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Happy Tuesday! As Jannik Sinner reclaims the world No. 1 ranking, the WTA Finals begin group stage action in Riyadh.
In this week's newsletter:
👸 Swiatek and Sabalenka Assert Early Dominance
1️⃣ Sinner wins Paris Masters, Reclaims Number One
🎾 Weekly Roundup: Tight Races and Tour Milestones
🧠 Tennis Trivia Challenge 🧠
Think you know your tennis? Take a swing at this week’s question!
Who holds the most combined WTA Finals titles in singles and doubles?
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👸 Swiatek and Sabalenka Assert Early Dominance in WTA Finals 👸
Image: WTA
The WTA Finals began group stage action for the season-ending championship in Riyadh. The Steffi Graf Group features top seed Aryna Sabalenka alongside defending champion Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Jasmine Paolini. The Serena Williams Group includes second seed Iga Swiatek with Amanda Anisimova, Elena Rybakina, and Madison Keys. Only the top two finishers from each group will advance to the semifinals.
Group stage action has delivered contrasting fortunes and dramatic turnarounds for the tournament favorites. World #1 Sabalenka dominated Paolini in straight sets with 11 aces in her opening match, while Swiatek cruised past Keys in just 61 minutes. Defending champion Gauff struggled with 17 double faults in a three-set loss to Pegula. Day 3 brought stunning rallies as Rybakina overcame a set deficit to defeat Swiatek, while Anisimova kept her semifinal hopes alive by eliminating Keys in three sets.
The path to a Sabalenka-Swiatek dream final has grown more complicated following Rybakina's victory over the Pole. Rybakina has now won 10 of her last 11 matches and advances to the semifinals as group winner, positioning herself as a dangerous obstacle. Sabalenka remains the favorite with 60 wins this season as she seeks her first WTA Finals title. Swiatek, despite the setback, still leads the tour with 62 victories and hunts a second year-end championship. While both top seeds entered Riyadh as heavy favorites, Rybakina's momentum has turned the tournament into a far more unpredictable affair.
1️⃣ Sinner wins Paris Masters, Reclaims Number One 1️⃣
Image: ATP Tour
Jannik Sinner captured his maiden Paris Masters title with a commanding 6-4, 7-6(4) victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime on Sunday. The Italian was dominant throughout the tournament, becoming the first player since Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells 2023 to win an ATP Masters 1000 without dropping a set. Sinner's flawless performance extended his remarkable indoor hard court winning streak to 26 consecutive matches, a run dating back to the 2023 Davis Cup Finals. The 24-year-old conceded the fewest games en route to a Paris title since the event switched to hard courts in 2007, underscoring the clinical form that has defined his extraordinary season.
The victory propels Sinner back to world #1, narrowly ahead of rival Carlos Alcaraz by 250 points in the ATP rankings. With five titles already secured in 2025 and a stunning 53-6 record, the Italian has established himself as the tour's most consistent performer. His season includes Grand Slam victories at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, continuing a dominant stretch where he and Alcaraz have split the last eight majors. However, the year-end No. 1 ranking remains undecided. Sinner defends 1,500 points as the reigning ATP Finals champion when the season-ending tournament begins November 9th in Turin, setting up a dramatic finale to determine who finishes 2025 on top.
🎾 Weekly Roundup: Tight Races and Tour Milestones🎾
Image: CBC
The ATP Finals race to Turin has intensified with one spot remaining. Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, and Alex de Minaur secured qualification during the Paris Masters. Felix Auger-Aliassime's run to the final vaulted him ahead of Lorenzo Musetti, who must now win the Athens title to claim the final berth.
Aryna Sabalenka has secured the 2025 year-end WTA No. 1 ranking, becoming just the third woman this century to hold the top spot for every week of a year, joining Serena Williams and Ashleigh Barty. She's also the 13th woman in WTA history to finish No. 1 in consecutive years.
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko captured the Hong Kong Open title with a 7-5, 6-7(9), 6-2 victory over Spain's Cristina Bucsa. The 19-year-old from Burlington, Ontario, claimed her second WTA title of the season after winning in Montreal in August. Mboko rose to a career-high world No. 18 in Monday's new WTA rankings.
Janice Tjen captured her first WTA title at the Chennai Open, defeating Kimberly Birrell 6-4, 6-3. The 23-year-old Indonesian became just the third player from her country to win a WTA title in the Open Era, and the first since Angelique Widjaja in 2002. Tjen also won the doubles title with compatriot Aldila Sutjiadi.
🎥 Reel of the Week 🎥
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