Sunday, October 19, 2025

Wk.43- Buttoning Down in the Clutch








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*WEEK 43 CHAMPIONS*
NINGO, CHINA (WTA 500; Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Elena Rybakina/KAZ def. Ekaterina Alexandrova/RUS 3-6/6-0/6-2
D: Nicole Melichar-Martinez/Liudmila Samsonova (USA/RUS) def. Timea Babos/Luisa Stefani (HUN/BRA) 6-4/2-6 [10-5]
OSAKA, JAPAN (WTA 250; Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Leylah Fernandez/CAN def. Tereza Valentova/CZE 6-0/5-7/6-3
D: Kristina Mladenovic/Taylor Townsend (FRA/USA) def. Storm Hunter/Desirae Krawczyk (AUS/USA) 6-4/2-6 [10-5]
Jinan, China (WTA 125; Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Janice Tjen/INA def. Anna Bondar/HUN 6-4/4-6/6-4
D: Elena Pridankina/Ekaterina Reyngold (RUS/RUS) def. Rutuja Bhosale/Zheng Wushuang (IND/CHN) 6-1/6-3
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (WTA 125; Red Clay Outdoor)
S: Simona Waltert/SUI def. Alice Rame/FRA 7-5/6-2
D: Leyre Romero Gormaz/Tara Wuerth (ESP/CRO) def. Irene Burillo Escorihuela/Ekaterine Gorgodze (ESP/GEO) 6-4/6-1
Tampico, Mexico (WTA 125; Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Hanne Vandewinkel/BEL def. Cadence Brace/CAN 6-4/6-3
D: Kayla Cross/Amelia Rajecki (CAN/GBR) def. Weronika Falkowska/Kristina Novak (POL/SLO) 6-4/6-3




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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Elena Rybakina/KAZ
...searching for her "clutch gene" all year, Rybakina's button-down season found an edge in Ningbo. In the middle of a fight for the final spots in the WTA Finals field, the Kazakh really needed to leave China with a title in hand to keep her hopes alive.

Well, she did just that.



After opening with a three-set win over Dayana Yastremska, Rybakina dominated Ajla Tomljanovic (2 & love) to set up a SF face-off with Jasmine Paolini, who last week passed her for the "live" final spot in the eight-player WTAF field. Perhaps with an unlikely assist from new Race #8 Mirra Andreeva, passed by Paolini during the week and whose absence from next week's Tokyo draw meant that Paolini was officially qualified for Riyadh, Rybakina handled a "less-incentivized" version of the Italian than the one we've seen as she's played her way into the WTAF field during the Asian swing.

Rybakina still needed to win the title, though, to be within reach of Andreeva. After dropping the 1st set vs. Ekaterina Alexandrova, she lost just two games the remainder of the match, taking her 10th career title and making 2025 her third straight season with multiple tour crowns.

But Rybakina's work is not yet finished. The Kazakh remains 15 points behind Andreeva for the #8 spot, and will need to win two matches (i.e. reach the SF) next week in Tokyo to wrap up the final berth in the field.



Well, unless Mirra has other ideas and decides it's time to think about 2026 and makes the decision to pull up stakes in '25 *now*. But that's *probably* not very likely, so "Clutch Elena" will need to stick around for a few more days, just to be sure.
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RISERS: Leylah Fernandez/CAN and Jasmine Paolini/ITA
...while Fernandez has never climbed as high as she did when she was the U.S. Open runner-up in 2021, she's never gone away, either.

With her title run this week in Osaka, the now 23-year old Canadian has gone 4-1 in tour singles finals *since* her Flushing Meadows star-turn. This season, she's reached multiple WTA finals for the first time since that '21 season, winning her biggest career crown (in Washington 500) and claiming multiple titles for the first time ever.

Fernandez posted straight sets wins over Hailey Baptiste, Dalma Galfi and Rebecca Sramkova in Osaka before having to win consecutive three-setters in the SF (vs. 35-year old Sorana Cirstea) and final (vs. 18-year old Tereza Valentova) to pick up career title #5.

The Canadian climbs to #22 on Monday, reclaiming the CAN #1 spot from Victoria Mboko (#23), and will stand exactly 100 points away from a return to the Top 20. She hasn't ranked that high since she returned to New York in 2022 a year after reaching the Open final.



While so many of the WTA's worn out stars are flagging and looking for the exit as the schedule makes its way through its *tenth* consecutive month, Paolini's smile keeps getting brighter as her results lift her through the standings and she "runs through the tape" of 2025.

The Italian's hunt for a second straight berth in the singles field of the WTA Finals proved successful in Ningbo (with a little assistance), and she's set to likely be the busiest woman on the court next month in Riyadh with a constant schedule of both singles *and* doubles matches.

After having passed Elena Rybakina for the eighth and final spot in the WTA Race last week, Paolini spent the week gaining on and passing then-Race #7 Mirra Andreeva. After notching a win over Veronika Kudermetova, Paolini pulled her QF match vs. Belinda Bencic back from the brink, denying the Swiss as she served for the match and then saving six BP at 5-5 before holding and then breaking Bencic to force a 3rd. The three-set victory set up a SF match with Rybakina that stood as the final hurdle that would officially clinch Paolini's WTAF berth with a win. But then Andreeva's decision to not play next week in Tokyo was announced pre-match, meaning that the Russian now couldn't catch Paolini in the Race, clinching the Italian's spot no matter what happened vs. Rybakina.

Hardly shockingly, with nothing more than her standing in the tournament she was only playing in order to reach the WTAF in the first place, Paolini went out fairly quickly to Rybakina, wrapping up a successful Asian swing for "Baozong" (the Chinese fans' name for Paolini) while still leaving more gas in her tank for a final run (or two) to close out her season a few weeks from now.


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SURPRISES: Priska Nugroho/INA and Simona Waltert/SUI
...so many young Asian players have made significant moves over the course of the 2025 season, and in the latter stages of the season Nugroho has added her name to that list with a SF run in the Jinan 125.

The 22-year old Indonesian reached the girls' singles QF at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2019 and won the AO junior doubles title alongside Alex Eala in '20. She played college tennis at North Carolina State in 2021-22, and soon had immediate pro success with five title runs in challengers during the '22 season.

Over the past year, Nugroho has won her biggest career title ($50K in December) as well as a pair of smaller challengers during the spring.

Ranked #323, Nugroho qualified in Jinan, then ran off wins over Bai Zhuoxuan, Whitney Osuigwe and Arina Rodionova en route to her biggest career semi. She lost there to Anna Bondar, but will jump inside the Top 290 on Monday. Her career-high is a #265 standing first attained in the summer of '23.



In Rio, Waltert continued with what has been a great 4Q for the Swiss.

In September, the 24-year old reached her biggest career final (a 125 in Ljubljana) and claimed her biggest title ($100K in Lisbon), then cracked the Top 100 for the first time on October 6. She entered this past week at a career-high #97, then put on a run in Brazil that included a comeback victory in the QF over Tara Wuerth after trailing 4-1 in the 3rd (Waltert won a deciding TB). After getting past Julia Grabher in the semis, the Swiss defeated Pastry Alice Rame 7-5/6-2 in the final to (again) set the mark for the biggest title of her career.

Waltert will climb to another new career high of #92 on Monday. She's gone 18-3 since falling in U.S. Open qualifying.
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VETERANS: Ekaterina Alexandrova/RUS and Ajla Tomljanovic/AUS
...Alexandrova opened the week by becoming the 17th woman representing the USSR or Russia (or whatever it was classified as at the time, name or flag-less or otherwise) to crack the WTA singles Top 10. She rode that wave all the way to her fourth '25 final (adding to her already best-ever season total) as she continues to burnish what has already been a "career year."



Alexandrova ran off wins over Yuan Yue, McCartney Kessler and Diana Shnaider without dropping a set to reach the title match, and claimed the 1st set there vs. Elena Rybakina. But the Kazakh, pursuing the final spot in the WTAF singles field, climbed out of that hole and swept through the Hordette in the final two sets.

BTW, the 30-year old Alexandrova, who turns 31 in November, isn't the oldest to debut in the Top 10 in WTA history. Roberta Vinci (33 in 2016) and Betty Stove (31 in 1976) were both a bit older.

Meanwhile, Tomljanovic reached her first QF since May (Rabat), qualifying in Ningbo with wins over Maya Joint and Antonia Ruzic. In the MD, the Aussie took out Clara Tauson in three sets, then rallied from 0-5 down in the 1st to defeat Zeynep Sonmez 7-6/6-3 in the 2nd Round.



Of course, none of that helped Tomljanovic once Elena Rybakina came calling, as she notched just two games vs. the Kazakh. Still, her result will move the world #104 back inside the Top 100 after a two-week stint on the outside looking in.
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COMEBACK: Diana Shnaider/RUS
...a few weeks ago, though she'd had some '25 doubles success, Shnaider's singles season was looking to be a "lost" one, one year after her breakout campaign had seen her win four titles (on three surfaces), rack up 55 match wins, and come close to cracking the Top 10 earlier this season.

The Hordette was fumbling around .500 in match play and without a SF result (0-3 in QF) this season before a late summer addition of Sascha Bajin as coach just before the U.S. Open. The move proved to be genius igniter of the Russian's results, as she quickly won a tour title in Monterrey with the former Coach of the Year in her corner. Before the winning jaunt, she'd gone 1-5 in her last six matches.

Shnaider's results in Asia hadn't been great when she showed up in Ningbo, as she came into the week on a three-match losing skid, but the good feelings garnered from her "new relationship" were surely still clinging to her psyche (though they likely needed a refresh). She got it, with wins over Wang Xiyu, Karolina Muchova and Zhu Lin to reach her second SF of the season.

Shnaider lost there to Ekaterina Alexandrova, but her 8-5 run since late August has improved her season mark to 27-24 and will see her settling in at #18 on Monday.


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FRESH FACES: Tereza Valentova/CZE, Janice Tjen/INA and Hanne Vandewinkel/BEL
...Valentova's game may not produce the sort of lyrical highlight packages that are common for her countrywoman Karolina Muchova (of course, whose does?), but the 18-year Czech surely can string together the sort of moments -- whether they feature power, defense or touch -- that earmark her as a player to *really* keep an eye on once the 2026 season rolls around.



Throughout this season, the teenager has been knocking down career signposts as her footsteps have grown louder and louder in the distance. Multiple $75K titles early in the season were followed by slam MD debuts in Paris and New York (w/ 1r wins in both), a Top 100 ranking, a pair of 125 crowns, a first tour-level SF (in Prague) and now, this week, Valentova's maiden WTA singles final in Osaka.

Ranked #78, the Czech qualified to reach the MD, then handled Alex Eala (1 & 2) and Elise Mertens (4 & 1) before outlasting Olga Danilovic and Jaqueline Cristian in back-to-back three-setters to set up a final match-up with Leylah Fernandez.



Against the Canadian, Valentova's nerves got the best of her in a love 1st set, but she rebounded to win a tight 2nd and then rallied from 4-1 (and nearly 5-1) down in the 3rd to get back on serve in the decider before Fernandez finally prevailed.

The '24 RG girls' champ (and '23 U.S. Open jr. finalist), Valentova will climb to a new carer-high of #59 on Monday. The distance between Valentova -- who sure has the *look* of "The Crusher Most Likely..." -- and the big names of the WTA has closed significantly since the start of '25.

That trend might just accelerate exponentially come 2026.

Meanwhile, Tjen's introductory season of ITF success (6 titles), her slam debut and first win (both at the U.S. Open), and maiden WTA final (Sao Paulo) added another chapter with her biggest title in the 125 in Jinan that will kick her ranking to yet another new career high (rising from #98 to #80).

The 23-year old Pepperdine product posted wins over Wang Yafan, Polina Iatcenko, Gao Xinyu and Lulu Sun (saving two MP vs. the Kiwi) to reach her first 125 final, where she outlasted Anna Bondar in a 6-4/4-6/6-4 victory.



In Tampico (MEX), 21-year old Vandewinkel, with 125 & $100K QF results since the start of September, reached the final of and won her biggest career title in one of the three 125 events held in Week 43.

After opening with a win over Elli Mandlik (who arrived having just won a $100K crown in Oklahoma), the Waffle carried on with additional victories over Tessah Andrianjafitrimo, Marina Stakusic, Harriet Dart and Cadence Brace in a 4 & 3 final to take the tournament honors. She'll make her Top 150 debut on Monday.


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ITF PLAYER: Darja Semenistaja/LAT
...since winning her second career 125 crown back in April, the 23-year old Semenistaja (LAT #2) has posted of series of good results that came up *just* short of her intended target.

Over the past six months, she's twice been a runner-up in 125 and $100K events, as well as four times coming up short of additional finals with losses in 125/$100K semis. At Wimbledon, she missed out on her slam MD debut with a Q3 defeat.

She finally got over that hump in New York, qualifying to make her major debut, and this week in the $100K in Les Franqueses del Valles (ESP) she got back into the winner's circle, as well, following up wins over the likes of Anna-Lena Friedsam and Daria Snigur with a 7-5/7-6 victory in the final over Linda Klimovicova to pick up career title #16 on the ITF level.



After being stuck in the #101-135 range for most of the past two seasons, Semenistaja will finally make her Top 100 debut on Monday.
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JUNIOR STARS: Eva Bennemann/GER and Mika Stojsavljevic/GBR
...another week, another German champion?

It's starting to look that way of late, and on home soil in Essen it was assured as 18-year old Bennemann faced off with 19-year old countrywoman Tessa Brockmann in a $15K final. Brockmann has picked up four challenger titles in '25, while this weekend Bennemann claimed her second straight with a 1-6/6-1/6-1 victory. On a nine-match winning streak, she's gone 11-1 in her last twelve.

Stojsavljevic, the '24 U.S. Open junior champ, won her second career pro title in the $35K in Birmingham (ENG), as the 16-year old defeated Katarina Kuzmova 6-4/6-0 in the final to improve to 12-2 over the last three weeks. During that stretch, the Brit has run off SF-RU-W results in a trio of $35K tournaments.


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DOUBLES: Kristina Mladenovic/Taylor Townsend, FRA/USA and Nicole Melichar-Martinez/Liudmila Samsonova, USA/RUS
...while Townsend and Katerina Siniakova are still booked as a duo at the WTA Finals, both were again in seperate cities this week. #1-ranked Siniakova (w/ Hsieh Su-wei) fell in a MTB in the Ningo semis, while #2 Townsend won a 10-5 MTB in the Osaka final alongside Kristina Mladenovic, defeating the team of Storm Hunter (just off a title run w/ Siniakova in Wuhan) & Desirae Krawczyk.

The first crown for the pair as a team, Townsend's win is the eleventh of her WTA career, with her four titles in '25 putting her in a tie at the top of the tour list this season. Mladenovic, often injured or playing singles (w/ hardly eye-popping success) rather than collecting doubles titles the last few seasons, picks up career win #29. But it's the former #1 and nine-time slam (6 WD, 3 MX) champion's first title at tour level since 2022 (!).

Mladenovic won a handful of ITF crowns in 2023-24, and had a lone 125 title run last year (w/ Siniakova, of course).

The last survivor on tour of what was a great generation of Pastry players (w/ the '25 retirement of Caroline Garcia, as well as -- I guess? -- Alize Cornet), Mladenovic had been just 8-6 in doubles in '25 (after a 6-2 start with an AO QF and Abu Dhabi RU) before this week, after injury prevented her from playing a match for seven months between February and September.



In Ningbo, Melichar-Martinez and Samsonova prevailed in MTB in three of their four outings, including vs. Hsieh/Siniakova in the SF and Babos/Stefani in the final, to win their second title together (w/ '24 Seoul).

Melichar-Martinez's 18th career title is her third this year, while two of Samsonova's three career tour WD titles have come alongside NMM during consecutive Asian swings over the last thirteen months. The duo also reached the final at Rosmalen during this year's grass season.


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WHEELCHAIR: Manami Tanaka/JPN
...the Series 1 Japan Open was held this past week in Osaka, but the event lost its top seed (Yui Kamiji) early on as the world #1 withdrew from the all-Japanese field before playing her opening match.

In Kamiji's absence, 29-year old Tanaka (WC #13) swept the titles, claiming her first career singles S1 crown with a 6-4/6-2 win in the final over Saki Takamuro. The two joined forces to win the doubles, the discipline where Tanaka most makes her presence known on the wheelchair tour. The win is her fifth Series 1 doubles crown of '25, added to a Super Series win this season alongside (as were her other WD wins) Zhu Zhenzhen.

Last year, Tanaka was a doubles Gold medalist at the Paralympics with Kamiji.
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1. Ningbo 2nd Rd. - Elena Rybakina def. Dayana Yastremska
...6-4/6-7(6)/6-3. Rybakina has often misplaced her closing ability this season, and with her WTAF spot in jeopardy she bobbled it all over this opening match, but ultimately survived.

The Kazakh rallied from 4-2 down to take the 1st set from Yastremska, but couldn't put away a pair of MP in the 2nd set TB, which the Ukrainian snatched away at 8-6. Rybakina pulled off the lone break of the 3rd, though, to take a 4-2 lead and eventually served out the win at love three games later.


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2. Ningbo QF - Jasmine Paolini def. Belinda Bencic
...5-7/7-5/6-4. Rybakina stayed in the WTAF game with the gutsy win over Yastremska, then it was Paolini's turn to do the same vs. Bencic.

The Swiss served for the win at 5-4 in the 2nd. But the Italian got the break, then saved six BP at 5-5 in the following game. She broke Bencic to send things to a 3rd, which she won to set up a showdown with WTAF berth competitor Rybakina.


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3. Ningbo SF - Elena Rybakina def. Jasmine Paolini
...6-3/6-2. Before this one even started, part of the drama of the contest was ruined (thanks, WTA) when Mirra Andreeva's name wasn't in next week's Tokyo draw, which mean the Hordette couldn't pass Paolini and the Italian was the seventh to qualify for the WTAF.



Of course, there was still the issue of Rybakina needing the win, but without a similar "need it" component in the mix for Paolini the juice was likely removed from the scoreline, as well.
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4. Ningbo Final - Elena Rybakina def. Ekaterina Alexandrova
...3-6/6-0/6-2. After so many just-missed-it losses that could have already wrapped up a WTAF berth for Rybakina this season, she rallies to do her part in Ningbo.

To be continued...
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5. Ningbo 1st Rd. - Ajla Tomljanovic def. Clara Tauson
...1-6/7-6(4)/6-3. Surprisingly, this is becoming one of the more reliable head-to-head series on tour.

In their fifth meeting, Tomljanovic and Tauson combined to go three sets for a third straight time. This past summer in Cincinnati, Tomljanovic forced a 3rd set with a 2nd set TB win, but lost in three to the Dane. Here the Aussie forced another decider, but this time prevailed in the end to improve to 3-2 vs. Tauson (winning for the second time over that trio of three-setters).


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6. Osaka 1st Rd. - Katie Boulter def. Linda Noskova
...7-6(3)/6-3. Coming in, this felt like a case of the "less movable object" (aka Noskova) vs. a "quite resistible force" (aka Boulter). Noskova had been 7-2 on the 4Q Asian swing, with a final in Beijing and two Top 10 wins, while Boulter was 4-10 in her last fourteen matches.

So... one never knows.

But Boulter still lost in the 2nd Round, so her only multi-win event since Roland Garros remains Nottingham in June.
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7. Osaka Q1 - Taylor Townsend def. Mei Yamaguchi
...6-7(4)/6-3/7-6(3). Townsend's headline-grabbing U.S. Open experience ended with her failing to convert a handful of MP vs. Barbora Krejcikova, then her Asian swing had its own forgettable start -- complete with controversial culinary suggestions -- in China during BJK Cup finals week.

Back after a three-week break, and in her first singles match since the Open, Townsend dropped the 1st set vs. Yamaguchi after having led 5-3.

Everything came back around in Townsend's favor in the 3rd, where she saved three MP from love/40 down at 5-4, then three more two games later down 6-5, before winning a deciding TB.

Townsend failed to reach the MD, though, losing to Dalma Galfi in the final Q-round.
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8. Jinan 125 SF - Janice Tjen def. Lulu Sun
...4-6/7-6(7)/6-4. Sun rallied from 4-2 down in the 2nd, and served for the match at 6-5. After failing to do so, she led the TB 5-1 and held a pair of MP at 6-4.

Tjen survived with a 9-7 win, then took the 3rd to advance to her first 125 final a month after her maiden tour-level final appearance in Sao Paulo. After falling in the final to Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah that time, she outlasted Anna Bondar in three this time to claim her biggest title.
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9. Ningbo 2nd Rd. - Belinda Bencic def. Yuliia Starodubtseva
...5-7/6-4/7-5. Bencic got over her testy loss to Iga Swiatek in Wuhan quickly enough to triumph over Magda Linette in straights in her Ningbo opener, then won a 3:33 encounter -- the longest WTA MD match of the year -- over Starodubtseva.



It didn't help when she failed to serve out the match vs. Paolini a round later (in another three-hour affair), though.
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10. $75K Quinta do Lago POR Final - Maria Timofeeva def. Alexis Blokhina
...7-6(7)/7-6(3). Timofeeva hasn't quite kept pace with the stunning start of her career, when she won the title in Budapest in her tour-level MD debut (as a LL) in July 2023.

This $75K win is her second singles title on the ITF level this season, though, joining a $100K run in July.


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HM- $35K Santa Margherita di Pula ITA Final - Julie Struplova def. Jennifer Ruggeri
...2/6/6-2/6-4. Another week, another Crusher champion (but not one named Tereza).

Struplova, 20, wins career ITF title #6 (her second in '25) with a three-set win over an Italian foe in Italy.
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1. Ningbo 2nd Rd. - Zhu Lin def. Mirra Andreeva
...4-6/6-3/6-2. The result that helped push along the narrative for the rest of the week (and at least part of *next* week, too).

If she weren't in contention for a spot in Riyadh for her maiden WTA Finals competition, Andreeva might be the latest candidate to pull the ripcord on her season a few weeks early. Thing is, her late season swoon might keep her out of her out of the WTAF, even with two early season 1000 titles under her belt.

The 18-year old's efforts didn't include registering a win in Ningbo, as she dropped her third straight match and is 2-4 in her last six.

Starting off with a Race standing of #7, Andreeva was the latest to be passed by by Jasmine Paolini, who reached the Ningbo semis. Andreeva's absence in Tokyo, where she'd been expected to get a wild card, officially qualified Paolini ahead of her for the Finals.

Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina stands poised to knock Andreeva out of the field in the season's eleventh hour... if she can reach the Tokyo semis next week.

In the end, one wonders if missing out on Riyadh might be best for Andreeva, who at the moment seems to be a fatigued and emotional shadow of the player she was this past spring and summer. And, make no mistake, Rybakina *could* still fail to do what she needs to in Tokyo, sending what's left of 2025's version of Andreeva to Saudi Arabia, after all.

It might not be pretty.


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2. Osaka Final - Leylah Fernandez def. Tereza Valentova
...6-0/5-7/6-3. What looked like an intriguing final turned out to be just that, as after Fernandez dominated the 1st vs. the nervous Czech in her maiden tour final match, the Czech pulled things together and made the Canadian work for the trophy.

Tied at 4-4 in the 2nd, the two traded off three straight breaks before Valentova finally served out the set to force the decider. There, Fernandez again grabbed the early edge, then had to fight off the 18-year old, who again responded well to adversity.

Falling behind 3-1 (and breaking a lace, leading to a match interruption while she had to re-lace a shoe with the clock ticking, the crowd waiting, the TV crew filming, and the umpire staring down at her while Fernandez milled around in the backcourt -- talk about an odd bit of pressure!), Valentova fought off a BP at 4-1 and then turned the momentum back in her favor by breaking Fernandez to get back on serve at 4-3. She hit her way to deuce after falling behind 15/40 in the next game, but the Canadian's second serve return winner on BP #3 finally proved to give her a lead that Valentova couldn't erase.

Fernandez served out the win, taking a second WTA title (7,000 miles from the one she won in Washington) in a season for the first time. The eighth teenage tour singles finalist in 2025, Valentova is the first of the group to *not* walk off with the title.


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3. Osaka 1st Rd. - Naomi Osaka def. Wakana Sonobe
...6-0/6-4. Osaka faces off for the first time with one of the Japanese Great Wavers that she helped inspire, defeating reigning AO junior champ Sonobe (who was 10 years old when Osaka won her first major) in straight sets.


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HM- $75K Quinta do Lago POR Final - Francisca Jorge/Matilde Jorge def. Anna Siskova/Maria Timofeeva
...4-6/7-5 [10-7]. Portugal's Jorge sisters win another one, improving to 6-2 in '25 finals together (5-2 ITF, 1-0 125).

Overall, they've combined to win a pair of 125 crowns and 22 ITF challengers as a team in their careers.
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Now it's even more insulting that ESPN this summer replaced the longstanding use of Frehley's version of "New York Groove" in and out of commercials during the U.S. Open with a washed-out jumble of a version just so that they could tout that it was by a "2x Grammy nominee." It was horrific.







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*MOST WTA TITLES in 2020s*
25 - 1/2/8/6/5/3 = Iga Swiatek
16 - 3/2/0/3/4/4 = Aryna Sabalenka
10 - 0/1/0/4/3/2 = Coco Gauff
9 - 1/0/1/2/3/2 = ELENA RYBAKINA
[2025 finals]
8 - Aryna Sabalenka (4-4)
6 - Jessie Pegula (3-3)
5 - Amanda Anisimova (2-3)
4 - Iga Swiatek (3-1)
4 - Coco Gauff (2-2)
4 - EKATERINA ALEXANDROVA (1-3)
[2020-25 finals]
30 - 3/3/3/6/7/8 = Sabalenka (16-14)
29 - 1/2/9/8/5/4 = Swiatek (25-4)
19 - 5/0/3/4/5/2 = RYBAKINA (9-10)
18 - 1/0/2/5/4/6 = Pegula (8-10)

*CON. YEARS WITH 2+ WTA TITLES - active w/ '25*
5 years (2021-25) - Iga Swiatek
3 years (2023-25) - Jessie Pegula
3 years (2023-25) - Aryna Sabalenka
3 years (2023-25) - Coco Gauff
3 years (2023-25) - ELENA RYBAKINA

*MOST WTA SF in 2025*
11 - Aryna Sabalenka (8-3)
9 - Iga Swiatek (4-5)
8 - Jessie Pegula (6-2)
8 - EKATERINA ALEXANDROVA (4-4)
7 - JASMINE PAOLINI (2-5)
7 - ELENA RYBAKINA (2-5)
6 - Amanda Anisimova (5-1)

*MOST 2025 TOP 10 WINS*
11 - Aryna Sabalenka
9 - Coco Gauff
8 - Amanda Anisimova
8 - Iga Swiatek
6 - Mirra Andreeva
6 - Elena Rybakina
[most events w/ multiple Top 10 wins]
4 - Gauff (Madrid/Rome/RG/Wuhan)
3 - Sabalenka (Miami/RG/US)
2 - Alexandrova (Doha/Stuttgart)
2 - M.Andreeva (Dubai/IW)
2 - Anisimova (London/Beijing)
2 - Keys (Adelaide/AO)
2 - Ostapenko (Doha/Stuttgart)
2 - Rybakina (Cincinnati/Ningbo)
2 - Vondrousova (Berlin/US)

*CAREER WTA TITLES - CANADA*
5 - LEYLAH FERNANDEZ (2021-25)
3 - Bianca Andreescu (2019)
2 - Carling Bassett-Seguso (1983-87)
2 - Helen Kelesi (1986-88)
1 - Genie Bouchard (2014)
1 - Aleksandra Wozniak (2008)
1 - Jill Hetherington (1988)
1 - Patricia Hy-Boulais (1986)
1 - Victoria Mboko (2025)

*2025 FIRST-TIME WTA FINALISTS*
Polina Kudermetova, RUS (#107/21 = Brisbane)
Emiliana Arango, COL (#133/24 = Merida)
Maya Joint, AUS (#78/19 = Rabat)-W
Wang Xinyu, CHN (#49/23 = Berlin)
Alex Eala, PHI (#74/20 = Eastbourne)
Lois Boisson, FRA (#63/22 = Hamburg)-W
Anna Bondar, HUN (#77/28 = Hamburg)
Victoria Mboko, CAN (#85/18 = Montreal)-W
Tiatsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah, FRA (#73/19 = Sao Paulo)-W
Janice Tjen, INA (#130/23 = Sao Paulo)
Iva Jovic, USA (#73/17 = Guadalajara)-W
TEREZA VALENTOVA, CZE (#78/18 = Osaka)

*2025 YOUNGEST WTA FINALISTS*
[17]
Mirra Andreeva, RUS (Dubai - W)
Mirra Andreeva, RUS (Indian Wells - W)
Iva Jovic, USA (Guadalajara - W)
[18]
Victoria Mboko, CAN (Montreal - W)
TEREZA VALENTOVA, CZE (Osaka - L)
[19]
Maya Joint, AUS (Rabat - W)
Maya Joint, AUS (Eastbourne - W)
Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah, FRA (Sao Paulo - W)

*2025 WTA TOP 10 SINGLES DEBUTS*
Mirra Andreeva/RUS
Amanda Anisimova/USA
Ekaterina Alexandrova/RUS
[USSR/RUS - all-time]
1975 Olga Morozova, USSR
1988 Natalia Zvereva, USSR (later BLR)
1998 Anna Kournikova, RUS
2001 Elena Dementieva, RUS
2003 Anastasia Myskina, RUS
2004 Nadia Petrova, RUS
2004 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2004 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2004 Vera Zvonareva, RUS
2006 Dinara Safina, RUS
2007 Anna Chakvetadze, RUS
2013 Maria Kirilenko, RUS
2015 Ekaterina Makarova, RUS
2018 Dasha Kasatkina, RUS (now AUS)
2022 Veronika Kudermetova, RUS
2025 Mirra Andreeva, RUS
2025 Ekaterina Alexandrova, RUS

*2025 WTA DOUBLES TITLES*
4 - Sara Errani, ITA
4 - Jasmine Paolini, ITA
4 - Erin Routliffe, NZL
4 - Katerina Siniakova, CZE
4 - TAYLOR TOWNSEND, USA
3 - Timea Babos, HUN
3 - Gaby Dabrowski, CAN
3 - NICOLE MELICHAR-MARTINEZ, USA
3 - Luisa Stefani, BRA

*2025 WTA DOUBLES FINALS*
7 (2-5) = Anna Danilina, KAZ
6 (4-2) = TAYLOR TOWNSEND, USA
5 (4-1) = Sara Errani, ITA
5 (4-1) = Jasmine Paolini, ITA
5 (4-1) = Katerina Siniakova, CZE
5 (3-2) = NICOLE MELICHAR-MARTINEZ, USA
5 (2-3) = Aleksandra Krunic, SRB
5 (2-3) = Alona Ostapenko, LAT
5 (2-3) = Guo Hanyu, CHN
5 (1-4) = Zhang Shuai, CHN
[duos]
5...Errani/Paolini (4-1)
4...BABOS/STEFANI (3-1)
4...Guo/Panova (2-2)






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Maybe Mike meant "stood on" Capitol Police?

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— MeidasTouch (@meidastouch.com) October 15, 2025 at 12:19 PM


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It's almost like we're becoming a parody of an actual nation...


The U.S. military demonstration that shot live-fire artillery rounds over Interstate 5 dropped metal shrapnel on a California Highway Patrol vehicle, resulting in damage, agency officials said.

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— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes.bsky.social) October 19, 2025 at 7:37 PM


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I have a new post on my author bog: Recently published poetry dianeelaynedeesauthor.blogspot.com/2025/10/rece... #poetry #poetrycommunity #WritingCommunity

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— Diane Elayne Dees (@womenwhoserve.bsky.social) October 14, 2025 at 4:57 PM

I'm pleased to have another poem published in the Delta Poetry Review. I invite you to read "Weather Report." deltapoetryreview.com/2025oct-dees... #poetry #poetrycommunity #WritingCommunity

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— Diane Elayne Dees (@womenwhoserve.bsky.social) October 14, 2025 at 4:31 PM


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All for now.

Read more...

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 8:00 PM  0 comments

Sunday, October 12, 2025

Wk.42- Pretty Please, with Coco on Top









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*WEEK 42 CHAMPIONS*
WUHAN, CHINA (WTA 1000; Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Coco Gauff/USA def. Jessie Pegula/USA 6-4/7-5
D: Storm Hunter/Katerina Siniakova (AUS/CZE) def. Anna Danilina/Aleksandra Krunic (KAZ/SRB) 6-3/6-2
Mallorca, Spain (WTA 125; Red Clay Outdoor)
S: Solana Sierra/ARG def. Lola Radivojevic/SRB 6-3/6-1
D: Jesika Maleckova/Miriam Skoch (CZE/CZE) def. Noma Noha Akugue/Mariella Thamm (GER/GER) 6-4/6-0




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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Coco Gauff/USA
...for all the "guff" that Gauff continues to field from detractors despite her so-far compellingly successful career while still only 21, she always puts her head down and bounces back from any setbacks.

After a sometimes-rocky SF run in Beijing that ended in a wipeout loss to Amanda Anisimova, Gauff just moved on to Wuhan and won her third career 1000 title. Aside from her win at Roland Garros, Gauff has also reached three 1000 finals in '25 (w/ previous losses in the back-to-back Madrid/Rome clay combo before her maiden RG title run in Paris).

Gauff didn't drop a set in Wuhan, allowing a combined 16 games over her first four wins vs. Moyuka Uchijima (6-1/6-0), Zhang Shuai (3 & 2), Laura Siegemund (3 & love) and Jasmine Paolini (4 & 3, erasing her 0-3 season record against the Italian). In the final vs. Jessie Pegula, she rallied from 5-3 down in the 2nd to close out her countrywoman in straight sets, 6-4/7-5, to pick up career title #11.

Gauff is now 9-0 in her career in tour-level finals on hard court, making her the first player to ever start with such a winning record, and is the first player on tour to win nine straight hard court finals since Serena Williams won twelve in a row from 2013-15.

This time of the season has proven to be a traditionally great one for Gauff. Over the last three years, she's put together a combined 22-3 mark in Beijing/Wuhan, with two titles and three SF over those five events. The last two years, the momentum she gathered with those results ultimately led to a SF and title run at the last two WTA Finals.
===============================================



RISERS: Jasmine Paolini/ITA and Jessie Pegula/USA
...don't look back, Elena, because Jasmine... oops, too late. Paolini just passed Rybakina in the WTA Finals Race.

Outdistancing her Kazakh competition by one round in Wuhan -- the Italian reached the semis, while Rybakina fell in the QF -- allows Paolini to move into the eighth and final spot in the WTAF field heading into Week 43 (of 45 regular season chapters).

The last *big* event before the WTAF, Wuhan saw Paolini post wins over Yuan Yue, Clara Tauson (who retired in the "overly-warm" conditions in the 3rd set) and Iga Swiatek (her first win over the Pole in seven tries) before falling to Coco Gauff (she'd been 3-0 vs. the world #3 this season).

While this season may not have seen Paolini equal her heady '24 career year slam results, when she reached consecutive major finals (going 18-4 overall in slam play, vs. 8-4 in '25), she's still had a fabulous follow-up campaign. She's posted better W/L stats (44-17 vs. 42-21), claimed her biggest-ever title in Rome (and reached another 1000 final in Cincinnati), and is in position for another WTAF berth after recording five of her eleven career Top 10 wins this season alone.

And, of course, that's not even counting Paolini's "side hustles," which have included leading Italy to a second straight BJK Cup title, and what will likely be another "Doubles Duo of the Year" campaign with Sara Errani, with whom she's won four titles, including her maiden major (RG) and three 1000 crowns (w/ repeats in Rome and Beijing).



Meanwhile, Pegula followed up her two-week long Beijing SF run -- during which she won a match after facing down 3 MP, then lost a match after holding 3 MP -- with an even *more* interesting week in Wuhan.

She very nearly lost a second straight match after holding MP, just getting past Hailey Baptiste in the 2nd Round in a deciding TB after having lost a 5-2 3rd set lead and holding five MP before falling behind 6-5. She finally won the TB on MP #7. Pegula then dropped the opening set in three consecutive come from behind wins over Ekaterina Alexandrova (Pegula lost the 1st after leading 5-2), Katerina Siniakova and Aryna Sabalenka (erasing the world #1's unbeaten 20-0 mark in Wuhan) to reach her sixth final of the season (second-most in the WTA in '25).

Pegula dropped the 1st set in the final vs. Coco Gauff, as well, but led 5-3 in the 2nd set with a chance to play in her *ninth* straight three-set match during this year's Asian swing (she'd gone 7-1 in the eight up to that point), only to see Gauff sweep the final four games to get the title.

Though Pegula couldn't add her first 1000 title of the season to her totals (her three wins have come in a combination of 500/250 events on three different surfaces), but she did officially qualify for the WTA Finals for a fourth straight season.
===============================================
SURPRISE: Katerina Siniakova/CZE
...it's expected that Siniakova is going to shine in doubles (which she did in Wuhan), but the Czech has recently been letting her singles side shine a bit, as well.

The Czech made her way through qualifying in Wuhan, then knocked off Diana Shnaider, Maya Joint and Iva Jovic -- 2025 WTA singles champions all -- before becoming another in the run of vanquished Jessie Pegula opponents who lost to the Bannerette despite grabbing the 1st set in their encounter.

Still, the QF was Siniakova's first such singles run in a 1000 event since 2018, and just the third in her career at that level.

10-3 during this year's 4Q swing through Asia, Siniakova will jump 17 spots in the new rankings to #45, while also maintaining her usual position atop the doubles field.


===============================================



VETERAN: Laura Siegemund/GER
...while Siegemund has yet to reach a singles final in '25, the 37-year old has put together her best season since she aged out of her twenties.

Already with her first slam QF result (at Wimbledon) since the 2020 Roland Garros, and with her three Top 10 wins this year her most in a single season since 2017, Siegemund has now added her first-ever 1000 QF run in Wuhan. Her week included wins over Dayana Yastremska (who retired in the 3rd set), world #5 Mirra Andreeva and Magdalena Frech.

Siegemund lost in the QF to #3 Coco Gauff, but will climb into the Top 40 on Monday. It'll be her highest ranking in more than eight years.


===============================================



FRESH FACES: Solana Sierra/ARG and Lola Radivojevic/SRB
...Sierra and Radivojevic faced off in the final of the Mallorca 125 challenger on the clay in Spain, with the 21-year old Argentine grabbing her second 125 event title of the season while dropping just one set all week. She defeated Radivojevic 6-3/6-1, running her '25 singles title total to four (along w/ a pair of $75K wins early this year).

After setting her career high of #64 this summer, Sierra had slipped to #86 heading into this past week. She'll rise back to #71 on Monday.

After the final, Sierra was greeted during the trophy ceremony by none other than Argentinian tennis legend Gabriela Sabatini.



20-year old Radivojevic followed up her final in the Rende 125 final a week ago with a career best-tying second straight such result in Mallorca.

The Serb's ranking will tick back up about 20 spots on Monday to match the career high of #152 she set in August.


===============================================



DOWN: Mirra Andreeva/RUS
...the long WTA season has worn on the 18-year old Hordette, who burst out of the gates in the early months of '25 and gave the appearance of a legit Player of the Year candidate, winning back-to-back 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells while racking up five Top 10 wins in the first three months of the season (three of them vs. Sabalenka and Swiatek).

The Russian's only Top 10 win since came in Wimbledon (over then-Top 10er Navarro) during a QF run in London. From that point on, with her SW19 last eight finish her best result since she lost to Lois Boisson in the Roland Garros QF, Andreeva has gone just 4-5. She exited in the 1st round in Wuhan, emotionally falling in three sets to (understandably) pain-in-the-butt opponent Laura Siegemund. Thanks to the German's frustrating opposition, Andreeva committed 64 UE, with 15 double faults, in her first opening round loss since Berlin.

The good news: thanks to her 19-3 start, Andreeva is still an impressive 40-15 this season (even if the potential of a 0-3 week next month in her WTAF debut, ala that of an 18-year old Coco Gauff in *her* first appearance three seasons ago, surely looms around the corner) and remains ensconced in the Top 10 (at #6 on Monday).

And, of course, she's still only 18. Next year she'll be a *waaay* older 19, and will surely be thanking herself again soon.


===============================================
ITF PLAYER: Elli Mandlik/USA
...Mandlik won the biggest title of her career, taking the $100K challenger in Edmond, Oklahoma to improve to 9-2 in career ITF finals.

Mandlik, 24, ran off wins over Fiona Crawley, Julieta Pareja, Olivia Gadecki, Cadence Brace and Marina Stakusic in a 6-3/7-5 final. It was the Bannerette's second appearance in a $100K final, along with a 2022 loss to Zhu Lin. She's reached one bigger final, a 125 in '23 in which she fell to Sorana Cirstea.

The loss is 20-year old Canadian Stakusic's first in a pro singles final, after having been 4-0 (3-0 ITF, 1-0 125) in her career.
===============================================
JUNIOR STARS: Teodora Kostovic/SRB and Chukwumelije Clarke/USA
...18-year old Kostovic is turning her final junior campaign/part-time first newbie season on the big tour into a true self-introduction moment.

The 2024 European Junior Champion followed up her girls' QF runs at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year with another last eight finish this summer at SW19, as well as making her tour-level MD debut (as the world #625) as a successful qualifying wild card this spring in Madrid.

In Mallorca, up to #213 after reaching her first pro event finals (going 1-1 in two $75K challengers), Kostovic reached her biggest career SF in this week's 125 event with consecutive wins over Mayar Sherif and Maria Carle. She lost there to Lola Radivojevic, but will next crack the Top 200 and come in at a new career high of #184 on Monday.



Meanwhile, 16-year old Bannerette Clarke won the Spring (Texas) Pan-American J300 crown.

The #6 seed, the Houston native upset top seeded Annikova Penickova in the SF, then took out #5 Carrie-Anne Hoo in the final. Clarke's previous biggest career title was a J200 won in Monterrey in July.

Penickova rebounded to take the doubles with Capucine Jauffret (who will *surely* appear on the "Best Names in Tennis" list on an upcoming post).
===============================================



DOUBLES: Storm Hunter/Katerina Siniakova, AUS/CZE
...in this case, Siniakova probably counts as the *second* story in this particular title-winning duo, as Wuhan provided the first title for Hunter (herself a former WD #1) since her return from a ruptured Achilles tendon during BJK Cup play in the spring of '24 (about six months after she'd debut in the doubles #1 ranking). Hunter returned to action this past February.

The pair didn't lose a set en route to the crown, dropping just a single game vs. Krueger/Pegula, six to Hc.Chan/Jiang, three vs. Mihalikova/Nicholls and then five in the final vs. Danilina/Krunic.

The run represented Hunter's first tour final since Indian Wells in March '24 (w/ Siniakova) and her first title since Dubai (also w/ Siniakova) the previous month. It's the Aussie's ninth career tour title, and the win makes her and Siniakova 3-2 together in WTA finals.

Siniakova, who recently moved into sole possession of third place all-time in weeks as the doubles #1 (165 this coming week), picks up career title #32. Her four wins this season tie the Czech for the tour lead along with Sara Errani, Jasmine Paolini and Erin Routliffe. She's qualified for the WTA Finals with Taylor Townsend.



BTW, the *top three* doubles teams in Wuhan all withdrew before playing a match last week, and the #4 and #5 teams both lost in their openers.
===============================================
WHEELCHAIR: Aniek Van Koot/NED
...there were only six players in the Series 1 field in Manacor (ESP), and none of them were named Diede de Groot.

But a noteworthy result still came about, as #1 Yui Kamiji failed to come away with the title, losing to #2 Van Koot in a 6-2/6-3 final that gives the Dutch veteran her third S1 singles title this season. Along with an additional Super Series crown, Van Koot has won four titles for the first time since 2014, which just so happens to be the last season in which she finished in the Top 2 in the year-end rankings.

In the late/post-Vergeer and pre-de Groot period, Van Koot had year-end finishes of 2-2-1-2 from 2011-14.

Meanwhile, Kamiji still left town with something, winning the doubles (competed via a round robin format featuring just three teams) alongside Zhu Zhenzhen.
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1. Wuhan 2nd Rd. - Jessie Pegula def. Hailey Baptiste
...6-4/4-6/7-6(6). This one became a THING, but not the THING that it *almost* became. And then Pegula proceded in Wuhan to make this victory the beginning of a whole *other* thing.

After falling in the Beijing SF after having held three MP, Pegula served for the match vs. Baptiste with a 5-2 3rd set lead. She held two MP in the game, then three more in the following game on return. Baptiste won both games to survive, then broke Pegula at love and held to suddenly take a 6-5 final set lead.

In the deciding TB, Pegula fell behind 5-4, but rallied to reach (but fail to convert) MP #6 before finally putting away the win on MP #7 after nearly three hours in the Wuhan autumn heat.



Pegula then went on to win matches against her next three opponents after dropping the opening set, reaching the final that had eluded her in Beijing.
============================================



2. Wuhan SF - Jessie Pegula def. Aryna Sabalenka
...2-6/6-4/7-6(2). After post-Baptiste comeback wins over Ekaterina Alexandrova and Katerina Siniakova, Pegula added another vs. Sabalenka in what was her eighth straight three-set match this Asian swing, recording her fifth career #1 win and ending a whole slew of streaks in the process.

Sabalenka led 5-2 in the 3rd, and served at 5-3, but Pegula kept the match alive and even held a pair of MP on serve (because of course she did) after taking a 6-5 lead. She DF'd four times in the game (her only DF on the day) and things went to a TB, of which Sabalenka had won nineteen straight this season. But instead of once again closing out a win with a TB victory, Sabalenka saw Pegula turn the tables with a 7-2 win, putting away her fourth MP attempt.

Not only did the result end Sabalenka's streak of 19 TB wins, it also ended her 20-match win streak in Wuhan (she's now 20-1, with titles in 2018-19 and, after the event's hiatus from 2020-23, another run in '24). Pegula had dropped four straight matches to the Belarussian (she's now 3-8), getting her first win since the '23 WTA Finals, and had also been 0-29 in her career vs. Top 10 opponents after losing the 1st set (only three times before had she even *forced* a 3rd set, let alone win it). Make it 1-29.


============================================

In her next match, Pegula got an answer... you just lose in two, apparently.


3. Wuhan Final - Coco Gauff def. Jessie Pegula
...6-4/7-5. In the fourth all-U.S. final on tour this season (all four of which included Pegula), the most since there were five in 2003, Gauff triumphed in straights. Pegula was in prime position to force a ninth straight three-set affair during her Asian swing, as she led 5-3 in the 2nd, only to again have difficulties closing. Gauff swept the final four games for the title.



Gauff and Pegula represented the 25th and 26th Bannerette singles finalists in WTA events in 2025, the most by any nation since the Russians produced 29 in 2010. The 13 titles won this year by U.S. women are the most since that same group of Hordettes won the same amount fifteen years ago.
============================================



4. Wuhan QF - Jasmine Paolini def. Iga Swiatek
...6-1/6-2. Few players could use a rest (at least before the WTAF) more than Swiatek, and her post-Seoul title exits in Beijing and Wuhan have more than showcased that fact.

Last week, she was sent out in a love 3rd set by Emma Navarro, who'd never previously won a set against the Pole. This week, it was Paolini who took advantage of the moment, handing Swiatek her second worst loss of the season. The three games she won here is fewer than only that 6-1/6-1 defeat vs. Gauff during Iga's disappointing spring clay stretch.

Paolini had been 0-6 vs. Swiatek, and won just one set in the series (in BJK Cup play last year) before this dominating victory, Iga's tenth straight sets loss in '25 (as many as her has two seasons combined).

Still, even in defeat, Swiatek added to her career totals, reaching her 25th career 1000 QF, and running her season win total on hard court to 40, just two less than her career-best of 42 in both 2022 and '23.

Of some note, this result came on the five-year anniversary of Swiatek's maiden title at Roland Garros.


============================================
5. Wuhan Q1 - Viktoriya Tomova def. Katie Boulter
...3-6/6-4/6-1. Boulter's faltering '25 campaign continues to wind down in uninspiring fashion, as she falls in the opening round of qualifying to drop to 19-19.

4-10 in her last fourteen matches, Boulter's only two-win event since Roland Garros came on the grass in Nottingham. She managed to win her first pro title on clay this year (a 125 in May), but was a three-time *tour-level* champ in 2023-24. Ranked at a career-best #23 eleven months ago, the Brit recently fell out of the Top 60 and was #61 heading into this event.

In true Sakkarian fashion, Boulter's winless week will be followed by a *rise* to #52 on Monday.
============================================
6. Wuhan Q2 - Anastasia Zakharova def. Bianca Andreescu 1-6/7-6(6)/6-3
Wuhan 1st Rd. - Sofia Kenin def. Anastasia Zakharova 3-6/7-6(5)/6-3
...after Zakharova defeated Tereza Valentova 4 & 2 in the opening round of qualifying, the Hordette rallied from 6-1/5-3 down (w/ Andreescu serving for the match) to get the win to reach the MD.

There, *she* failed to put the match away vs. Kenin, holding two MP at 5-4 in the 2nd, and leading 5-4 in the TB before the Bannerette forced a 3rd set. In the decider, Kenin pushed through for the win, improving to 2-3 this season in MD WTA matches in which the winner saved MP (her five such outings lead the tour).


============================================
7. Wuhan 1st Rd. - Ekaterina Alexandrova def. Victoria Mboko
...6-3/6-2. Mboko, 53-12 on the year on all levels, falls to 0-3 since her title run in Montreal.
============================================



8. Wuhan 1st Rd. - Karolina Muchova def. Marta Kostyuk
...2-6/6-2/6-4. Muchova survived the Wuhan heat (and Kostyuk) in her opening three-set victory (while Kostyuk's search for her '25 "signature moment" continues into the season's eleventh hour)...




Wuhan 2nd Rd. - Magdalena Frech def. Karolina Muchova
...7-6(1)/4-1 ret. But the Czech wasn't able to do the same her next time out, hitting the physical wall and pulling the ripcord five games into the 2nd set.


============================================
9. Wuhan 1st Rd. - Zhang Shuai def. Emma Navarro
...6-2/2-6/6-3. Off her QF run in Beijing (w/ a win over Swiatek), Navarro can't outlast Zhang, who ultimately fell in the 3rd Round to Coco Gauff.


============================================
10. $35K Seville ESP Final - Ane Mintego del Olmo def. Lucia Cortez Llorca
...6-2/6-1. The 2021 Wimbledon junior champ, 21, wins her second challenger title of the season.


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11. $50K Heraklion GRE Final - Laura Samson def. Selena Janicijevic 5-7/6-2/6-1
$35K Santa Margherita di Pula ITA Final - Julie Pastikova def. Tena Lukas 6-2/4-6/6-2
...another week, another *two* Crusher champions.

In this case, it's a pair of 17-year old Czechs, with Samson (#273) winning her third title of the season and improving to 6-1 in pro finals in her career; while qualifier Pastikova (#754) grabs her maiden pro crown.

There was a chance for a trio of Crusher wins, but 15-year old Jana Kovackova (#587) fell 6-2/7-6 to 18-year old Hordette Kristina Kroitor in the $15K final in Sharm El Sheikh. Kovackova has won a pair of ITF challengers in 2025.
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12. $35K Kunshan CHN Final - Carol Young Suh Lee def. You Xiaodi
...6-4/7-5. #StingEm !

Lee, the former Georgia Tech Yellowjacket, continues to build up her resume on the challenger level, reaching her seventh final of the season and claiming her fifth title with a straight sets victory in China.

The 23-year old Northern Mariana Islands native has now racked up 76 match wins in 95 matches in '25, and will edge close to her Top 200 breakthrough on Monday, coming in at a career-best #214.
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It's kind of been lurking under the surface all season, and finally...




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*2025 WTA SINGLES TITLES*
4 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR = 1 GS, 2 1000, 1 500
3 - Jessie Pegula, USA = 2 500, 1 250
3 - Iga Swiatek, POL = 1 GS, 1 1000, 1 500
2 - Mirra Andreeva, RUS = 2 1000
2 - Amanda Anisimova, USA = 2 1000
2 - COCO GAUFF, USA = 1 GS, 1 1000
2 - Maya Joint, AUS = 2 250
2 - McCartney Kessler, USA = 2 250
2 - Madison Keys, USA = 1 GS, 1 500
2 - Elise Mertens, BEL = 2 250
[2020-25]
25 - 1/2/8/6/5/3 = Iga Swiatek
16 - 3/2/0/3/4/4 = Aryna Sabalenka
10 - 0/1/0/4/3/2 = COCO GAUFF
8 - 1/5/2 = Ash Barty (ret.)
8 - 0/3/2/2/1/0 = Barbora Krejcikova
8 - 0/0/1/2/2/3 = Jessie Pegula
8 - 1/0/1/2/3/1 = Elena Rybakina
[2020-25, hard court]
13 - Sabalenka (3/1/0/2/4/3)
13 - Swiatek (0/1/5/3/2/2)
8 - GAUFF (0/0/0/4/3/1)
6 - Barty (1/3/2 ret)
5 - Kasatkina (0/2/2/0/1/0)
5 - Kontaveit (0/4/1/0 ret)
5 - Krejcikova (0/1/2/2/0/0)
5 - Pegula (0/0/1/2/1/1)

*MOST WTA FINALS in 2025*
8 - Aryna Sabalenka (4-4)
6 - JESSIE PEGULA (3-3)
5 - Amanda Anisimova (2-3)
4 - Iga Swiatek (3-1)
4 - COCO GAUFF (2-2)
3 - McCartney Kessler (2-1)
3 - Elise Mertens (2-1)
3 - Ekaterina Alexandrova (1-2)
[2020-25]
30 - 3/3/3/6/7/8 = Sabalenka (16-14)
29 - 1/2/9/8/5/4 = Swiatek (25-4)
18 - 1/0/2/5/4/6 = PEGULA (8-10)
18 - 5/0/3/4/5/1 = Rybakina (8-10)
14 - 0/4/2/2/6/0 = Kasatkina (6-8)
13 - 0/1/1/4/3/4 - GAUFF (10-3)

*2025 TOP 10 FINALS*
Miami - #1 Sabalenka def. #4 Pegula
Madrid - #1 Sabalenka def. #4 Gauff
Rome - #5 Paolini def. #3 Gauff
Roland Garros - #2 Gauff def. #1 Sabalenka
Bad Homburg - #3 Pegula def. #8 Swiatek
Cincinnati - #3 Swiatek def. #9 Paolini
U.S. Open - #1 Sabalenka def. #9 Anisimova
Wuhan - #3 Gauff def. #6 Pegula

*RECENT ALL-USA WTA FINALS*
2012 Stanford - S.Williams d. Vandeweghe
2016 Rome - S.Williams d. Keys
2017 Australian Open - S.Williams d. V.Williams
2017 Stanford - Keys d. Vandeweghe
2017 US Open - Stephens d. Keys
2020 Auckland - S.Williams d. Pegula
2022 Adelaide 2 - Keys d. Riske
2024 Strasbourg - Keys d. Collins
2024 Toronto - Pegula d. Anisimova
2025 Adelaide - Keys d. Pegula
2025 Austin - Pegula d. Kessler
2025 Charleston - Pegula d. Kenin
2025 Wuhan - Gauff d. Pegula
--
NOTE: Keys or Pegula in all 8 in 2020s, Keys in two previous to that (2017)

*2025 WTA ALL-NATION FINALS*
(USA) Adelaide - Keys d. Pegula
(USA) Austin - Pegula d. Kessler #
(USA) Charleston - Pegula d. Kenin #
(CZE) Prague - Bouzkova d. Noskova #
(RUS) Monterrey - Shnaider d. Alexandrova
(USA) Wuhan - Gauff d. Pegula
-
#- tournament in home nation

*#1 WINS BY U.S. WOMEN in 2020s*
2020 #53 Jennifer Brady def. #1 Barty (Brisbane 2nd)
2020 #15 Sofia Kenin def. #1 Barty (AO SF)
2021 #37 Danielle Collins def. #1 Barty (Adelaide 2nd)
2021 #35 Coco Gauff def. #1 Barty (Rome QF)
2021 #43 Shelby Rogers def. #1 Barty (US Open 3r)
2022 #24 Madison Keys def. #1 Swiatek (Cincinnati 3r)
2023 #3 Jessie Pegula def. #1 Swiatek (United Cup SF)
2023 #3 Jessie Pegula def. #1 Swiatek (Montreal SF)
2023 #7 Coco Gauff def. #1 Swiatek (Cincinnati SF)
2023 #5 Jessie Pegula def. #1 Sabalenka (WTA Finals rr)
2024 #6 Jessie Pegula def. #1 Swiatek (U.S. Open QF)
2024 #3 Coco Gauff def. #1 Sabalenka (WTA Finals SF)
2025 #14 Madison Keys def. #1 Sabalenka (Australian Open F)
2025 #2 Coco Gauff def. #1 Sabalenka (Roland Garros F)
2025 #12 Amanda Anisimova def. #1 Sabalenka (Wimbledon SF)
2025 #6 Jessie Pegula def. #1 Sabalenka (Wuhan SF)
--
5 - Pegula
4 - Gauff
2 - Keys
1 - Anisimova, Brady, Collins, Kenin, Rogers

*CAREER WTA #1 WINS active*
15 - Venus Williams, USA
7 - Elena Rybakina, KAZ
7 - Elina Svitolina, UKR
5 - JESSIE PEGULA, USA
5 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR

*WTA #1 WINS (51) - 2020-25*
7 - Elena Rybakina, KAZ
5 - JESSIE PEGULA, USA
4 - Coco Gauff, USA
4 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
2 - Ekaterina Alexandrova, RUS
2 - Madison Keys, USA
2 - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
2 - Alona Ostapenko, LAT
2 - Zheng Qinwen, CHN
1 - Mirra Andreeva, RUS
1 - Amanda Anisimova, USA
1 - Paula Badosa, ESP
1 - Jennifer Brady, USA
1 - Danielle Collins, USA
1 - Alize Cornet, FRA
1 - Caroline Garcia, FRA
1 - Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA
1 - Anna Kalinskaya, RUS
1 - Sofia Kenin, USA
1 - Petra Kvitova, CZE
1 - Magda Linette, POL
1 - Karolina Muchova, CZE
1 - Linda Noskova, CZE
1 - Yulia Putintseva, KAZ
1 - Shelby Rogers, USA
1 - Sara Sorribes Tormo, ESP
1 - Elina Svitolina, UKR
1 - Iga Swiatek, POL
1 - Clara Tauson, DEN
1 - Marketa Vondrousova, CZE
[wins-by-nation, 2020-25]
16 - USA
8 - KAZ
6 - CZE
4 - BLR,RUS
2 - CHN,ESP,FRA,LAT,POL
1 - BRA,DEN,UKR
--
LOSSES (51): 24-Swiatek, 16-Sabalenka, 11-Barty

*2025 WINS OVER SABALENKA & SWIATEK*
Mirra Andreeva
Amanda Anisimova
Coco Gauff
Madison Keys
Alona Ostapenko
Jessie Pegula
Clara Tauson
[..and Gauff]
Amanda Anisimova

*MOST FINALISTS BY COUNTRY - since 2004*
38 - Russia 2008
34 - Russia 2006
33 - Russia 2004
29 - Russia 2010
27 - Russia 2007
26 - Russia 2009
26 - UNITED STATES 2025
25 - United States 2004
23 - United States 2016
[most titles, since 2004]
19 - Russia 2006
18 - Russia 2008
15 - Russia 2004
13 - Belgium 2005
13 - Russia 2009
13 - Russia 2010
13 - UNITED STATES 2025
12 - United States 2004
12 - Russia 2007
12 - United States 2024

*MOST WTA SF in 2025*
11 - ARYNA SABALENKA (8-3)
9 - Iga Swiatek (4-5)
8 - JESSIE PEGULA (6-2)
7 - Ekaterina Alexandrova (3-4)
6 - Amanda Anisimova (5-1)
6 - JASMINE PAOLINI (2-4)
6 - Elena Rybakina (1-5)
5 - COCO GAUFF (4-1)

*2025 SLAM-WTAF/1000 CHAMPIONS*
Australian Open - Madison Keys, USA
Doha - Amanda Anisimova, USA
Dubai - Mirra Andreeva, RUS
Indian Wells - Mirra Andreeva, RUS
Miami - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
Madrid - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
Rome - Jasmine Paolini, ITA
Roland Garros - Coco Gauff, USA
Wimbledon - Iga Swiatek, POL
Canada - Victoria Mboko, CAN
Cincinnati - Iga Swiatek, POL
US Open - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
Beijing - Amanda Anisimova, USA
Wuhan - Coco Gauff, USA
[doubles]
Australian Open - Katerina Siniakova/Taylor Townsend, CZE/USA
Doha - Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini, ITA/ITA
Dubai - Katerina Siniakova/Taylor Townsend, CZE/USA
Indian Wells - Asia Muhammad/Demi Schuurs, USA/NED
Miami - Mirra Andreeva/Diana Shnaider, RUS/RUS
Madrid - Sorana Cirstea/Anna Kalinskaya, ROU/RUS
Rome - Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini, ITA/ITA
Roland Garros - Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini, ITA/ITA
Wimbledon - Veronika Kudermetova/Elise Mertens, RUS/BEL
Canada - Coco Gauff/McCartney Kessler, USA/USA
Cincinnati - Gaby Dabrowski/Erin Routliffe, CAN/NZL
US Open - Gaby Dabrowski/Erin Routliffe, CAN/NZL
Beijing - Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini, ITA/ITA
Wuhan - Storm Hunter/Katerina Siniakova, AUS/CZE

*2025 WTA DOUBLES TITLES*
4 - Sara Errani, ITA
4 - Jasmine Paolini, ITA
4 - Erin Routliffe, NZL
4 - KATERINA SINIAKOVA, CZE
3 - Timea Babos, HUN
3 - Gaby Dabrowski, CAN
3 - Luisa Stefani, BRA
3 - Taylor Townsend, USA
[2020-25]
25 - KATERINA SINIAKOVA (1/6/6/3/5/4)
15 - Barbora Krejcikova (1/5/3/4/1/1)
13 - Elise Mertens (1/4/2/2/3/1)
12 - Erin Routliffe (0/1/1/3/3/4)
11 - Gaby Dabrowski (0/1/3/2/2/3)
11 - Anna Danilina (0/1/2/1/5/2)
11 - Hsieh Su-wei (4/2/0/2/3/0)
11 - Nicole Melichar-Martinez (2/2/2/0/3/2)
11 - Demi Schuurs (2/2/1/2/2/2)
11 - Laura Siegemund (1/0/3/5/1/1)
11 - Luisa Stefani (1/1/2/3/1/3)

*2025 WTA DOUBLES FINALS*
7 (2-5) = ANNA DANILINA, KAZ
5 (4-1) = Sara Errani, ITA
5 (4-1) = Jasmine Paolini, ITA
5 (4-1) = KATERINA SINIAKOVA, CZE
5 (3-2) = Taylor Townsend, USA
5 (2-3) = ALEKSANDRA KRUNIC, SRB
5 (2-3) = Alona Ostapenko, LAT
5 (2-3) = Guo Hanyu, CHN
5 (1-4) = Zhang Shuai, CHN
[duos]
5...Errani/Paolini (4-1)
4...Guo/Panova (2-2)
3...Babos/Stefani (3-0)
3...Dabrowski/Routliffe (3-0)
3...Jiang/Wu (2-1)
3...Siniakova/Townsend (2-1)
3...DANILINA/KRUNIC (1-2)
3...V.Kudermetova/Mertens (1-2)
3...Hsieh/Ostapenko (0-3)

*SINIAKOVA - 32 WTA TITLES (# w/ partners)*
18 - Barbora Krejcikova
3 - Storm Hunter
3 - Taylor Townsend
2 - Aleksandra Krunic
1 - Belinda Bencic
1 - Coco Gauff
1 - Kristina Mladenovic
1 - Alona Ostapenko
1 - Bernarda Pera
1 - Zhang Shuai

*ALL-TIME WEEKS AT WTA DOUBLES #1*
237 - Martina Navratilova
199 - Liezel Huber
165 - KATERINA SINIAKOVA (current)
163 - Cara Black
137 - Lisa Raymond
124 - Natasha Zvereva
111 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
110 - Roberta Vinci






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Diane Keaton by Jill Krementz, 1977 #Caturday

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— Susan DuBose (@houseofbast777.bsky.social) October 11, 2025 at 5:41 PM


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James Comey, Letticia James,.... (from the archives)

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— Ann Telnaes (@anntelnaes.bsky.social) October 9, 2025 at 5:36 PM


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All for now.

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posted by Todd.Spiker @ 7:00 PM  0 comments