Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will not renew their China Open final rivalry this season after electing different stops on the Asia swing. The pair split their entries: Alcaraz has opted for the Japan Open, making his debut in Tokyo, while Sinner will return to the China Open for a third straight year.

Their most recent meeting in Beijing was one of the standout matches of 2024, with Alcaraz denying Sinner a second consecutive title by winning 6–7 (8–6), 6–4, 7–6 (7–3) at the ATP 500 event. That encounter was their last head-to-head clash of the 2024 season and, since then, they have met another four times with all of those matches taking place in finals. Alcaraz has won three of those meetings, including at Roland Garros, while Sinner prevailed at Wimbledon, leaving the Spaniard with a 9-5 lead in their rivalry.

After the Japan Open and China Open, both players are scheduled to head to Shanghai for the penultimate ATP Masters 1000 event of the year, then to the Paris Masters, and finally to the ATP Finals in Turin. Sinner was the Shanghai champion last year; Alcaraz exited in the quarter-final. The Italian did not feature at the Paris Masters before going on to win the ATP Finals, while Alcaraz lost in the round of 16 in Paris and failed to progress beyond the round-robin stage in Turin.

Both the Japan Open and China Open are ATP 500 events, so the two will be competing for equivalent points. Alcaraz will drop 500 points from his 2024 title in Beijing while Sinner must defend 330 after finishing runner-up. The Japan Open and China Open are their first ATP Tour-level tournaments following the US Open, and it is uncertain who will hold the ATP No 1 ranking when the Asia swing begins.

Sinner has occupied No 1 in the official rankings since June last year, but he was replaced by Alcaraz in the Live Rankings after Sinner dropped 2,000 points as the defending US Open champion while Alcaraz lost only 50 points for an early exit 12 months earlier. Alcaraz leads with 9,590 points, with Sinner 60 points behind. Sinner carries 2,500 points to defend after the China Open following his 2024 titles in Shanghai and Turin, while Alcaraz will lose another 500 points.

Iga Swiatek is entered for the 2025 Korea Open and her participation in the Asia swing could have material consequences for the WTA rankings. The six-time Grand Slam winner missed the 2024 Korea Open and did not play any regular WTA tournaments after the 2024 US Open, first withdrawing from Seoul because of fatigue and later from the China Open for “personal matters”.

Following that break, Swiatek announced she would skip the Wuhan Open after making an “important change” to her team and after splitting with long-time coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, with her final appearance on the WTA Tour coming at the season-ending WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia. It later emerged she was serving a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned drug trimetazidine at the Cincinnati Open. Anti-doping officials found that she bore “no significant fault or negligence” and stripped her of her points and prize money for the Cincinnati event while also handing her a short ban.

Swiatek was due to make her Korea Open debut last year but missed the entire Asia swing. She is now on the entry list for the 2025 edition and will be the top seed at the WTA 500 event. Amanda Anisimova, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Clara Tauson and Daria Kasatkina are also entered, and there could still be late high-profile wildcard additions. The Seoul tournament runs from September 15 to 21, and Swiatek’s appearance there may hinge on her recovery and her performance at the US Open, since players who reach a Grand Slam final often take an extended break.

After Seoul the world No 2 is scheduled for the China Open (September 24 to October 5) and the Wuhan Open (October 6-12). The 24-year-old has played Beijing once, in 2023, when she won the title. Swiatek’s recent run, including victories at Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Open, has put her in position to reclaim No 1, but immediate movement after the US Open would require a title and early exits for rivals. She has no points to defend in Asia due to last year’s suspension while Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff are set to drop 1,215 and 1,390 points respectively. Swiatek played down the ranking chase, saying:

“I don’t think about it, because I know Aryna is having a great season too, so I know it will just depend on how I play.

“And honestly, this season hasn’t been easy, and I’ve had a lot of other things to worry about and a lot of other things to improve on, so I’m not thinking about it at all.”

The final of the Mubadala Citi Open offered a vivid display of the mental challenges in tennis, as Alejandro Davidovich Fokina faltered against Alex de Minaur despite a strong position. Known for his aggressive style, Davidovich Fokina’s troubles often come from rushing shots rather than hesitation. Sunday’s match underlined this pattern, as he served for the title at 5-3 in the third set and went up 30-0, only to succumb to a sequence of unforced errors including a double fault and a misfired forehand.

His internal battle became increasingly visible, manifesting in intense frustration, arenas of disappointment, and a total collapse of composure in the final stages. Despite squandering three championship points, his competitive spirit never fully diminished during his match points, where he refrained from rushing and acknowledged de Minaur’s superior play.

Davidovich Fokina’s approach to anxiety and pressure, unfortunately, led to his losing from match point up for the second time this year, echoing previous losses in Delray and Acapulco. Yet, his post-match speech was composed and reflective, acknowledging de Minaur’s deserving victory and taking solace in achieving his season goal of breaking into the Top 20.

De Minaur exemplified sportsmanship, consoling his opponent openly on court. “You are a hell of a competitor, a hell of a player. No one on the tour wants to play you. This is not the end, this is only going up for you,” he told Davidovich Fokina. This interaction highlighted the respect and empathy shared between the two, reinforcing that this Washington final is but a waypoint in Davidovich Fokina’s rising career trajectory.

The emotional roller coaster of this match underscores the complexity of mental resilience in tennis, and while the choke remains a haunting foe, the capacity to regain composure and credit the opponent is a testament to true sportsmanship and character.