Tennis News

Medvedev shows signs of Beijing revival with potential Zverev QF looming

Daniil Medvedev’s 2025 campaign has been anything but smooth, yet if there is a stage where his fortunes might shift, it could well be the China Open.

The 29-year-old brushed aside Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday afternoon in Beijing, sealing his spot in a third straight quarter-final at the ATP 500 event. Though Medvedev stands with a modest 29-19 record this year by his lofty standards, the 2023 finalist remains focused on rediscovering the edge that once carried him to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

“Maybe the feeling of the game, the general awareness [which I have been] lacking lately,” Medvedev reflected when asked what qualities he would borrow from his 2023 self. “I’m trying to get that back, and that’s also why I’m happy today. To win many return games, you need to react fast on the return, run faster on the next shot. Everything needs to be better, but it’s not too bad.”

After his first-round defeat at the US Open last month, Medvedev parted ways with his coach of eight years, Gilles Cervara, and has now been working with Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke. Competing as the World No. 18 — his lowest mark since January 2019 — Medvedev will next meet second seed Alexander Zverev or Corentin Moutet in Beijing.

Medvedev, the former Nitto ATP Finals champion, is up one spot to 21st in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, but he could jump as high as 14th if he captures the title in Beijing. It would mark his first trophy since the 2023 ATP Masters 1000 in Rome.

Quarter-final bound ✈️@DaniilMedwed flies past Davidovich Fokina 6-3 6-3 to return to the final eight in Beijing.@chinaopen | #2025ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/jEgDJCtlrt

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 28, 2025

Earlier, fourth seed Lorenzo Musetti continued to bounce back from his Chengdu final heartbreak by setting a Beijing quarter-final meeting with #NextGenATP Learner Tien.

Musetti, who is seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, moved past qualifier Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-3 to strengthen his push for a maiden Nitto ATP Finals qualification. The 19-year-old Tien upset Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 6-2 to reach his fifth ATP Tour quarter-final (0-4).

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Alcaraz races past Nakashima in Tokyo to equal personal-best season win tally

Carlos Alcaraz maintained his seamless debut campaign at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships on Sunday, where he eased past Brandon Nakashima to reach the last four.

The No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings produced a stunning serving display and plenty of crowd-pleasing moments in a 6-2, 6-4 night-session triumph in Tokyo. Alcaraz powered 25 winners past Nakashima with his forehand alone to march into his ninth consecutive tour-level semi-final. With his Tour-leading 65th match win of the season, the 22-year-old Alcaraz equalled his personal-best tally in a single season (set in 2023).

A forehand from another planet 🚀@carlosalcaraz | @japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/wcPkNSnL0d

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 28, 2025

“It’s great to go through, to play another semi-final,” said Alcaraz in his post-match interview. “It’s special because it’s the first time I am playing here in Japan and here in Tokyo, so to reach the semi-finals in my first appearance is something great.”

Even after some of the sublime shotmaking Alcaraz produced in a classy opening-set performance, the Spaniard arguably saved his best for last inside Ariake Coliseum. Having let slip three match points on return at 5-3 in the second set, he reeled off four consecutive winners in the next game to wrap his win with a flourish.

“I always say that closing a match is difficult. Even tougher when you had match points, like I did when I was returning,” said Alcaraz. “Losing that game, I thought it was going to be really difficult, but I just tried to maintain my focus and play some great points in the last game. I don’t think I’ve played a last game like this, so I’m really happy about it.”

Watch: Alcaraz’s Four Consecutive Winners To Wrap Tokyo QF Win: 

Now 50-3 since April, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Alcaraz will take on Casper Ruud for a spot in the championship match. The fourth-seeded Norwegian earlier raced to a 6-3, 6-2 victory against Aleksandar Vukic.

“Probably [it’s the best period of my career]. I’m just feeling great on court, every time I step on the court,” said Alcaraz. “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.”

Alcaraz leads Ruud 4-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, with one of those victories coming in the 2022 US Open final. Yet the Norwegian triumphed in straight sets in the pair’s most recent meeting, at the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals, and he produced a commanding quarter-final win of his own in Tokyo, where he needed just 58 minutes to sink qualifier Vukic.

In the bottom half of the draw, Taylor Fritz and Jenson Brooksby will contest an all-American semi-final. The second-seeded Fritz edged Sebastian Korda 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3. The champion in Tokyo in 2022, Fritz moved one spot above Novak Djokovic to fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin by defeating Korda.

The World No. 86 Brooksby notched a 6-3, 6-3 upset of third seed Holger Rune to seal his semi-final spot. With victory in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash against Rune, the 24-year-old Brooksby improved to 9-1 in ATP Tour quarter-finals.

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Some of music history’s most shocking stories revealed

Documentary revealing the untold stories behind the most controversial music of the 1980s.

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Raducanu and Kartal reach China Open third round

Britain’s Emma Raducanu and Sonay Kartal win in straight sets to move into the last 32 in Beijing.

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Alcaraz hails 'best physio in world' after victory

Carlos Alcaraz praises his physiotherapist after overcoming an ankle injury to reach the quarter-finals of the Japan Open.

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Alcaraz quashes injury concerns with Tokyo win

Carlos Alcaraz put to bed any injury concerns on Saturday at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, where he moved past Belgian Zizou Bergs 6-4, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals in Tokyo.

The Spaniard tweaked his ankle during his opening-round win against Sebastian Baez but moved freely during his first Lexus ATP Head2Head clash against Bergs to advance after 79 minutes at the ATP 500 hard-court event.

Alcaraz hit through Bergs with his forehand, was sharp around the net and recovered from squandering break advantages in both sets to improve to 64-7 on the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

“It was tough and it was a really important day and a half I had to recover as good as I could,” Alcaraz said when asked about his ankle. “I have said it before and I will say it again, I have the best physio in the world, who I trust 100 per cent. The work he has done for the ankle has been great. I could play normally, which is great. Sometimes I was worried about some movements, when I could feel the ankle, but in general I played some great tennis, a great match.”

Alcaraz earned a career-best 65 tour-level victories in 2023 and will match that tally with a win against American Brandon Nakashima in the quarter-finals. Nakashima defeated Marton Fucsovics 7-5, 6-3 to clinch his 30th win of 2025.

The top seed is chasing a Tour-leading eighth title of the season and arrived in Tokyo in confident mood after winning his sixth major at the US Open earlier this month. With his final victory against Jannik Sinner in New York, the Spaniard also reclaimed top spot in the PIF ATP Rankings from the Italian. Alcaraz leads Sinner by 2,590 points in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, which acts as a barometer for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours.

Earlier, Holger Rune wasted little time reaching his fifth quarter-final of the season, downing American Ethan Quinn 6-4, 6-2. The third-seeded Dane advanced to the last four in Tokyo in 2024 and will aim to match that feat when he meets Jenson Brooksby in the quarters. Brooksby beat Luciano Darderi 7-6(7), 6-1.

Rune is searching for his second title of the season, having triumphed at the ATP 500 event on clay in Barcelona. The 22-year-old is 14th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, more than 1000 points behind eighth-placed Alex de Minaur, who occupies the final qualification spot for the Nitto ATP Finals.

“I really sharpened my focus in the start of the sets,” Rune said. “I tried to hit quickly, it makes me more comfortable. He is a good player and has some weapons, but it was about trying to take them away from him and play on my terms and making fast starts made me feel better and made me relax more.”

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Sinner drops set in Atmane win, reaches Beijing QFs

Jannik Sinner overcame a mid-match scare against Terence Atmane on Saturday at the China Open, where he eventually broke the resistance of the French qualifier to earn a 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 second-round win.

The Italian defeated Atmane with relative ease last month in the semi-finals in Cincinnati, where the Frenchman had enjoyed a breakthrough run to the last four. However, the top seed in Beijing was pushed far harder at the ATP 500 event.

After losing a tight first set, Atmane broke Sinner’s serve three times in the second set to level, frequently rushing the World No. 2 with his depth and precision. Yet the 23-year-old was unable to inflict just a sixth defeat of the season on Sinner, who upped his aggression in the decider to eventually advance to his 13th consecutive hard-court quarter-final after two hours and 22 minutes.

“The game style he plays is quite unique and he is a lefty and we don’t have so many. He is a great, great player and has improved a lot again since Cincinnati,” Sinner said. “Today he struggled a little bit in the third set with some cramp but it was a tough, tricky second-round match. I was twice up with a break in the second set and I couldn’t use it, but this is the sport and this happens. Maybe the concentration went down a little bit at times and some nerves, but I am very happy to be through to the next round.”

The former Beijing champion Sinner defeated Marin Cilic in the opening round in his first match since he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open final. The Italian ceded the No. 1 spot in the PIF ATP Rankings with his defeat to the Spaniard but will aim to keep pace in his battle with rival Alcaraz for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours across the remaining months of the season. He trails the 22-year-old, who is competing in Tokyo, by 2,590 points in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.

Sinner has won his past 61 matches on hard courts against players outside the Top 10 and will hope to extend that run when he meets World No. 57 Fabian Marozsan in the last eight. Marozsan defeated Alexandre Muller 6-3, 7-6(5) to reach the quarter-finals.

Earlier, Alex de Minaur clawed past Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(2) to seal his spot in the quarter-finals in Beijing. The Australian has earned a Tour-leading 33 hard-court wins this year and has now captured 15 victories at ATP 500 events in 2025, with only Alcaraz (17) earning more, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

De Minaur, who won the title at the ATP 500 in Washington in July, is eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, occupying the final qualification spot. The 26-year-old is aiming to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the second consecutive year. Next up in Beijing, he will meet seventh seed Jakub Mensik or Frenchman Arthur Cazaux.

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2025 Tokyo tennis prize money

The Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships in Japan, Tokyo, which this year runs from 24-30 September, has announced a prize money total of US $2,226,470 for the 2025 edition.

The singles champion will earn US $416,365, while the winning doubles team will split US $136,760. View the full prize-money breakdown and the PIF ATP Rankings points at stake below.

2025 Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships Singles Prize Money

2025 Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships Doubles Prize Money (per team)

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2025 Beijing Prize Money

The China Open in Beijing, China, which this year runs from 25 September- 1 October, has announced a prize money total of US $4,016,050 for the 2025 edition.

The singles champion will earn US $751,075, while the winning doubles team will split US $246,690. View the full prize money breakdown and the PIF ATP Rankings points at stake below:

2025 China Open Singles Prize Money

2025 China Open Doubles Prize Money (per team)

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Pioneers of Glam: Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music

Documentary exploring the music of rock band Roxy Music and its frontman Bryan Ferry.

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