Zheng Qinwen competes for a 1 million AUD prize, Alcaraz books an exhibition match a year in advance, and Serena Williams finally ties the knot.

In just three minutes daily, stay updated on global tennis news. Hello tennis fans, today is Wednesday, December 24, 2025. Welcome to the midday news report brought to you by Tennis Home.

Early this morning Beijing time, the 2026 Australian Open officially confirmed that Chinese athlete Zheng Qinwen will compete in the newly launched “one-point-decides” Grand Slam. Alongside Zheng, players confirmed include Russian star Medvedev, Japanese ace Naomi Osaka, and Canadian talent Felix Auger-Aliassime. So far, nine professional players have confirmed participation, including Alcaraz, Sinner, Kyrgios, Swiatek, and Gauff, leaving 13 spots still open.

This event will take place on January 14 next year, just before the Australian Open begins. The lineup includes 22 professional players and 10 local Australian amateurs, following a single-elimination format where each round is decided by one point. Winners advance, losers are eliminated, and the first to win five matches claims the title. The champion’s prize is 1 million AUD, approximately 4.71 million RMB. Let’s hope Zheng performs well and secures this huge reward!

Next, let’s focus on world No.1 Alcaraz. Last night Beijing time, foreign media reported that Alcaraz will face Brazilian rising star Fonseca in an exhibition match on December 12, 2026, held at a football stadium in São Paulo that can accommodate over 40,000 spectators. Fans joked that Alcaraz really has many exhibition matches; even before 2025 ends, his 2026 exhibition is already booked. It seems the organizers must have paid a hefty sum to secure the world No.1!

Now, let’s check player news. Last night Beijing time, 45-year-old American legend and seven-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams shared multiple wedding photos on her social media, announcing she married her 37-year-old Italian boyfriend Andrea Preti last weekend in Palm Beach, Florida, officially entering married life. Reports say the wedding lasted five days, with family and friends attending in full force, making it a grand celebration.

Serena met Andrea Preti at Milan Fashion Week in 2024. Both felt an attraction and exchanged contacts. A few weeks later, when Serena needed surgery for uterine fibroids, Preti contacted an Italian doctor upon learning this. Serena eventually chose to have the surgery in Italy, which brought them closer together.

Six months later, in January this year, they got engaged in Tuscany. Another ten months passed before the American tennis legend finally got married, officially becoming an Italian wife. Their age-gap romance has blossomed beautifully. Congratulations to them!

Finally, let’s play a guessing game. The photo below shows a player about to board a plane. Without any hints, can you recognize who she is?

In the last guessing game, some fans gave the correct answer. That’s right, the person in the photo is Italian rising star Cocciaretto, known for her dramatic shirt tear at the Billie Jean King Cup.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Independent Thinker)