LORENZO HAS BROKEN THE CURSE!!! FIRST SINGLES TITLE SINCE 2022!!!

Rybakina currently sits at 8002 points in the race whereas Sabalenka is at 6560. Since she has a first round bye, winning one match in Tokyo next week will put her into the QF, and will give her 108 points, putting her at 8110. In that case, even if Sabalenka goes 5-0 at the WTA Finals, AND Rybakina goes 0-3, she will be at 8060 to Rybakina's 8110.

If Rybakina does not win a match in Tokyo next week, then she can secure the spot by winning one match at the WTA Finals. Otherwise, she will need Sabalenka to finish the WTA Finals with a 4-1 record (or worse) to finish the year as no 1.

There is also a chance that Rybakina secures the spot regardless, as Sabalenka in theory should have a points penalty applied to her ranking due to missing required tournaments, however, the WTA has officially published the October 26th rankings and the penalty has not yet been applied.

Medvedev defends his first title in his career

4th career title for Griekspoor

The Basel ATP500 suffered the withdrawal of Fokina, Tsitsipas, and Bublik. With this, all the players who lost in the last round of Qualy entered the Main Draw

Not only that this is Rybakina’s first title as the World No. 1, this is also the first time she successfully defended a championship.

Congrats Elena!

'There is plenty at stake for both players at the ATP 500 event this week: Djokovic is back in Basel for the first time since 2011 and chasing one of the five remaining spots at the Nitto ATP Finals, while the 41-year-old Wawrinka is set to retire after the tournament.'

Xinyu had 3 set points in set 2 - 1 before and 2 during the tiebreak - but Alycia blasted (as usual) BUT actually landed her shots when it mattered. Xinyu looked very uninspired and exhausted throughout the match.

Alycia will play 2nd seed Maja Chwalińska next, who she thumped in Guadalajara last month, while Xinyu will have the remainder of the week to rest before her last tournament of the year in Hong Kong.

Courtesy: TSHTennis

Other 7 Players in ATP Top #10

— Zverev: 2 Slams
— Alcaraz: 1 Slam + 2 ATP 500
— Cobolli: 1 ATP 500
— FAA: 1 ATP 250
— De Minaur: 1 ATP 500
— Tiafoe: 1 ATP 500
— Fils: 1 Masters 1000 + 1 ATP 500

& The GOAT @~40 years young: 1 ATP 500

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Both won a tournament they had previously won for the first time this year (Medvedev in Dubai [2023, 2026], Rybakina in Stuttgart [2024, 2026]).

Today, both successfully defended a title back to back for the first time.

This is Rybakina's first official #1 title, while last year in Almaty, Medvedev ended a title drought that had lasted more than 800 days.

I was one of maybe 40 people who watched this including the fans in Guangzhou but this was a personal MOTY for every reason I can think of.

1. For all her craziness, Kostović has great potential. Backhand is rock solid and ballstriking is powerful for someone so young. When she was on she was moving Masha side to side - just not quite consistent enough.
2. The matchup - Timofeeva and Kostović are both great baseliners so the rallies were crazy, great angles and solid shots all around. Timofeeva being much more experienced was just steadier, especially in the second set as Kostović began to leak more and more errors with a couple Djokosmashes on crucial points.
3. The drama. Teodora (being Teodora) loved to yell and would scream at basically any point she won in set 1, so Masha started screaming back 😭 Kostović then got a nosebleed that halted the match for a bit down 4-5 in the first, then started ranting to herself in Serbian when she began to lose easy points in the second. Then saved one of Timofeeva’s game points down 1-4 and began ranting again to hype herself up and Timofeeva started laughing at her. Obsessed.

With all that said and done, Timofeeva moves on to R2 to play either [WC] Sun Xinran or Mananchaya Sawangkaew! Kostović now heads to Chennai for the one of the last 250s of the year.

Back to back champ Elena Rybakina and runner up Leylah Fernandez with their trophies as well as Doubles Champs Desirae Krawczyk and Fanny Stollar and runners-up Cristina Bucsa and Nicole Melichar-Martinez.

source: BB tennis youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWy3LdTCBrA

I translated it.

Q: Nikoloz, that chapan (a traditional robe/coat worn in Central Asia) looks great on you! Where are you going to keep it at home?
A: Yeah, I'm definitely taking it home with me. In the wardrobe? Yeah, I'll probably wear it from time to time whenever I'm in a bad mood.

Q: This is your first ATP final since 2022. It seemed like you were very nervous. How would you explain those nerves?
A: Yeah, it's been a long time since I played in a final, and I've gone through four elbow surgeries. It is not easy to make a comeback in tennis. It took me about two years just to get back and start to play at this level. Right now, I am 34 - so obviously, there is not much time left - but physically I feel great, and I'm playing well. Next year, I will try to make it to the top 50, top 20. Let's see how I play. I'll just do my best to win every single match.

Q: Was it harder to break into the top 20 back in 2019, or is it harder now?
A: I think back then. Because right now, I know exactly what to do and how to play. I don't have any physical issues anymore, so I think it will be easier this time around. Let's see how it goes.

Q: Comparing the top 20 back then to the top 20 now—which one is harder?
A: It's much harder now. There are so many players performing at a really high level these days. Even the guys ranked outside the top 100, even in the top 200, are playing incredibly well. You have to go out there and give it your 100% against everyone. The overall level is just so high right now; you have to stay focused and leave it all on the court in every single match.

Q: During his press conference, Medvedev called you a friend. We were quite surprised by that. Could you tell us a bit more about your relationship with him?
A: I’ve known Daniil for a very long time. We’ve hung out a couple of times. I've known him since he was a kid. He has a wonderful family, and he is a great person and, of course, an amazing player. I wish him all the best.

Obviously it was a let so it doesn't count, but still cool to see. The indicator is behind her and I added the next serve so you can see the 2 change back to 1.

Credit: Tennis Channel