Champions

Elena Rybakina extended her winning streak to 11 matches on Saturday night by securing the WTA Finals title after defeating the World No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, 6-3, 7-6(0) in Riyadh.

Rybakina earned $5.235 million for her triumph, while Sabalenka received $2.695 million as the runner-up. Despite her loss in Riyadh, Sabalenka can be pleased as her total prize money for the season, $13,008,519, sets a new record, surpassing Serena Williams's 2013 record ($12,385,572)

For Sabalenka, this marked her second defeat in the season-ending final after the four-time Grand Slam champion lost to Caroline Garcia in 2022.

It was a remarkable finish to the year for Rybakina, who faced early-season challenges both emotionally and professionally when her coach, Stefano Vukov, was temporarily suspended for alleged abusive conduct, and she did not reach the quarterfinals in any of the four majors.

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic secured the 101st title of his career by winning the Hellenic Championships after a tough battle against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti in Saturday's final in Athens, coming back from a set down to claim 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.

However, the hard-earned victory in Athens came at a cost for the 24-time Grand Slam champion, who had to withdraw from the ATP Finals in Turin due to an ongoing shoulder injury.

Before the Athens final, Musetti was under intense pressure to win the title to surpass Felix Auger-Aliassime for the last qualifying spot at the ATP Finals. But with Djokovic's withdrawal, Musetti claimed his place to compete at the season finale for the first time.

With his Athens victory, Djokovic now trails only Roger Federer on the ATP Tour’s all-time titles list by two, while Jimmy Connors leads with 109.

Lastly, in an exciting week of tennis,Learner Tien became the ninth first-time ATP Tour champion this season by narrowly defeating Cameron Norrie 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(6).

By winning in Metz, Tien became the first American teenager to claim a tour-level title since Andy Roddick, who won his first title at 19 in 2002.

Biggest challenges

After first-round exits in Basel and Paris, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard once again faltered early in Metz, losing to Vitaliy Sachko, a lucky loser ranked 222nd in the world.

The French player is struggling notably with his return game, considered one of the poorest on the ATP Tour, alongside inconsistency and physical issues. His weak return often negates his strong serve, leading to many early losses despite occasional good performances.

Mpetshi Perricard ranks last on the ATP Tour in 14 return-related statistics, breaking serve in only about 10% of his matches.

The Metz loss capped a tough year for the 22-year-old, who has posted 17 wins and 26 losses. His best runs came in Brisbane and Winston-Salem, reaching the semifinals, but he is now close to falling out of the top 50 and must improve consistency to be a real contender again in 2026.

Highlight moment

Never underestimate Pablo Carreno Busta. The 34-year-old Spaniard won the title at the Alicante Ferrero Challenger on Sunday by defeating France’s Hugo Grenier 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in an exciting final held at the JC Ferrero Tennis Academy.

For Carreno Busta, who was once considered a bright prospect at the JC Ferrero Tennis Academy, this victory was especially meaningful, as lifting the trophy where his distinguished career began symbolized a deeply personal and emotional milestone.

The seasoned Spaniard has never retired despite facing difficulties that might have ended many careers.

Carreno Busta, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 10 in September 2011, underwent elbow surgery in November 2023 after a year of pain. When he returned at Roland Garros last season, his ranking had dropped to No. 1,049.

Now, thanks to his recent win, Carreno Busta has climbed back up to 89th in the world rankings.

Top rallies

Although 38 years old, Djokovic demonstrated in the Athens final that his fitness is unquestionable when he executed a remarkable full-stretch drop volley to win a point.

Rybakina was nearly flawless in Riyadh last week, with her groundstrokes on another level, illustrated by this forehand winner on the run against Jasmine Paolini.

Upcoming tournaments

While the women concluded their season with the WTA Finals in Riyadh, the top eight men’s singles players and doubles teams head to Italy for the ATP Tour season finale at the Turin Inalpi Arena.

The local favorite Jannik Sinner and top seed Carlos Alcaraz lead this elite group, seemingly set for a direct showdown for the Brad Drewett Trophy and the chance to finish 2025 as world No. 1.

Other competitors include Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, and Alex de Minaur, along with Lorenzo Musetti and Félix Auger-Aliassime, who also qualified on Saturday.

Players in Turin are split into two groups of four, where they will each play three best-of-three-set matches in the group stage, with the top two from each group advancing to the semifinals.

If players finish tied on points in the group, the head-to-head result between those players will determine who advances.

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