The three Russian brothers successfully escaped, while others paid huge sums for passage; Fonseca's breakthrough nomination was mocked as utterly undeserved.

Three minutes a day, know all about tennis. Hello tennis fans, today is Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Welcome to the News Noon Report brought to you by "Tennis Home".

Early this morning Beijing time, a Russian news agency reported, citing Rublev's mother, that Medvedev, Rublev, and Khachanov have all left Dubai, UAE, transited through Oman, and fled the conflict zone via private jet. The report stated the Russian trio plans to fly first to Istanbul, Turkey, then transfer to Indian Wells, USA, to compete. Of course, they will miss the pre-tournament mixed doubles exhibition, and the event organizers have already replaced them, but being able to play the main draw singles is already a positive outcome.

It is understood that to leave the dangerous area quickly, Medvedev and his companions paid tens of thousands of euros for the private charter. Their ability to afford this fee is also why they could evacuate early. Other players stranded in the UAE were not so fortunate; all players stuck at the Dubai event and the Fujairah Challenger were informed by the relevant tournament organizers that they could take a charter flight to Milan, Italy, on March 5, but each must pay 5,000 euros.

Among these stranded players are China's Zhou Yi and Sun Fajing. It is currently unknown whether the two of them will agree to pay the charter fee to leave the UAE on this flight. Note that they are self-funded participants; even as runners-up, their prize money would only be 5,000 euros. Now, not only have they earned no prize money, but they also face a huge expense for their way out—a total loss!

Let's turn to the Laureus World Sports Awards. Last night Beijing time, the 2026 Laureus Sports Awards officially announced the nominee lists for four categories. World Sportsman of the Year: Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner; World Sportswoman of the Year: Aryna Sabalenka; World Breakthrough of the Year: João Fonseca; World Comeback of the Year: Amanda Anisimova.

Among the nominees for these four awards, three categories have nominees widely recognized by fans. However, the nomination of Brazilian rising star João Fonseca for World Breakthrough of the Year has drawn widespread criticism. "Fonseca for breakthrough? What a joke! He hasn't won any major titles, never even reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal—mostly first or second-round exits. How does he deserve this?" "Monaco's Valentin Vacherot is more deserving than Fonseca. He qualified and won the Shanghai Masters—Fonseca can't match that." "Even American 'Little Money' has a stronger case than Fonseca. No idea how this nomination happened!" "Looking at the photo, Fonseca himself must feel awkward in that center spot!" What's your take on these fan criticisms?

Finally, a guess-and-recognize challenge. The image below shows a player during a match. Without hints, can you identify who she is?

The answer from our previous guess was correct. Indeed, the person in the image is Chinese top player Zheng Qinwen.

(Source: Tennis Home, Author:特立独行)