Master Var stepped up in one leap, Fonseca lost again, Mboko sharply declined, Wang Zuo and Xiao Xu exited in the first round.

Three minutes daily to keep you updated on the world of tennis. Hello tennis fans, today is Wednesday, October 15, 2025. Welcome to the midday news report brought to you by "Tennis Home."

Let's start by highlighting the new Shanghai Masters men's singles champion, Vasherro. After a flawless run of nine straight wins as a qualifier, Vasherro's world ranking jumped 164 spots to number 40. Holding the trophy upon returning home, Master Va was warmly received at the Monte Carlo Country Club by Monaco’s head of state, Prince Albert II.

It is said that receiving a meeting with the head of state after winning a Masters title is a first in men’s tennis. Keep in mind, Monaco covers only 2.08 square kilometers, has fewer than 40,000 residents, and very few professional tennis players. Therefore, Vasherro’s Masters victory is a major event in this tiny nation.

Back to the courts. Last night Beijing time, the ATP250 indoor hard court tournaments continued with first-round singles matches. At the Almaty event, 5th seed Brandon Nakashima defeated Serbian player Medjedovic 7-6(5), 6-2, marking a winning debut. Shevchenko, Vukic, and Rinki Tsuchikata also advanced.

In Brussels, 6th seed and Argentina’s new No.170 Baez was upset in straight sets by lucky loser Luvah, causing a minor surprise. 7th seed and Brazilian rising star Fonseca also fell short, losing 5-7, 6-7(2) to Dutch player Van der Schuup. Recently, Fonseca has struggled to get past early rounds, disappointing fans and dimming his star. Meanwhile, Collignon, Komesana, Pericard, Bai, and Spizziri all secured wins to reach the second round.

At Stockholm, Italian star Berrettini cruised to a 6-4, 6-2 victory over qualifier Zepieri in his opening match. Argentine Echeverri narrowly defeated qualifier Rayar 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 6-3 to advance. E-Imel, Majzak, and Cilic also moved through the first round.

Turning to the women’s side. Yesterday afternoon Beijing time, the WTA500 Ningbo Open continued. In singles, wildcard entrant Chinese star Zhu Lin came back from behind to beat former US Open champion Raducanu 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 for a strong start. Next, she will face Russian rising star Mira Andreyeva.

Yuan Yue defeated Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-3 to win the all-Chinese derby. She will next face 4th seed Aleksandrova. Young qualifier Guo Hanyu lost 2-6, 4-6 to 8th seed Samsonova, exiting in her first match.

Other matches: Canadian rising star Mboko was eliminated by Ukrainian Yastremska 6-3, 7-6(3). Following her Montreal 1000 title, Mboko has suffered four consecutive singles defeats without winning a set, a puzzling decline in form. Winners advancing include Muhova, Tomljanovic, and Kudermetova.

In doubles first round, Chinese duo Wang Xiyu and Xu Yifan lost 3-6, 6-3, 7-10 to Merichal and Samsonova, facing an early exit.

At the WTA250 Osaka event on the second day, 4th seed Fernandez defeated American Baptiste 6-2, 7-5 to reach round two. 3rd seed Mertens also advanced, beating Spain’s Bucsa 7-6(5), 6-3. Grubich, Cristian, Manero, Valentova, Ann Li, Slamkova, Garfi, and Buzkova all secured wins to move forward.

Finally, let’s play a guessing game. The picture below shows a player dressed in historical costume. Without any hints, can you identify who she is?

In the last guessing game, some fans gave the correct answer. That’s right, the person in the picture is Spain’s tennis legend Nadal.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: The Independent)