Can Zverev avenge against Sinner? Fognini reaches the final for the fifth time aiming for his first title, with Chinese stars gathering in Hong Kong and Jiujiang

Three minutes daily to catch up on global tennis news. Hello tennis fans, today is Sunday, October 26, 2025. Welcome to the Tennis Home news midday report.

Last night Beijing time, the singles semifinals of this week's two ATP 500 events ended, confirming the finalists. In Vienna: top seed and Italian star Sinner defeated third seed Australian Deminol 6-3, 6-4, maintaining his perfect 12-0 record against the young Japanese player and advancing to the final. This marks Sinner's 20th consecutive indoor hard court win, his 8th final this season, and the 31st final of his career.

In the other match, second seed German Zverev beat Italian Musetti 6-4, 7-5, ending a three-match losing streak against him and earning his 300th hard court victory. This is Zverev's fourth final this season and the 40th of his career. He will face Sinner for the title, holding a slight 4-3 lead in their head-to-head record.

Looking ahead to this matchup, Zverev said, "I think the reason we haven't played more often is mostly my fault. He almost always reaches the final when he plays, while I don't. This will be a huge challenge, and I'm excited to compete against one of the world's best players to see where I stand." Their last encounter was at this year's Australian Open final, where Sinner won 3-0 to claim the title. Can the German get his revenge this time?

In Basel: Brazilian rising star Fonseca narrowly defeated Spaniard Munar 7-6(4), 7-5 to reach his first ATP 500 final. This is also the second ATP Tour singles final of his career. He will face Spanish player Fognini, who advanced after Frenchman Humber retired while trailing 7-6(4), 3-1.

This is Fognini's fourth final this season and the fifth ATP Tour singles final of his career. In his previous four finals, he has always fallen short of winning his first career title. Will he finally achieve his dream in Basel?

Turning to the women's court: last night Beijing time, the WTA 250 Guangzhou International Women's Tennis Open concluded its singles semifinals. Chinese veteran Zhang Shuai retired due to injury while trailing 2-5 in the first set. Her American opponent, Rhyne Williams, advanced to the final and will face New Zealander Lulu Sun, who defeated American qualifier Liu Jingwen 6-0, 7-6(3). Sun has won six consecutive matches since qualifying, reaching the second WTA final of her career.

At the WTA 500 Tokyo event: in the singles semifinals, fifth seed Swiss player Bencic defeated tenth seed American Kenin 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-2 to earn her first win in three meetings between them. This marks her return to this final after 10 years, her second final this year, and the 20th of her career. She will compete against Czech rising star Noskova for the championship.

Looking ahead to next week's tournaments: last night Beijing time, the main draws for three upcoming WTA 250 events were released. Hong Kong: Swiss star Bencic leads as top seed, with players like Mboko, Kenin, Jonté, and Kalinskaya also participating. Three Chinese players will compete, with first-round matchups as follows: Wang Xiyu vs. Fernandez, Zhang Shuai vs. Eriyavets, Wang Yafan vs. a qualifier.

Jiujiang: Seeds one to four are Rhyne Williams, Grubusic, Parks, and Kudermetova. Six Chinese players will participate, including Bai Zhuoxuan vs. Rhyne Williams, Zhu Lin vs. Parks, Wei Sijia vs. Bondar, Zhu Chenting vs. Tagar, Zheng Wushuang vs. Starodubtseva, and Yuan Yue vs. a qualifier.

Chennai: Senmez and Jones lead the field, with Vikic, Zeng Limi, Bronzetti, Jiang Jiang, Biller, and Lulu Sun also competing.

Finally, let's have a guess and recognition game. The picture below shows a player collapsing in celebration after a victory. Without any hints, can you identify who he is?

Last time, fans correctly identified the player. Indeed, the person in the photo is the 40-year-old Swiss warrior Stan Wawrinka.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Lone Wolf)