Belgian Alexander Blockx won the Slovak Open Challenger, defeating France’s Titouan Droguet 6-4, 6-3 in the final. The 20-year-old from Antwerp sealed victory in 69 minutes to claim his second Challenger title of the season after Oeiras and the third of his career. The former junior world No. 1 collected 125 ATP ranking points, pushing him to a new career-high just outside the Top 100 and surpassing his previous best of No. 116. Blockx is the first Belgian to lift the Slovak Open trophy in the tournament’s 26-year history.

The opening set saw both players hold serve until the eighth game before Blockx broke in the ninth to take it 6-4. He broke early in the second set and closed out the match by converting his second match point in the ninth game. “I think I played a good match,” Blockx said after the win. “It wasn’t my best tennis, but I was efficient. I served well, and with just two breaks in the match, it was pretty tight. I managed to take advantage of a few of his errors. Physically, I didn’t have as much energy as in the previous days, which is normal after four tough matches. My semifinal [against top seed Raphael Collignon] was one of the best matches I’ve ever played, so it’s not easy to keep that level. I’m happy I managed to finish strong.” He also recalled a narrow escape in round one. “Honestly, I was just happy to get through that first round,” Blockx admitted. “That gave me confidence, and I played better with every match. The field was very strong. This was one of the toughest and best Challengers I’ve played. Everything here in Bratislava was great—from the organization to the ball kids. I play my best tennis where I feel good, and here in Bratislava, it felt like home.”

Italian Lorenzo Giustino won the inaugural Monastir Open in Tunisia, beating Petr Brunclik 7-5, 6-0 in one hour and 52 minutes under clear skies at the Skanes Family Resort. Giustino converted five of 14 break points and won 58 percent of points. “I played very well. I was very nervous at the beginning, as I was also playing for a ticket to the Australian Open. I was good at the important points and improved throughout the match,” he said. Giustino earned $8,350 and 50 ATP points.

On hard courts, Sho Shimabukuro beat No. 5 seed Coleman Wong 6-4, 6-3 to win the EUGENE Seoul Open in 71 minutes, his fifth Challenger title and his second of the season. Rafael Jódar captured the Charlottesville title with a 6-3, 7-6(2) win over Martin Damm. In Lima, top seed Mariano Navone overcame Marco Cecchinato 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to claim the Los Inkas Open after more than two hours and forty minutes; it was Navone’s eighth Challenger trophy and his second of the season.

The race to complete the eight-player field for the ATP Finals now comes down to a two-player duel and one last tournament. Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Alex de Minaur became the fifth, sixth and seventh players to qualify after a busy week in Paris, joining Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev in an eight-player field in Turin.

There is only one remaining spot and two contenders: Lorenzo Musetti and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Auger-Aliassime moved from No. 9 to No. 8 in the race standings after reaching the final in Paris, which pushed Musetti from No. 8 to No. 9. Simple arithmetic now decides the outcome. Musetti must win the title in Athens this week to overtake Auger-Aliassime in the standings and secure the final berth in Turin. If he falls short, Auger-Aliassime will claim the place.

That path for Musetti could include a very difficult final if both he and Novak Djokovic reach the championship match in Athens. Auger-Aliassime had been entered in Metz but withdrew with a left knee injury, removing a potential point-earning opportunity this week.

The shake-up in Paris produced a few internal adjustments: Zverev and Djokovic swapped positions inside the top eight, and Shelton and Fritz also switched places. Meanwhile, Alexander Bublik has effectively locked in the role of second alternate for Turin. Bublik climbed from No. 15 to No. 11 in the race after reaching his first Masters 1000 semifinal in Paris, where he defeated two already-qualified players before losing to Auger-Aliassime.

No player outside the current group can pass Bublik this week. Jack Draper, who is No. 10 in the standings, ended his season after the US Open because of an arm injury, and Bublik cannot pass anyone but Draper.

The first alternate for the ATP Finals will be whichever of Auger-Aliassime or Musetti does not finish as the eighth qualifier in Turin.

Jannik Sinner completed a dominant week in Paris, beating Félix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-6 (4) to claim his first Rolex Paris Masters crown. “The past couple of months has been amazing,” Sinner said after the victory. “Trying to improve as a player and seeing these results makes me incredibly happy.”

October and the first days of November have been exceptional for Sinner. He is 16-1 since October 1, with three titles in four events. His only defeat came when he cramped in the heat in Shanghai and could not continue. In Paris he captured his fifth title of 2025 in just 11 events and extended his indoor winning streak to 26 matches. He became the first man in two years to win a Masters 1000 without dropping a set and reclaimed the No. 1 ranking, narrowing the year-end race with Carlos Alcaraz.

The last player to beat Sinner besides Alcaraz was Alexander Bublik in Halle on June 19.

After the U.S. Open final loss, Sinner said he would go back to the drawing board and add variety to his game. In the Paris final that transformation was evident. He used 20 drop shots across two sets and won 15 of those points. His crosscourt forehand drop, struck from above shoulder height, repeatedly forced Auger-Aliassime to defend both the baseline and the forecourt. Sinner never faced a break point in the match.

In the second-set tiebreaker, at 2-2, Auger-Aliassime sent an easy forehand wide and Sinner seized the opportunity. He won the next point with an inside-out forehand winner, did the same to reach match point, and closed the match with a crosscourt backhand followed by a down-the-line backhand winner.

“It was such an intense final,” said Sinner, who was 2-2 against FAA before this match. “He was serving incredibly well. You have to use the small chances you have. I’m very happy with how I played [in the tiebreaker]. I was very consistent.”

Sinner remains No. 2 in the year-end race behind Alcaraz, but his recent run puts him within striking distance heading into the season-ending event in Turin.