Sinner lost a set and gave away a bagel, Musetti quickly apologized but Chinese fans were not convinced, three of the four Chinese female players were eliminated

Three minutes daily to keep you updated on global tennis news. Hello tennis fans, today is Sunday, September 28, 2025. Welcome to the midday news report from "Tennis Home."

Last night Beijing time, the ATP 500 China Open completed its third day of competition. In singles: In a second-round match, top seed and world number two Sinner surprisingly lost a set, but recovered in the final set to beat French qualifier Arthaud 6-4, 5-7, 6-0, securing a spot in the quarterfinals after their semifinal clash at the Cincinnati Masters this year. Next, he will face Hungarian Marozsan, who defeated Frenchman Muller in straight sets.

The 7th seed, Czech rising star Menšík, defeated French qualifier Cazaux 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, reaching the hard court quarterfinals for the first time since winning the Miami Masters. He will next face the 3rd seed, Australian young talent Deminal, who narrowly won 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(2) against lucky loser Lindgren.

In men's doubles: In a first-round match, the wildcard Chinese pair Shang Juncheng/Zhang Zhizhen lost 3-6, 6-7(6) to Andrioz/Ginard, exiting in their debut.

Additionally, Italian star Musetti, who insulted Chinese people during yesterday’s match, quickly apologized after being heavily criticized by fans. The apology is quite lengthy but is shared here for fans to read.

Musetti said, "Dear Chinese fans, I sincerely apologize for the words I said yesterday out of frustration during the match. My remarks were only directed at a few people in the crowd who were constantly coughing and disturbing the game. These words were absolutely not aimed at Chinese fans. This happened during the tense moment of the second tiebreak, but that is no excuse. I realize my way of expressing myself was wrong and inappropriate, and hurt many Chinese fans’ feelings. I deeply regret this and feel very remorseful. I have always admired the Chinese people and truly appreciate playing in your country. Since 2018, whenever I come to China, I always feel very welcomed. I thank you for the strong support you have given me and all the fans in China. I apologize again, I respect you deeply, I feel at home here, and I cherish the warmth and kindness you have always shown me."

Following Musetti’s apology, reactions among Chinese fans were mixed; some accepted it while others rejected it. Some fans believe Musetti’s outburst during the match reflected his true feelings, and that the apology is merely a PR move, possibly not even written by him. A few even said, "Not accepted, you can leave!" What is your opinion on Musetti’s apology?

Turning our attention to Japan: In the ATP 500 Tokyo singles second round, top seed and Spanish star Alcaraz played steadily to defeat Belgian Bors 6-4, 6-3, marking his ninth consecutive tournament reaching at least the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, he will face American Brandon Nakashima, who eliminated Hungarian Fucsovics in straight sets. Americans Brooksby and Danish top player Rune also won their matches to advance to the quarterfinals.

Now, let's focus on the women's side. Last night Beijing time, the WTA 1000 China Open completed its fourth day of competition. Among the four Chinese female players competing that day, only Zheng Qinwen secured a victory, while the other three were eliminated.

Specifically, Zheng Qinwen defeated Colombian Arango 6-3, 6-2; Yuan Yue lost 0-6, 3-6 to world number two Swiatek; Zhu Lin fell 2-6, 2-6 to Russian rising star Mira Andreeva; Wang Xiyu lost 3-6, 2-6 to Czech Noskova.

Other matches saw victories from British Raducanu, Qatar’s player, American Pegula, Navarro, Colombian Osorio, French Bouziane, Belarusian Sasnovich, Ukrainian Kostyuk, Spaniard Manero, Australian young player Jonté, Turkish Senmez, and Russian Potapova, all advancing to the third round.

Finally, a guessing game. The picture below shows a retired player who is now a coach watching their protégé train. Without hints, can you identify who this is?

In the previous guessing game, some fans gave the correct answer. Yes, the person in the picture is American top player Gauff. Here is the full image.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Lone Wolf)