Sinner breaks records praising Chinese tennis, Shapovalov beats Swiatek, Yuan Yue dominates birthday challenge against Swiatek

Three minutes daily to catch up on global tennis news. Hello tennis fans, today is Friday, September 26, 2025. Welcome to the midday news update provided by Tennis Home.

Last night Beijing time, the ATP 500 China Open wrapped up its opening day matches. In singles: In a first-round clash between US Open champions, the former finalist and top seed Sinner played consistently, dropping only four games and defeating Croatian veteran Cilic 6-2, 6-2 to advance decisively. Next, he will face Frenchman Arnaud, who eliminated China's Zhang Zhizhen.

Following this victory, Sinner set a new record: he has now won an incredible 60 consecutive matches on hard courts against players ranked outside the top 10. This highlights the Italian's dominant hard-court form, with only top 10 or even top 5 players occasionally able to beat him.

After his debut win, Sinner also showered praise on Chinese tennis and the local fans, saying, "It feels great to be back here. From the first day of practice, many fans gathered, and you can feel their enthusiasm. I'm happy to bring my energy to them." He added, "Every year I notice the growing passion for tennis among Chinese spectators. There are many outstanding female players, and the men are also performing very well. This has a big impact on local fans and is crucial for the whole country."

Other matches: Frenchman A-Muller came from behind to beat 5th seed and Russian powerhouse Kachanov 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4; Hungarian Marosan defeated Frenchman Bonzi 7-6(1), 6-3; Spanish star Fucina comfortably overcame Argentine Calabelli 6-1, 6-3.

In men's doubles: In a first-round match, China's top player Bu Yunchao teamed up with British star Norrie to defeat the cross-national pair of German Zverev Jr. and Brazilian Melo 7-6(5), 6-4, securing a strong start.

ATP 500 Tokyo: In the singles first round, top seed and Spanish star Alcaraz overcame an unexpected injury in the first set to beat Argentine Baez 6-4, 6-2, earning a solid opening victory. He will next face Belgian Borgs, who rallied from 1-6 down to win two tiebreaks against Chilean Tabillo, the recent Chengdu champion.

Players including Ruud, Brandon Nakashima, Vukic, Brooksby, Darderi, Quinn, Rune, Korda, Fritz, and Shimabukuro all won their matches and advanced to the second round.

Now turning to the women's court. Last night Beijing time, the WTA 1000 China Open completed its second day of competition. Chinese players earned three wins with mixed results. Wildcard entrant Yuan Yue defeated Kazakhstan’s Putintseva 6-3, 6-3, celebrating her 27th birthday with a commanding victory. She will next challenge top seed and Polish star Swiatek.

Another wildcard, Chinese player Zhu Lin, swept Japanese qualifier Uchijima 6-1, 6-3, marking her first China Open win in 11 years. In the next round, she will face 4th seed and Russian rising star Mira Andreeva.

Meanwhile, Wang Xiyu triumphed over compatriot Guo Hanyu 7-5, 6-1 in a Chinese derby to claim her first China Open win. She will face 26th seed Czech rising star Noskova next. Colombian lucky loser Arango, replacing injured Wang Yafan, defeated Dutch player Ramens 6-3, 6-3 and will meet China's No.1 Zheng Qinwen in round two. Young player Wei Sijia was defeated 2-6, 0-6 by Turkey’s Senmez, exiting in her debut.

Players such as Bouzas, Buksha, Jonte, Osorio, Ruse, Seidel, Tomljanovic, Manero, Katar, and Potapova also secured wins to advance to the next round.

Finally, let's play a guessing game. The image below shows a player collapsing in celebration after a win. Without hints, can you identify who he is?

Last time’s guess was answered correctly by some fans. Indeed, the person in the picture is China’s top female player Zheng Qinwen.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Independent Thinker)