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Bublik silences pre-match talk with straight-sets win over Moutet in Paris

Bublik shrugged off Moutet’s pre-match talk, beat him 6-3, 7-5 in Paris and signed ‘on the way home’. Period

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Their confrontation in March at the Phoenix Challenger was raw. After Alexander Bublik rallied to win, the post-match handshake went badly and the players needed to be separated, with the Kazakh even suggesting they take their disagreement away from the court to have “a fight.”

They met again on Center Court at La Defense Arena in the final ATP Masters 1000 event of the season. The No. 13 seed again took control, closing out the rematch 6-3, 7-5. After the victory Bublik signed the camera lens, “on the way home.”

Speaking to ATP Media, Bublik addressed his opponent’s pre-match comments directly: “Well obviously he spoke too much before the match. I just have to punish him. So I had no other option.

“He said that he will do everything to send me home. It’s nice that he lives in Paris and it’s not too far with the taxi.”

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The match offered a tidy resolution to a rivalry that flared in March when the two men were ranked No. 82 and No. 79. Since then both have climbed the rankings. The 28-year-old has racked up four titles on his way to a career-high No. 16 ranking, while the left-hander has compiled 33 tour-level victories in approaching the Top 30 for the first time.

On a surface heavy with storylines, Bublik let the scoreline carry his response. The win advances him past a player who had publicly declared his motivation to end Bublik’s run, while also underlining the momentum both players have built across the season. The episode in Paris will be remembered as the point at which on-court chemistry and off-court tensions were settled by tennis rather than words.

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Sabalenka and Kyrgios to meet in Dubai ‘Battle of the Sexes’ exhibition

Sabalenka and Kyrgios will meet in Dubai on Dec. 28 for a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ exhibition. indoors.

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Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios are scheduled to face each other in a “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition set for Dec. 28 in Dubai. The match will be played indoors at the 17,000-seat Coca-Cola Arena, and both players posted logistical details on their social media channels after Sabalenka confirmed during the U.S. Open that discussions for the match were underway.

Before their head-to-head meeting in Dubai, both players will take part in an exhibition in New York on Dec. 8, though they will not play one another there. Sabalenka will face Naomi Osaka and Kyrgios will play Tommy Paul in that event.

Kyrgios has outlined specific conditions for the Dubai match, saying he would get only one serve and would be hitting toward a smaller side of the court. The Australian, who has barely played in recent years because of injuries, has predicted he will win easily.

“I cannot wait to get back out on court,” Kyrgios said in an Instagram story. “Honestly I’m feeling amazing. I never thought I would be back into this position, being able to travel the world, see my fans and play some amazing tennis.”

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The exhibition borrows its name from the famous 1973 meeting between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, a match King won in straight sets in the Houston Astrodome. Sabalenka enters the off-season as a four-time Grand Slam champion and one of the top attractions on the women’s tour, while Kyrgios returns to a spotlighted appearance after a period of limited competitive play.

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125 ATP Slovak Open

Young winners and seasoned pros: Blockx, Giustino, Shimabukuro, Jódar and Navone shine on the Challenger circuit

Blockx, Giustino, Shimabukuro, Jódar and Navone took Challenger titles across the circuit. worldwide

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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.

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Final ATP Finals Place Hinges on Musetti Winning Athens

The final spot for Turin rests with Musetti: only an Athens title will displace Auger-Aliassime. Now

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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.

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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.

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