Alex de Minaur Advances to Semifinals at ATP Finals

Posted on November 13, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Alex de Minaur is moving on…

The 26-year-old Uruguayan-Spanish Australian tennis player beat Taylor Fritz 7-6 (3), 6-3 at the ATP Finals for his first victory in six matches at the tournament, following his debut last year.

The victory sends de Minaur through to the semifinals after he earlier claimed his first ATP Finals victory.

“I finally won here in Torino,” said De Minaur, who needed a straight-set win to stay in contention for a semifinal spot.

De Minaur never looked back after dominating the tiebreaker and had a chance to seal victory on Fritz’s serve when he moved to match point, but the American held.

De Minaur kept his nerve on serve to triumph.

The seventh seed will face Jannik Sinner in the final four.

Carlos Alcaraz Clinches Year-End No. 1 Ranking with ATP Finals Win Over Lorenzo Musetti

Posted on November 13, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz is ended the year on top…

The 22-year-old Spanish tennis star needed less than 90 minutes to secure the year-ending No. 1 ranking in men’s tennis during his latest match at the ATP Finals..

Alcaraz needed one more win to beat Jannik Sinner to the No. 1 spot, and he eased to a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Italian Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday to sweep his group at the season-ending event for the top eight players.

“It means the world to me, to be honest,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. “The year No. 1 is always a goal. To be honest, at the beginning of the year, I saw that the No. 1 [was] really, really far away, with Jannik there, winning almost every tournament he plays.

“From the middle of the season till now, I put the goal for the No. 1 because I thought it was there … and finally, I got it. For me, it means everything, the work that we put every day during the whole season, up and downs … so I’m really proud about my team and myself.”

It’s the second time in his career that Alcaraz has ended the year at the top of the rankings.

Alcaraz became the youngest player to finish a year at No. 1 in 2022, when he achieved the feat as a 19-year-old.

Alcaraz had to win three of his matches at the ATP Finals to finish No. 1, while Sinner had to go undefeated to defend his title to have a chance.

Alcaraz – who admitted he was feeling nervous at the beginning of the match –

didn’t give Sinner that chance as he swept aside Musetti despite a partisan home crowd, sealing the result on his third match point.

That was his third win in the Jimmy Connors group, and Alcaraz will face the winner of Friday’s match between Alexander Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime in Saturday’s semifinal.

Alex de Minaur Defeats Nuno Borges at Shanghai Masters for his 50th ATP Tour-Level Victory This Season

Posted on October 8, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Alex de Minaur is celebrating a milestone victory…

The 26-year-old Spanish-Uruguayan Australian professional tennis player became the third player this season to win 50 ATP Tour-level games by defeating Nuno Borges 7-5, 6-2 at the Shanghai Masters on Wednesday.

de Minaur, the tournament’s seventh seed, hit 19 winners on the way to reach his seventh Masters 1000 quarterfinal in one hour and 47 minutes.

Only top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz with 67 wins and Taylor Fritz with 50 have already reached the 50-win mark in 2025.

In his previous best season, de Minaur had 47 wins in 2024, and two titles.

He will next face 16th-seeded Daniil Medvedev who defeated Learner Tien 7-6 (6), 6-7 (1), 6-4.

Alex de Minaur Survives Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to Claim DC Open Title

Posted on July 28, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a title-clinching come from behind victory for Alex de Minaur.

The 26-year-old Uruguayan & Spanish Australian tennis professional rallied from a set down and saved three championship points en route to a 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (3) victory over Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final of the DC Open on Sunday.

de Minaur, who was seeded seventh for the tournament, earned his 10th ATP Tour title and eighth on hard courts.

He was the runner-up to Alexander Zverev in Washington in 2018, and will enter the top 10 in the world rankings ahead of next month’s US Open.

Davidovich Fokina, the No. 12 seed, dropped to 0-4 for his career in finals despite leading 5-2 in the third set Sunday and repeatedly standing just a single point from victory. This was his second time frittering away multiple match points in a tournament final this year.

The 26-year-old Spaniard entered the week at No. 26 and will make his debut in the top 20 on Monday; he remains the highest-ranked man without a title.

“Alejandro, you’re way too good not to have one of these, it’s coming for sure,” de Minaur said during the on-court ceremony, gesturing to the trophy. “You deserved it today, I just got lucky. You are a hell of a competitor, hell of a player. No one on the tour wants to play you.”

Following their match, de Minaur walked over and sat next to Davidovich Fokina, consoling him after the hard-fought loss.

“I want to say congrats to Alex. He deserved the win. He was fighting every f—ing ball,” Davidovich Fokina said. “He was always pushing through my limits.”

Davidovich Fokina recalled that he had required a wild card to play in the U.S. capital last year, and was pleased to have at least guaranteed a rise to a career-high No. 19 ranking.

“We had a job to do before we started the yeard to be at the middle of the year in the top 20,” he said. “This week we did it, just not with the trophy. But for sure, we will keep going, pushing our limits, pushing harder.”

Alex de Minaur Defeats Corentin Moutet to Reach DC Open Final

Posted on July 26, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Alex de Minaur is back in the finals in the U.S. capital…

The 26-year-old Spanish-Uruguayan Australian tennis player, the No. 7 seed, advanced to his second DC Open final by beating Corentin Moutet 6-4, 6-3.

de Minaur will now face No. 12 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who defeated No. 4 Ben Shelton 6-2, 7-5 in the other semifinal.

The semifinal win was de Minaur’s 20th victory on a hard court in 2025, the most on the ATP Tour.

No 13 in the world rankings, de Minaur moved into his 19th career final; he’s 9-9 so far.

One of the runner-up finishes came against Alexander Zverev at Washington in 2018.

Carlos Alcaraz Extends Match Winning Streak to Personal ATP Tour-Best 20 with Wimbledon Victory Over Oliver Tarvet

Posted on July 2, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a personal best winning streak for Carlos Alcaraz.

The 22-year-old Spanish tennis star defeated 733rd-ranked Oliver Tarvet 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in the second-round of Wimbledon to extend his match winning streak to 20, the longest of his ATP Tour-level career that includes defending his title at the French Open.

While he had to face several break points along the way — saving all but two — it was a considerably smoother win than his 4½-hour, five-set victory over Fabio Fognini in the opening round.

“I just love his game, to be honest,” Alcaraz said. “I knew at the beginning that I had to be really focused and try to play my best tennis.”

Asked about his recent run of success, Alcaraz said the key for him the past two to three months has been finding the “right way to enjoy … doesn’t matter if I’m winning or losing.”

Alcaraz became the third man in tennis history to win 20 or more matches at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon before his 23rd birthday. The others are Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal.

He will next face either 25th-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime or Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round, as the Spaniard bids for a third straight Wimbledon title.

The match between Auger-Aliassime and Struff was suspended, level after two sets, due to darkness.

Roberto Bautista Agut Defeats Holger Rune to Advance to Queen’s Club Semifinals

Posted on June 20, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Roberto Bautista Agut has pulled off an major upset…

The 37-year-old Spanish professional tennis player claimed a two-sets-to-one victory (7-6 [5], 6-7 [4], 6-2) over Denmark’s Holger Rune, the No. 4 seed, on Friday evening to reach the semifinals of the Queen’s Club tournament in London.

It marks his first appearance in an ATP semifinal since October 2024, when he won the title in Antwerp, and his first on grass since the Halle tournament in 2023.

Grass has historically been a successful surface for Bautista Agut: he won his first career title on it in 2014 at ‘s-Hertogenbosch and achieved his best Grand Slam result on it — a semifinal at Wimbledon in 2019.

This Friday against Rune, he once again showed why he’s such an effective player on grass. Bautista Agut took advantage of his opponent’s numerous unforced errors — 63 in total — to clinch the win. After controlling the first set well, he had the chance to close it out in straight sets, but a double fault at 4-5 in the second-set tiebreak forced him into a deciding third set.

After breaking Rune at the very start of the final set, he maintained his lead all the way through, even managing a second break to seal the match early in the evening on the British grass.

“I think I had control of the match today, especially from the baseline. I managed to stay calm on court, and I’m really happy about that. I felt good out there, and I’ll need to play the same kind of match against Carlos tomorrow,” said Bautista Agut after his victory.

Bautista Agut, currently ranked No. 51 in the ATP rankings, will face fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, the top seed, in the semifinals at the West Kensington tournament.

It will be their third meeting on the ATP Tour, with Alcaraz leading 2–0 and yet to drop a set against his compatriot.

In the previous rounds of the Queen’s tournament, Bautista Agut edged out Portuguese Nuno Borges (6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-4) and No 8 seed Jakub Mensik (3-6, 6-3, 7-5).

Alcaraz beat Arthur Rinderknech (LL): 7-5, 6-4

Lamine Yamal Wins Laureus World Sports Award for World Breakthrough Player Award

Posted on April 21, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Lamine Yamal is officially among this year’s greatest athletes around the world…

The 17-year-old Spanish professional footballer, who plays as a winger for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team, has claimed the world breakthrough player award at the Laureus world sports awards.

Widely regarded as one of the best young footballers in the world, Yamal has represented Spain internationally at various youth levels.

He made his debut for the senior team in 2023, becoming the youngest player to represent and score for the country at age 16. He was selected for UEFA Euro 2024, playing an important role in helping Spain win their fourth title, while also winning the tournament’s Young Player Award.

Rafael Nadal received the sporting icon award.

The 38-year-old Spanish tennis star, a former World No. 1, retired from the sport after playing for Spain in the Davis Cup Finals in November 2024.

During his stories career, Nadal won 92 ATP Tour-level singles titles, including 22 Grand Slam titles (including a record 14 French Open titles), as well as 36 Masters titles and an Olympic gold medal.

Nadal is one of three men to complete the career Golden Slam in singles.

Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade won the world comeback of the year award after winning three medals at the 2024 Paris Games — including gold in the floor exercise — after recovering from anterior cruciate ligament injuries.

Other winners include American surfer Kelly Slater, who received the lifetime achievement award; Simone Biles and Mondo Duplantis, named sportswoman and sportsman of the year.

Real Madrid, the Champions League and La Liga winner last season, was the world team of the year, while the world action sportsperson award went to Tom Pidcock, the British mountain biker who overcame a puncture to become only the second man to win back-to-back Olympic titles in the cyclo-cross discipline.

Yuyan Jiang was the world sportsperson of the year with a disability.

Alejandro Tabilo Upsets Novak Djokovic in Second Round of Monte Carlo Masters

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Tabilo has pulled off a major upset…

The 27-year-old Chilean professional tennis player beat former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 in the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Tabilo had previously handed the 24-time Grand Slam champion a surprising loss at the Italian Open last year.

Back on clay for the first time since winning the Olympic gold in Paris last August, Djokovic said he didn’t have high expectations going into the match.

“I expected myself at least to have put in a decent performance. Not like this, it was horrible,” said Djokovic, who made 29 unforced errors. “I did not have high expectations. I knew I’m going to have a tough opponent, and I knew I’m going to probably play pretty bad. But this bad, I didn’t expect.

“I was hoping it was not going to happen, but it was quite a high probability I’m going to play this way. … A horrible feeling to play this way. Just sorry for all the people that have to witness this.”

Tabilo clinched victory on his second match point when Djokovic hit a service return too long. Djokovic had saved one match point in the ninth game when he was trailing 5-3 and 30-40 on his serve, producing a neat drop shot over the net, which his Chilean opponent couldn’t reach.

Tabilo has yet to drop a set against Djokovic. He joined Marat Safin and Jiri Vesely as the only players to have faced Djokovic more than once and not lost; all three hold a 2-0 record over Djokovic.

“It has been a tough year, so a little bit of the nerves were there,” Tabilo said in an on-court interview. “I remembered last time what I did well, and thankfully I served well today and it helped me a lot. It was an unreal match.”

A Monte Carlo title would have made Djokovic the only player to win each Masters event at least three times.

Djokovic, who recently lost the Miami Open final to Jakub Mensik, turns 38 next month — shortly before the French Open starts on May 25.

The Monte Carlo Masters is the first big clay-court tournament of the year on the ATP Tour.

Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Karen Khachanov to Reach China Open Semifinals for Second Straight Year

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz is one step closer to the China Open title…

The 21-year-old Spanish tennis star, the tournament’s No. 3 seed, advanced to the China Open semifinals for the second straight year after an impressive 7-5, 6-2 victory against Karen Khachanov on Monday.

Alcaraz was characteristically relentless from the baseline and ground down the No. 27-ranked Khachanov’s service games and converted four of 12 service break opportunities to win in 96 minutes.

“I always try to put some pressure when they’re serving just to in a certain way tell them that I’m going to be there,” Alcaraz said. “If they want to win the service game or to beat me, they have to accept the battle and playing a really good tennis. For me, it’s what I’m trying to show them all the time.”

It was Alcaraz’s 46th win of the season and the victory allowed the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion to climb back above the absent Alexander Zverev into second place in the ATP live rankings.

Alcaraz will face Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals, after the fifth-ranked Russian beat Flavio Cobolli of Italy 6-2, 6-4.

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