Carlos Alcaraz surprised expectations in Berlin when he selected Casper Ruud to play the opening rubber on the final day of the 2024 Laver Cup. Team Europe trailed 4-8 when Alcaraz chose a player who had endured a difficult two days.

Ruud had lost his first match to Francisco Cerundolo and then suffered a 6-1, 6-2 doubles defeat with Stefanos Tsitsipas, a result that left him feeling “a bit humiliated.” Despite that form, Alcaraz made him his partner for the crucial night session.

“I felt like I’d never played doubles before, I felt embarrassed, but I went to bed knowing Carlos had said he’d like to play doubles with me,” shared Ruud. The boost from that conversation proved important. Ruud and Alcaraz were pitted against Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe and responded with a composed performance.

A tactical switch, moving Ruud from the ad court to the deuce court, helped change the dynamics of the match. The pair combined steady returns, assured serving and aggressive net play to claim a 6-2, 7-6(6) victory. The match reached a dramatic match-point tiebreak conclusion before Ruud and Alcaraz celebrated together with a shared embrace.

“For some reason he picked me. I don’t know why, but I was happy to play.”

Ruud later reflected on the on-court chemistry. “We think we connected well. We moved good kind of with each other. When we crossed, we covered the other guy’s side and so on. We were returning well and playing good behind our serve, and at the net we hit some good volleys, and Carlos hit a few unbelievable ones. Yeah, it was fun, good chemistry.”

The victory proved pivotal for Team Europe in Berlin and remains a memorable doubles moment from the Laver Cup.

Boris Becker offered a blunt assessment after Jannik Sinner was unable to defend his US Open title, falling 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s men’s singles final. The loss cost Sinner the championship and allowed Alcaraz to reclaim the world No 1 ranking.

Becker pointed to a specific weakness that Alcaraz exploited throughout the match. “From the first minute to the last, Alcaraz was clearly better than all the other players and even better than Sinner,” said Becker. “In the final, he was clearly the boss. He played tennis from another planet and deserved to win the tournament.

“The big difference I noticed in this duel was on serve; Sinner was clearly weaker, and that’s unforgiving, if he has a real weakness, it’s this one.”

The defeat extended Alcaraz’s dominance in their rivalry: it was Sinner’s seventh loss to Alcaraz in eight meetings since the start of 2024, leaving Alcaraz with a 10-5 advantage in the head-to-head. During that period Sinner lost only four matches to players other than the Spaniard. Alcaraz’s victory also brought him level with Becker on two US Open titles and six Grand Slam trophies overall.

Becker said he had expected more from Sinner and felt the Italian had not advanced in the ways Alcaraz had. “I am one who always thinks to tell the truth. I was a little disappointed. I expected more.

“But of course I was not disappointed by Alcaraz. Because he really played tennis better today than a year ago. He had more variations, he had speed changes. He played serve volley. He played backhand slice. He played forehand where you don’t see the ball.

“And I think Sinner, for the first time, he stood still with his game. He is now predictable. You know exactly what always happens. And it’s not as bad that I see it that way. It’s worse for him that Alcaraz sees it that way.

“And I think for the first time that Alcaraz really took a step forward. And Sinner stayed the same. He partly didn’t know how to win the points. Except Alcaraz hit the ball.

“In his press conference after the match, Sinner, always said very honestly, that he [Alcaraz] has developed further in tennis and I have not. And I think it’s great that he says that. But that’s how I felt it.

“There was never a discussion for me, even after the second set, who would win this match in the end. And I didn’t see that in any other final between the two.”

Both players are scheduled to compete at the Shanghai Masters next month, where Sinner will aim to defend the title he won in 2024.

The 2025 Hangzhou Open arrives as the ATP returns to Asia for its autumn swing, with a notable entry list for an ATP 250 event. The tournament, staged again after its 2024 edition in which Marin Cilic defeated Zhang Zhizhen in the final, will take place in the 8,000-seat stadium and promises a compact week of singles action.

Top seed duties fall to world No 14 Andrey Rublev, who is entered at the event for the first time. He is joined at the head of the field by compatriot Daniil Medvedev, a former world No 1 who is competing in his first tournament under new coach Thomas Johansson. Medvedev has dropped to 18th in the ATP Rankings this season and is opting to focus on ATP events rather than other team competitions.

Alexander Bublik, ranked No 19, is also entered and arrives on the back of his best season to date, targeting a fourth title of 2025. The quartet of top seeds is completed by world No 39 Corentin Moutet, the only other top-40 player currently in the entry list.

Seeds five through eight include Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Roberto Bautista Agut, Adrian Mannarino and Learner Tien. Defending champion Marin Cilic returns to defend his title, and Matteo Berrettini is among those listed as making a comeback following recent injury issues. Other names in the entry list include Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Damir Dzumhur, Aleksandar Kovacevic, Matteo Arnaldi and David Goffin, among others.

As an ATP 250 tournament, the champion will receive 250 ranking points. While the ATP has not published an updated round-by-round points table for 2025, last year’s distribution awarded 165 points to the runner-up, 100 to semifinalists, 50 to quarterfinalists, 25 to second-round winners and no points for a first-round exit. The event carries a total prize-money purse of $1,019,185, up slightly from 2024; Cilic earned $152,240 for lifting the title last year.

The 28-player main draw begins on Wednesday, September 17 and concludes with the final on Tuesday, September 23. The top four seeds—Rublev, Medvedev, Bublik and Moutet—will receive byes into the second round. Wildcards and qualifiers will be confirmed ahead of the draw ceremony.