in June — also beating de Minaur during that run — and has won four ATP Tour titles in 2025, a total currently only bettered by Carlos Alcaraz this season.

Bublik had dropped outside of the top 80 of the ATP Rankings earlier this season, though has surged back up throughout the second half of the year, and was sitting at a career-high of world No 16 heading into Paris.

Victory over Fritz on Thursday placed Bublik up three places to a new high of world No 13 on the ATP Live Rankings, and his win over de Minaur on Friday has now cemented that spot — with a chance to rise even further with a deeper run.

“It’s definitely a big win — it’s also a milestone win,” said Bublik, speaking to Tennis TV post-match.

“I’m definitely hitting my new career high. I hit it yesterday, I’m going to hit it today regardless of the outcome of Sacha’s [Zverev] match.

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“Making my first semi-final of Masters, actually at my favourite event, my favourite Masters alongside Monaco. That feels great.

“I’m in good shape, I feel great, I feel the crowd here, so I really like being in Paris. For me, it’s about keeping the momentum going, try to hit the shots, and just hope for the best.”

Up next for Bublik in the semi-final is ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who was dominant in a 6-2, 6-2 quarter-final victory versus Valentin Vacherot.

The semi-final holds huge importance in the race to the ATP Finals in Turin, with both Bublik and Auger-Aliassime in contention.

The Kazakh could seal a place as an alternate with a run to the title, while Auger-Aliassime will move inside the top eight of the race if he defeats Bublik on Saturday afternoon to reach the final.

Bublik added: “I can’t make it directly to Turin, but I can make it as an alternate, and he can make it directly if he wins it.

“So it’s going to be a big match. He’s fighting for his spot, I’m fighting to be alternate, so I hope it’s going to be a good battle, I hope it’s going to be a fair battle, and we’re going to show some good tennis.”

Read Next: ATP Rankings Race to Turin: Ben Shelton & Alex de Minaur qualify as 4 players remain in contention

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