Leiba's mental struggles continue, and Xiao Guo regrets losing to the comeback of Little Bu. Six Chinese players are competing in the US Open qualifiers.

Three minutes a day to stay updated on tennis worldwide. Hello, tennis fans! Today is Monday, August 18, 2025. Welcome to the news midday report provided by "Tennis Home."

This morning, the ATP/WTA 1000 Cincinnati tournament continued. On the men's side: In the men's doubles final, Mektić/Ram came back to defeat Musetti/Sonego 4-6, 6-3, 10-5, securing their first title together.

On the women's side: In the first semifinal of singles, third seed and Polish star Swiatek defeated ninth seed and Kazakhstan's Leila by 7-5, 6-3, achieving her fourth consecutive victory over the latter. With a flawless performance, she reached the finals of this event for the first time without dropping a set, marking her 13th career appearance in a 1000 event final. After advancing to the championship match, the Polish player also confirmed her qualification for the Riyadh year-end finals for five consecutive years, becoming the second player this season to secure a spot in the year-end finals.

In this Grand Slam champion showdown, Leila led 5-3 in the first set and had a chance to serve for the set, but she experienced a familiar collapse, losing four consecutive games and handing the victory back to her opponent. In the second set, after a 1-1 tie, she was broken again, losing early suspense in the match. Some fans believe that while Leila has the hard skills, she often falters during crucial points in the quarterfinals and semifinals, showing a noticeable lack of confidence. Until she overcomes these mental hurdles, it will be quite difficult for her to win a title. With Vukov's return to the coaching team, it is hoped that the Kazakhstani player will improve in this regard.

In the second match, Italy's "Little Cannon" Boulini defeated Russia's Kudermetova 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-3, advancing to the 1000 event final for the second time this year and the third time in her career. She will face Swiatek for the final championship.

On the doubles court: In the final, the Chinese-Russian duo Guo Hanyu/Panova could not continue their winning streak and were defeated by the second seeds Dabrowski/Ludwig with a score of 6-4, 6-3, missing out on the championship.

Now let's look at other events. This morning, the ATP 250 Winston-Salem tournament kicked off. In a key first-round singles match, China's top player Bu Yunchaoke battled Taiwan's Zeng Junxin for 3 hours and 12 minutes, ultimately pulling off a thrilling comeback with a score of 6-7(2), 6-3, 7-6(4) in the derby match. Next, he will face the top seed, Greece's Tsitsipas.

At the same time, the WTA 250 Cleveland tournament began: On the first day of competition, three seeded players were eliminated, causing quite a few surprises. Among them, third seed and Australian rising star Jonty lost to Germany's Lis 4-6, 4-6; fourth seed, Russia's Potapova, fell to American young player Jovic 5-7, 3-6; and sixth seed, Britain's Katar was upset by Argentina's Sheira 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(2).

Meanwhile, China's Wang Yafan made a comeback in the final round of singles qualifying, reversing the fourth seed, Palisias-Diaz, with a score of 1-6, 6-0, 6-4, advancing to the main draw where she will face American Sterns.

Now let's pay attention to the latest updates. Last night, the US Open officially released the mixed doubles draw. The top four seeds are Pegula/Draper, Leila/Fritz, Swiatek/Ruud, and Anisimova/Rune. World No. 1 Sinner partners with Czech player Siniakova, facing Bencic/Zverev in the first round.

Additionally, the US Open also announced the singles qualifying draw, with six Chinese players competing. In the men's category: Wu Yibing vs. Fekovic; Sun Fajing vs. Martin-Tifon; in the women's category: Zhang Shuai vs. Stoianova, Wei Shijia vs. Jianjizi, Gao Xinyu vs. Masic, and Wang Xiyu vs. Blanstin.

Finally, let's guess and recognize. The following image shows a player joyfully crying after a victory. Without hints, can you recognize who he is?

In the last guessing game, a tennis friend provided the correct answer. Indeed, the little girl in the picture is the beloved daughter of Russian star Medvedev.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Unique and Independent)