The one-point sudden death Grand Slam is expanding, with player Qian still holding onto hopes of advancing, and Wang You competing in Hobart.

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Early this morning Beijing time, Tennis Australia officially revealed new entrants for the "One-Point Sudden Death Grand Slam" event held before next year’s Australian Open. The newcomers are Poland’s star Swiatek, world No. 2 Sinner, and the top American female player Gauff. Previously, Tennis Australia had confirmed world No. 1 Alcaraz and local favorite Kyrgios for this unique tournament. This brings the total number of confirmed professional participants to five.

This Australian Open series event, the "One-Point Sudden Death Grand Slam," will take place on January 14 next year. The lineup consists of both professional and amateur players, competing in a single-elimination format. Two players decide who serves or receives by playing rock-paper-scissors, then play one point to determine the winner immediately. The winner advances, and the loser is eliminated. The champion will receive a prize of 1 million Australian dollars, approximately 4.662 million RMB. This one-point format tests both skill and luck, with luck playing a larger role, meaning amateurs could potentially defeat professionals and claim the title under fortune’s favor. Let’s look forward to who will claim the championship in this special event!

Back to the courts: Last night Beijing time, the ATP Next Gen Finals completed its second day of competition. In the Red Group, second seed Brooks played excellently, defeating sixth seed Basavareddy 4-3(2), 4-3(8), 4-1, achieving two consecutive wins and becoming the first player to reach the semifinals. Third seed Pritzmic won his first group match by beating eighth seed Engel 4-1, 2-4, 4-3(3), 4-1. Engel suffered his second loss, making his chances to advance slim.

In the Blue Group, top seed Linner-Qian rebounded from an opening loss to overturn fourth seed Landarus with a 1-4, 4-1, 4-3(4), 4-3(2) victory, securing his first group win and keeping his hopes of advancing alive. Fifth seed Budkov-Sher defeated seventh seed Hodar 4-1, 4-2, 1-4, 4-2, maintaining an undefeated record in the group and looking strong to advance.

Turning to tournament news: Early this morning Beijing time, the WTA250 Hobart event released its latest entry list. Belgian star Mertens leads the field, with British No. 1 Raducanu, Czech player Krejcikova, American rising star Jovic, Lee Ji-ni, and German beauty Lis also competing. China’s second-ranked player Wang Xinyu is also on the roster. The defending champion of this event is American Kessler. The tournament will be held from January 12 to 17 next year.

Shifting focus to Southeast Asia: Last night Beijing time, in the women’s singles final of the Southeast Asian Games tennis competition, Philippine top player Iela was in superb form, sweeping host Thailand’s top player Sa Wangkai 6-1, 6-2 to claim the gold medal. Iela became the first Filipino player since 1999 to win the gold in this event at the Southeast Asian Games. After the match, she embraced her parents who were watching, overjoyed by the victory.

Here is a player update: Last night Beijing time, 31-year-old Japanese player Nao Hibino announced her marriage on her personal social media. Congratulations to her!

Finally, let’s play a guessing game. Below is a photo of a player training. Without any hints, can you identify who he is?

Last time’s guessing game received no correct answers. Actually, the person in the photo is the American “Zero Sister,” Stephens.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: The Maverick)