Sabalenka equals Sharapova's record, Djokovic reaches semifinals through a tiebreak, is the final draw favorable for Alcaraz?

Three minutes daily to catch up on global tennis news. Hello tennis fans, today is Friday, November 7, 2025. Welcome to the midday news report brought to you by "Tennis Home."

Let's start by looking at the Riyadh WTA Year-End Finals. Early this morning Beijing time, the final round of the singles Graf group wrapped up, confirming all four semifinalists. The top seed and world number one Sabalenka defeated the third seed, American Gauff, 7-6(5), 6-2, advancing to the semifinals with an undefeated 3-0 record. With this win, the Belarusian player became the second athlete, after the Russian beauty Sharapova, to reach the semifinals in four consecutive Year-End Finals, matching the legendary predecessor's record.

In another match, the fifth seed American Pegula convincingly beat the eighth seed, Italian powerhouse Paolini, 6-2, 6-3, improving her round-robin record to two wins and one loss, and advancing as the group’s second place. Defending champion Gauff managed only one win in the group stage, finishing with one win and two losses, and failed to qualify. The semifinals matchups are Sabalenka vs. Anisimova and Pegula vs. Rybakina.

In doubles, Huber group: In the last round of the group stage, the second seeds Siniakova/Townsend defeated the fifth seeds Mira-Andreeva/Schneider 6-2, 6-4, finishing the group with a perfect 3-0 record to reach the semifinals. The other semifinal spot went to the seventh seeds Babos/Stephens, who came back from a set down to beat the third seeds Dabrowski/Luetlief 2-6, 7-5, 10-5, qualifying with a 2-1 record.

Let's turn to other tournaments. Last night Beijing time, the quarterfinals of two ATP250 indoor hard court events concluded, with all semifinalists decided. Athens: Top seed and Serbian star Djokovic, despite facing a tiebreak in the first set, defeated sixth seed Portuguese Borges 7-6(1), 6-4, reaching his 8th semifinal of the season and the 199th in his career. In the semifinals, he will face German qualifier Hanfmann, who eliminated American Giron 7-6(3), 6-4.

The two semifinal spots in the lower half were claimed by second seed Italian Musetti and American Korda. Musetti defeated Frenchman Auger-Aliassime 6-2, 6-4, while Korda beat Serbian Kecmanovic 6-3, 6-2.

Metz: British player Norrie staged a tough comeback from 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 against lucky loser Jarry to reach the semifinals, where he will meet Italian Sonego, who overcame German Altmaier 6-4, 7-6(6). American rising star Learner-Chien rallied from 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 to upset Italian Berrettini and advance to the semifinals, where he will face lucky loser Sachko, who defeated qualifier Taber 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

Now let's look at the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals. Last night Beijing time, the singles and doubles group draws were announced. In singles: The Jimmy Connors group features Alcaraz, Djokovic, Fritz,

and Deminal; the Bjorn Borg group includes Sinner, Zverev, Shelton, and either Aliassime or Musetti.

Some fans believe this draw favors Spanish star Alcaraz in the fight for year-end No.1. Whether facing Fritz or Deminal, Alcaraz holds the advantage. Even if Djokovic competes, the young Spaniard has the ability to win. By winning three matches, Alcaraz can secure the year-end No.1 spot even if Sinner wins the title undefeated. However, some fans think indoor hard courts are Alcaraz’s weakness, his poorest surface, so he might face a setback in Turin. What do you think?

Doubles groups: The Pete Fleming group consists of pairs Kas/Graspol, Granollers/Zeballos, Krawietz/Puetz, and Bolelli/Vavassori; the John McEnroe group includes Heliovaara/Purcell, Arevalo/Pavic, Salisbury/Skupski, and C. Harrison/Ivan King.

Finally, let’s play a guessing game. The following picture shows a player's look. Without any hints, can you identify who she is?

In the last guessing game, some fans gave the correct answer. Indeed, the person in the picture is Denmark’s top player Rune, who is recovering from an Achilles tendon rupture.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Lone Wolf)