Lorenzo Musetti survived an inspired challenge from Stan Wawrinka, rallying to a 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory in Athens to reach his 12th quarterfinal of the season and remain in contention for the ATP Finals.

He needs to win the title this week to punch his ticket to Turin. “It’s not easy to play with that in my mind,” Musetti told the crowd in his on-court interview. “But of course if I want to qualify for the ATP Finals I have to lift the trophy here, so I hope I have your support, guys, and I will try my best.”

Wawrinka threatened to derail those hopes from the start, breaking for a 4-3 lead in the first set en route to taking it. After 12 consecutive holds between them in set two, the Swiss reached 5-4 in the tie-break and was two points from victory, only for Musetti to win the final three points to level the match. Musetti then broke in the opening game of the third set; that proved to be the second and final break of the contest. He served out the match on his first match point, finishing with a down-the-line backhand winner.

“First of all, I want to say thanks for sharing the court with a legend,” the Italian said of Wawrinka. “He’s been an inspiration since I was a kid. Stan showed really impressive tennis today and I had to raise the level to win this match. Especially in the third set he was not struggling physically at his age, so hopefully when I will be 40, I will be the same! So a really big effort from Stan, and I’m really, really happy for the win.”

Wawrinka produced more winners than unforced errors, 36 to 28, and served an outstanding 22 aces. Musetti finished with 33 winners to 35 unforced errors.

If Musetti does not win the tournament, Felix Auger-Aliassime will round out the field for Turin. The No. 2-seeded Musetti now faces No. 5-seeded Alexandre Muller in the quarterfinals; Muller earlier defeated Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-7 (2), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3), saving a match point at 5-6 in the second set and overcoming a 4-1 deficit in that tie-break. Muller beat Musetti in their only prior meeting in Marrakech in 2023, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4.

Yannick Hanfmann closed the 2025 season on an upswing after a deliberate reshaping of his team and training approach. The 33-year-old German’s victory at the Platzmann Open ATP Challenger in Hagen in early August was his first success under new coach Petar Popovic and offered early evidence that the changes were working.

The partnership with Popovic began after the French Open, when Hanfmann ended his collaboration with Juan Pablo Brzezicki. Hanfmann described the recruitment as immediate and natural. “I had originally planned to go through the grass season just with a fitness coach,” he said. “Then the opportunity with Petar came up. We already knew each other from before. He has a lot of experience. After one phone call, we met spontaneously in Stuttgart, and it clicked right away.”

On court, the effects have been tangible. Observers noted sharper match instincts, more structure in key rallies, and a calmer presence in pressure moments. Hanfmann remains explicit about his goals: “Of course, I’ve been playing more on the Tour level in recent years,” he said. “I still hope to win a title there as well. But it’s obviously very nice to win a Challenger in Germany.”

Hanfmann’s routine is intentionally mobile. Based mainly in Antwerp while still spending time in his hometown of Karlsruhe, he organizes training around tournament schedules and works closely with his fitness coach and Popovic to refine details. “I live in Antwerp and still spend some time in Karlsruhe, but most of the time I’m on the road,” he said. “As a tennis player, it’s hard to really be at home anywhere.” He also spent a week in Munich for focused clay-court preparation earlier in the year.

Competing near Antwerp added resonance to his season. He came through qualifying at the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open in Brussels to reach the second round before falling to Lorenzo Musetti. Off court, Hanfmann brings depth to his profile: born in Karlsruhe, he has lived with a hearing impairment in both ears, is a former University of Southern California standout who helped the Trojans win two NCAA titles, and maintains interests in football and basketball clubs. At 33, his changes have produced momentum rather than a rebuild, culminating in a strong showing at the Rolex Shanghai Masters to end the year.

Novak Djokovic opened his Athens campaign with a straight-sets victory over Alejandro Tabilo, prevailing 7-6 (3), 6-1 at the ATP 250 indoor hard-court event. The result carried extra weight: it was Djokovic’s first career win against the Chilean and moved him into the 225th quarterfinal of his career.

Djokovic had lost the pair’s first two meetings in straight sets, falling to Tabilo in Rome last year and again in Monte Carlo earlier this year. In Athens he reversed those outcomes, taking a close first set in the tiebreak and then closing the match decisively in the second set.

The win halted a short head-to-head advantage for Tabilo and illustrated Djokovic’s capacity to adjust after previous defeats. It also created a statistical footnote: “But only one player—Roger Federer—has ever won their first three career meetings against Djokovic, and he’ll now remain alone in that stat.” Djokovic avoided giving Tabilo a third consecutive opening win and instead progressed through to the quarterfinal stage in Athens.

The match was played on the indoor hard courts that characterize this ATP 250 stop, and Djokovic’s straight-sets scoreline reflected a steadying of his game after the earlier tight opening set. By advancing, Djokovic not only secured passage to the last eight at the tournament but also added another milestone to an already extensive list of career quarterfinal appearances.

This victory in Athens represents a clear turnaround in the short rivalry between Djokovic and Tabilo, reversing two earlier straight-sets losses and reaffirming Djokovic’s ability to convert close matches into wins at tour-level events.