Alcaraz and Sinner set to meet in Korea, Fritz narrowly defeats Wawrinka, three Chinese women aim for quarterfinals with Xu Yifan winning

Three minutes daily to stay updated on global tennis news. Hello tennis fans, today is Thursday, October 23, 2025. Welcome to the midday news report brought to you by "Tennis Home."

Let's start by focusing on the twin stars of men’s tennis. Last night Beijing time, world No.1 Alcaraz and world No.2 Sinner both shared posts on social media, arranging to meet in Korea. According to Korean media, Alcaraz and Sinner will hold an exhibition match in Korea early in 2026, expected around January 10th. The appearance fees were not disclosed by Korean media, but fans generally believe that inviting the world’s top two players must have involved a huge payment from Korean conglomerates.

Back to the courts. Last night Beijing time, two ATP 500 indoor hard court tournaments continued. Vienna: In a first-round highlight, top seed Sinner took only 58 minutes to dominate Germany’s Altmaier 6-0, 6-2, advancing strongly. In round two, he will face fellow Italian Cobolli. Sixth seed, Russian star Medvedev, defeated Portugal’s Borges 6-4, 6-7(7), 6-2, maintaining a 4-0 record against him, and will next play France’s Moutet. They met last week in the Almaty final, where Medvedev won 2-1 to claim the title.

Italian star Berrettini defeated Australian Poplin 7-6(5), 6-3 to also advance to round two. Next, he will face British player Norrie. In an earlier second-round match, Dutch top player Griekspoor edged American Brandon Nakashima in two tiebreaks; Australian young gun De Minaur beat local player Miesolik 2-0.

Basel: In a first-round highlight, top seed and American Fritz battled through three sets to overturn Monaco’s recent Shanghai Masters champion Wawrinka 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-5, securing a tough Masters win. Next, he will face French player Humbert. Norwegian Ruud, fresh off winning Stockholm last week, continued his hot form by defeating lucky loser Aris 6-1, 7-6(3), maintaining a 3-0 record against him, and will next face 40-year-old local veteran Wawrinka.

Dutch player Van de Zandschulp performed excellently, beating Czech star Lehecka 6-2, 6-2; he will face American giant Opelka in round two. In another second-round match, Spaniard Fokina narrowly defeated American Brooksby 6-7, 6-4, 7-5 to advance first.

Now let’s turn to the women’s events. Yesterday Beijing time, the WTA250 Guangzhou International Women’s Tennis Open was hit by continuous rain, causing repeated delays and ultimately cancellation of the day’s matches, which have been rescheduled for today. China’s three rising stars Wang Yafan, Wang Xiyu, and Zhang Shuai will appear on the center court today, aiming for quarterfinal spots.

WTA500 Tokyo: In the singles second round, eighth seed Czech player Muchova defeated Australian rising star Jonté 6-3, 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals. Next, she will compete against fifth seed Swiss player Bencic for a semifinal berth; Bencic beat French qualifier Gacheva 6-4, 6-3.

Russian star Kalinskaya edged seventh seed compatriot Schneider 7-6(4), 2-6, 7-6(5), securing her sixth victory over a top-20 opponent this season. Next, she will face sixth seed Czech rising star Noskova in the quarterfinals, who came back from a set down to defeat American newcomer Keßler 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.

Doubles: In a first-round match, the China-US pair Xu Yifan/Melichar defeated Hori/Wu 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face third seeds Danilina/Krunic.

Finally, let’s play a guessing game. The image below shows a player practicing her serve. Without any hints, can you identify who she is?

Last time’s guess was correct by some fans. Yes, the person in the photo is the Chinese star Xu Yifan, who just won a doubles match at the Tokyo tournament.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Lone Wolf)