Tennis in General - Results and Comments

Well, I was thinking to open this thread from a long time, so I will stop filling the "Sports in general" thread and now here it is
Here you will find all the results and the latest news about the ATP & WTA circuit, Grand Slam Tournaments, Davis and Fed Cup,
with my personal comments for the main finals.
If you want to add your personal comments about your favourite player(s), you' re welcome
Let' s start with the schedule of the first week of the year :

Doha (Qatar), 4-10 January : "Qatar ExxonMobil 2015 Open"
Category : ATP World Tour 250
Prize Money : $ 1. 221.320
Surface : Hard

Brisbane (Australia), 4-11 January : "Brisbane International"
Categories : ATP World Tour 250 & WTA Premier
Prize Money : $ 494.310 (ATP) & $ 1.000.000 (WTA)
Surface : Hard

Chennai (India), 5-11 January : "Aircel Chennai Open"
Category : ATP World Tour 250
Prize Money : $ 458.400
Surface : Hard

Auckland (New Zealand), 4-10 January : "ASB Classic"
Category : WTA International
Prize Money : $ 250.000
Surface : Hard

Shenzhen (China), 4-10 January : "Shenzhen Open"
Category : WTA International
Prize Money : $ 500.000
Surface : Hard

2024 NEXT GENERATION ATP FINALS (TOURNAMENT WITH EXPERIMENTAL RULES) - DAY 3 :
"King Abdullah Sports City", Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) :

"Blue" Group - Matchday 3 (Last) : Learner Tien (5) def. Arthur Fils (1) 4-2, 4-2, 3-4 (4), 4-3 (5)
João Fonseca (8) def. Jakub Menšík (3) 3-4 (4), 4-3 (8), 4-3 (5), 3-4 (4), 4-3 (5)

FINAL STANDINGS :

1. João Fonseca (8) 3 Matches Won - 9 Sets Won & 5 Lost Advance to Semifinals
2. Learner Tien (5) 2 Matches Won & 1 Lost - 7 Sets Won & 6 Lost Advance to Semifinals
3. Arthur Fils (1) 1 Match Won & 2 Lost - 6 Sets Won & 6 Lost Eliminated
4. Jakub Mensik (3) 3 Matches Lost - 4 Sets Won & 9 Lost Eliminated

"Red" Group - Matchday 3 (Last) : Alex Michelsen (2) def. Juncheng Shang (4) 4-1, 1-1 ret. (Illness)
Luca Van Assche (6) def. Nishesh Basavareddy (7) 3-4 (2), 4-3 (7), 4-2, 4-2

FINAL STANDINGS :

1. Alex Michelsen (2) 3 Matches Won - 7 Sets Won & 2 Lost Advance to Semifinals
2. Luca Van Assche (6) 2 Matches Won & 1 Lost - 7 Sets Won & 5 Lost Advance to Semifinals
3. Nishesh Basavareddy (7) 1 Match Won & 2 Lost - 5 Sets Won & 7 Lost Eliminated
4. Juncheng Shang (4) 3 Matches Lost - 2 Sets Won & 7 Lost Eliminated

SEMIFINALS SCHEDULE :

João Fonseca (8) vs Luca Van Assche (6)
Alex Michelsen (2) vs Learner Tien (5)

2024 NEXT GENERATION ATP FINALS (TOURNAMENT WITH EXPERIMENTAL RULES) - DAY 2 :
"King Abdullah Sports City", Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) :

"Blue" Group - Matchday 2 : Arthur Fils (1) def. Jakub Menšík (3) 4-2, 4-3 (4), 4-2
João Fonseca (8) def. Learner Tien (5) 4-0, 4-0, 1-4, 4-2

STANDINGS AFTER MATCHDAY 2 :

1. João Fonseca (8) 2 Matches Won - 6 Sets Won & 3 Lost Already Qualified to Semifinals
2. Arthur Fils (1) 1 Match Won & 1 Lost - 5 Sets Won & 3 Lost
3. Learner Tien (5) 1 Match Won & 1 Lost - 4 Sets Won & 5 Lost
4. Jakub Mensik (3) 2 Matches Lost - 2 Sets Won & 6 Lost

"Red" Group - Matchday 2 : Nishesh Basavareddy (7) def. Juncheng Shang (4) 3-4 (4), 4-2, 4-2, 4-1
Alex Michelsen (2) def. Luca Van Assche (6) 1-4, 4-2, 4-3 (6), 4-3 (5)

STANDINGS AFTER MATCHDAY 2 :

1. Alex Michelsen (2) 2 Matches Won - 6 Sets Won & 2 Lost Already Qualified to Semifinals
2. Luca Van Assche (6) 1 Match Won & 1 Lost - 4 Sets Won & 4 Lost
3. Nishesh Basavareddy (7) 1 Match Won & 1 Lost - 4 Sets Won & 4 Lost
4. Juncheng Shang (4) 2 Matches Lost - 2 Sets Won & 6 Lost Already Eliminated

Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), 18-22 December : "2024 Next Generation ATP Finals"
Category : Under-20 Exhibition Tournament with special rules
Prize Money : US$ 2.050.000
Surface : Hard (Indoor)

"Blue" Group : Arthur Fils (FRA, 1) - Jakub Menšík (CZE, 3) - Learner Tien (USA, 5) - João Fonseca (BRA, 8)

"Red" Group : Alex Michelsen (USA, 2) - Shang Juncheng (CHN, 4) - Luca Van Assche (FRA, 6) - Nishesh Basavareddy (USA, 7).

Alternates : Martin Landaluce (ESP, 9) & Henrique Rocha (POR, 10).

Rules & Innovations : - First-to-4, Best-of-5 set scoring : Each match shall be the best of 5 tie-break sets. Each set shall be first to 4 games with a margin of 2 games and a tie-break (first to 7 points with a margin of 2) played at 3-3. Each game shall be played using the No-Ad scoring format with the server choosing the service box.
- There will be no change of ends after the first game.
- Players will change ends and sit down for 90 seconds after the first three games are played, once more if the set score reaches 3-2 (i.e., after two more games in the set), and then again at the end of the set (regardless of the final set score).
- Players will change ends after every six points in the tie-break.
- Players will sit down at the end of the set for 90 seconds, reduced from 120 seconds.
- Warm up : Players will warm up for 3 minutes on court.
- Ball change : After every 7 games.
- Serve Shot Clock : Up to 8 seconds will be permitted between first and second serve. A shot clock will display the time elapsed between the first and second serve.
- Time between Points : Continuing with the 2023 initiative, the time between points will be reduced from 25 seconds to 15 seconds if a point is below three shots (e.g., 2 shots = 15 seconds; 3 shots = 25 seconds).
- No Let Rule : Play continues even if the ball touches the net during a serve, provided it lands in the correct service box.
- Free Fan Movement : Free movement will be allowed in the stadium for the first three games of the match. After the first free games, fans will be allowed to move freely except for limited areas behind the baseline in direct player view.
- Movement by a spectator(s) in the designated free movement areas shall not constitute a legitimate pause in the shot clock.
- Umpire Chair : Lower umpire chair to reduce the visual obstruction for fans in the arena.
- Scoreboards : Simplified scoring graphics for improved fan consumption will be visualised in the arena to educate younger audiences that attend the event.
- Wearables : Players will be able to wear wearable devices in matches. The wearable data will be summarised and visualised so that players can gain a comprehensive overview of their physical performance and stress responses in matches.
- In-Match analytics : The Tennis IQ match data platform will be available to coaches sitting courtside, and video footage tagged with the match data will be available post-match. New insights will also be visualised in the arena.

2024 NEXT GENERATION ATP FINALS (TOURNAMENT WITH EXPERIMENTAL RULES) - DAY 1 :
"King Abdullah Sports City", Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) :

"Blue" Group - Matchday 1 : Learner Tien (5) def. Jakub Menšík (3) 4-3 (6), 4-3 (3), 2-4, 2-4, 4-3 (8)
João Fonseca (8) def. Arthur Fils (1) 3-4 (9), 4-2, 4-1, 1-4, 4-1

STANDINGS AFTER MATCHDAY 1 :

1. João Fonseca (8) 1 Match Won - 3 Sets Won & 2 Lost
2. Learner Tien (5) 1 Match Won - 3 Sets Won & 2 Lost
3. Jakub Mensik (3) 1 Match Lost - 2 Sets Won & 3 Lost
4. Arthur Fils (1) 1 Match Lost - 2 Sets Won & 3 Lost

"Red" Group - Matchday 1 : Luca Van Assche (6) def. Juncheng Shang (4) 4-3 (3), 2-4, 4-1, 4-3 (5)
Alex Michelsen (2) def. Nishesh Basavareddy (7) 2-4, 4-3 (5), 4-3 (4), 4-2

STANDINGS AFTER MATCHDAY 1 :

1. Luca Van Assche (6) 1 Match Won - 3 Sets Won & 1 Lost
2. Alex Michelsen (2) 1 Match Won - 3 Sets Won & 1 Lost
3. Juncheng Shang (4) 1 Match Lost - 1 Set Won & 3 Lost
4. Nishesh Basavareddy (7) 1 Match Lost - 1 Set Won & 3 Lost

2025 DAVIS CUP QUALIFIERS DRAW :
ITF Offices, London (Great Britain), December 2nd :

Norway vs Argentina (13)
Sweden vs Australia (1)
Belgium (12) vs Chile
Canada (2) vs Hungary
Austria vs Finland (11)
Israel vs Germany (3)
Japan vs Great Britain (10)
Chinese Taipei vs United States (4)
Czech Republic (9) vs Korea
Denmark vs Serbia (5)
Switzerland vs Spain (8)
Croatia (6) vs Slovakia
France (7) vs Brazil

Qualifiers : 31 January - 2 February 2025

Italy will host the Davis Cup Finals from 2025 until 2027. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) which runs the event, confirmed the defending champion as the host nation at the draw for the 2025 qualifiers in London this afternoon. Bologna will host the 2025 Davis Cup Finals, an eight-team event which is also referred to as the "Final 8", Milan and Turin, the latter of which has hosted the ATP Tour Finals since 2021, are vying for future years. No deal has been agreed for the "Billie Jean King Cup Finals", despite this year being the first to unite the two competitions in the same city. Seville hosted the Finals in 2023 and was supposed to in 2024, before it relocated to Malaga at the request of Andalusia's regional government.

ATP & WTA RANKINGS AT DECEMBER 2ND :

ATP TOUR (FIRST 15 PLACES) : 1. Jannik Sinner ITA 11.830 points
2. Alexander Zverev GER 7.915 points
3. Carlos Alcaraz ESP 7.010 points
4. Taylor Fritz USA 5.100 points
5. Daniil Medvedev RUS 5.030 points
6. Casper Ruud NOR 4.255 points
7. Novak Djokovic SRB 3.910 points
8. Andrey Rublev RUS 3.760 points
9. Alex De Minaur AUS 3.745 points
10. Grigor Dimitrov BUL 3.350 points
11. Stefanos Tsitsipas GRE 3.165 points
12. Tommy Paul USA 3.145 points
13. Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune DEN 3.025 points
14. Ugo Humbert FRA 2.765 points
15. Jack Draper GBR 2.685 points

WTA TOUR (FIRST 15 PLACES) : 1. Aryna Sabalenka BLR 9.416 points
2. Iga Swiatek POL 8.370 points
3. Cori Gauff USA 6.530 points
4. Jasmine Paolini ITA 5.344 points
5. Qinwen Zheng CHN 5.340 points
6. Elena Rybakina KAZ 5.171 points
7. Jessica Pegula USA 4.705 points
8. Emma Navarro USA 3.589 points
9. Daria Kasatkina RUS 3.368 points
10. Barbora Krejcikova CZE 3.214 points
11. Danielle Rose Collins USA 3.178 points
12. Paula Badosa Gibert ESP 2.908 points
13. Diana Shnaider RUS 2.895 points
14. Anna Kalinskaya RUS 2.743 points
15. Jelena Ostapenko LAT 2.588 points

ATP & WTA RANKINGS AT NOVEMBER 25TH :

ATP TOUR (FIRST 15 PLACES) : 1. Jannik Sinner ITA 11.830 points
2. Alexander Zverev GER 7.915 points
3. Carlos Alcaraz ESP 7.010 points
4. Taylor Fritz USA 5.100 points
5. Daniil Medvedev RUS 5.030 points
6. Casper Ruud NOR 4.255 points
7. Novak Djokovic SRB 3.910 points
8. Andrey Rublev RUS 3.760 points
9. Alex De Minaur AUS 3.745 points
10. Grigor Dimitrov BUL 3.350 points
11. Stefanos Tsitsipas GRE 3.165 points
12. Tommy Paul USA 3.145 points
13. Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune DEN 3.025 points
14. Ugo Humbert FRA 2.765 points
15. Jack Draper GBR 2.685 points

WTA TOUR (FIRST 15 PLACES) : 1. Aryna Sabalenka BLR 9.416 points
2. Iga Swiatek POL 8.370 points
3. Cori Gauff USA 6.530 points
4. Jasmine Paolini ITA 5.344 points
5. Qinwen Zheng CHN 5.340 points
6. Elena Rybakina KAZ 5.171 points
7. Jessica Pegula USA 4.705 points
8. Emma Navarro USA 3.589 points
9. Daria Kasatkina RUS 3.368 points
10. Barbora Krejcikova CZE 3.214 points
11. Danielle Rose Collins USA 3.178 points
12. Paula Badosa Gibert ESP 2.908 points
13. Diana Shnaider RUS 2.895 points
14. Anna Kalinskaya RUS 2.743 points
15. Jelena Ostapenko LAT 2.588 points

2024 DAVIS CUP BY RAKUTEN FINALS :
"Palacio de Deportes José María Martín Carpena", Malaga (Spain), 19-24 November :

Result Final : ITALY (1) 2 - Netherlands 0
Matteo Berrettini (ITA) def. Botic Van De Zandschulp (NED) 6-4, 6-2
Jannik Sinner (ITA) def. Tallon Griekspoor (NED) 7-6 (2), 6-2
Simone Bolelli / Andrea Vavassori (ITA) vs Wesley Koolhof / Botic Van De Zandschulp (NED) Not Played

ITALY (1) win the 2024 Davis Cup, the third (second consecutive) in the history of the team


[Verstecktes Bild - Registrierung notwendig]

2024 DAVIS CUP BY RAKUTEN FINALS :
"Palacio de Deportes José María Martín Carpena", Malaga (Spain), 19-24 November :

Result Second Semifinal : ITALY (1) 2 - Australia (2) 0
M. Berrettini (ITA) def. T. Kokkinakis (AUS) 6-7 (6), 6-3, 7-5
J. Sinner (ITA) def. A. De Minaur (AUS) 6-3, 6-4
S. Bolelli / A. Vavassori (ITA) vs M. Ebden / J. Thompson (AUS) Not Played

ITALY (1) advance to the Final

2024 DAVIS CUP BY RAKUTEN FINALS :
"Palacio de Deportes José María Martín Carpena", Malaga (Spain), 19-24 November :

Result First Semifinal : Germany (4) 0 - Netherlands 2
B. Van De Zandschulp (NED) def. D. Altmaier (GER) 6-4, 6-7 (12), 6-3
T. Griekspoor (NED) def. J-L. Struff (GER) 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-4
K. Krawietz / T. Puetz (GER) vs W. Koolhof / B. Van De Zandschulp (NED) Not Played

NETHERLANDS advance to the Final

2024 DAVIS CUP BY RAKUTEN FINALS :
"Palacio de Deportes José María Martín Carpena", Malaga (Spain), 19-24 November :

Result Third Quarter-final : United States 1 - Australia (2) 2
T. Kokkinakis (AUS) def. B. Shelton (USA) 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (16-14)
T. Fritz (USA) def. A. De Minaur (AUS) 6-3, 6-4
M. Ebden / J. Thompson (AUS) def. T. Paul / B. Shelton (USA) 6-4, 6-4

Result Fourth Quarter-final : ITALY (1) 2 - Argentina 1
F. Cerundolo (ARG) def. L. Musetti (ITA) 6-4, 6-1
J. Sinner (ITA) def. S. Baez (ARG) 6-2, 6-1
J. Sinner / M. Berrettini (ITA) def. M. Gonzalez / A. Molteni (ARG) 6-4, 7-5

AUSTRALIA (2) & ITALY advance to Semifinals

2024 "BILLIE JEAN KING CUP BY GAINBRIDGE" FINALS DAY 7 (LAST) - THE FINAL :
"Martin Carpena Arena" (Hard Indoor), Malaga (Spain) :

Slovakia 0 - ITALY (3) 2
Lucia Bronzetti (ITA) def. Viktoria Hruncakova (SVK) 6-2, 6-4
Jasmine Paolini (ITA) def. Rebecca Sramkova (SVK) 6-2, 6-1
Viktoria Hruncakova / Tereza Mihalikova (SVK) vs Sara Errani / Jasmine Paolini (ITA) Not Played

ITALY (3) win the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup, the fifth in the history of the team

[Verstecktes Bild - Registrierung notwendig]

2024 DAVIS CUP BY RAKUTEN FINALS :
"Palacio de Deportes José María Martín Carpena", Malaga (Spain), 19-24 November :

Result First Quarter-final : Netherlands 2 - Spain 1
B. Van De Zandschulp (NED) def. R. Nadal (ESP) 6-4, 6-4
C. Alcaraz (ESP) def. T. Griekspoor (NED) 7-6 (0), 6-3
W. Koolhof / B. Van De Zandschulp (NED) def. C. Alcaraz / M. Granollers-Pujol (ESP) 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3)

Result Second Quarter-final : Germany (4) 2 - Canada (3) 0
D. Altmaier (GER) def. G. Diallo (CAN) 7-6 (5), 6-4
J-L. Struff (GER) def. D. Shapovalov (CAN) 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5)
K. Krawietz / T. Puetz (GER) vs V. Pospisil / D. Shapovalov (CAN) Not Played

NETHERLANDS & GERMANY (4) advance to Semifinals

2024 "BILLIE JEAN KING CUP BY GAINBRIDGE" FINALS DAY 5 & 6 - SEMIFINALS :
"Martin Carpena Arena" (Hard Indoor), Malaga (Spain) :

Poland 1 - ITALY (3) 2
L. Bronzetti (ITA) def. M. Linette (POL) 6-4, 7-6 (3)
I. Swiatek (POL) def. J. Paolini (ITA) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
S. Errani / J. Paolini (ITA) def. K. Kawa / I. Swiatek (POL) 7-5, 7-5

ITALY (3) advance to the Final

Great Britain 1 - Slovakia 2
E. Raducanu (GBR) def. V. Hruncakova (SVK) 6-4, 6-4
R. Sramkova (SVK) def. K. Boulter (GBR) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
V. Hruncakova / T. Mihalikova (SVK) def. O. Nicholls / H. Watson (GBR) 6-2, 6-2

SLOVAKIA advance to the Final

ATP & WTA RANKINGS AT NOVEMBER 18TH :

ATP TOUR (FIRST 15 PLACES) : 1. Jannik Sinner ITA 11.830 points
2. Alexander Zverev GER 7.915 points
3. Carlos Alcaraz ESP 7.010 points
4. (5.) Taylor Fritz USA 5.100 points
5. (4.) Daniil Medvedev RUS 5.030 points
6. (7.) Casper Ruud NOR 4.255 points
7. (6.) Novak Djokovic SRB 3.910 points
8. Andrey Rublev RUS 3.760 points
9. Alex De Minaur AUS 3.745 points
10. Grigor Dimitrov BUL 3.350 points
11. Stefanos Tsitsipas GRE 3.165 points
12. Tommy Paul USA 3.145 points
13. Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune DEN 3.025 points
14. Ugo Humbert FRA 2.765 points
15. Jack Draper GBR 2.685 points

WTA TOUR (FIRST 15 PLACES) : 1. Aryna Sabalenka BLR 9.416 points
2. Iga Swiatek POL 8.370 points
3. Cori Gauff USA 6.530 points
4. Jasmine Paolini ITA 5.344 points
5. Qinwen Zheng CHN 5.340 points
6. Elena Rybakina KAZ 5.171 points
7. Jessica Pegula USA 4.705 points
8. Emma Navarro USA 3.589 points
9. Daria Kasatkina RUS 3.368 points
10. Barbora Krejcikova CZE 3.214 points
11. Danielle Rose Collins USA 3.178 points
12. Paula Badosa Gibert ESP 2.908 points
13. Diana Shnaider RUS 2.895 points
14. Anna Kalinskaya RUS 2.743 points
15. Jelena Ostapenko LAT 2.588 points

2024 NITTO ATP FINALS - DAY 8 (LAST) :
"Inalpi Arena", Turin (Italy) :

Singles - Final : Jannik Sinner (1) won his 18th ATP tournament in career (first ATP Finals and 7th on hard indoor), defeating
Taylor Fritz (5) 6-4, 6-4 after 1h 24'

First set opened with Fritz, who won the toss, on serve ancd both players started immediately to fight with intense and prolonged rallies, then, in the seventh game, Sinner broke the American, going up 4-3, then he went serving for the set at 5-4, when Fritz got his first break-point, however canceled by the Italian, who, with the tenth ace, closed the set at the second set point 6-4 after 41' of play; the second set remained balanced until 2-2, then, in the fifth game, Sinner made the break that would be decisive at the second opportunity, taking the lead to 3-2 and maintaining his serves without worries until the final apotheosis, immediately closing the match at the first match-point; Sinner ends the season on the men's circuit with 70 victories (and only 6 defeats, 3 of which against Carlos Alcaraz), winning 8 tournaments, including the two Slams on hard courts and the Finals (only Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic were able to make this hat-trick), with 11.830 points in total in the ATP ranking (not even Federer had reached that far), 3.915 more than the second (Zverev) and 4.820 more than the third (Alcaraz).

[Verstecktes Bild - Registrierung notwendig]

Doubles - Final : Kevin Krawietz / Tim Puetz (8) def. Marcelo Arevalo / Mate Pavic (1) 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6)

[Verstecktes Bild - Registrierung notwendig]

2024 "BILLIE JEAN KING CUP BY GAINBRIDGE" FINALS DAY 4 - QUARTER-FINALS :
"Martin Carpena Arena" (Hard Indoor), Malaga (Spain) :

Australia (4) 0 - Slovakia 2
V. Hrunkacova (SVK) def. K. Birrell (AUS) 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-3
R. Sramkova (SVK) def. A. Tomljanovic (AUS) 6-1, 6-2
E. Perez / D. Saville (AUS) vs V. Hruncakova / T. Mihalikova (SVK) Not Played

SLOVAKIA advance to Semifinals

Canada (1) 0 - Great Britain 2
E. Raducanu (GBR) def. R. Marino (CAN) 6-0, 7-5
K. Boulter (GBR) def. L. A. Fernandez (CAN) 6-2, 6-4
G. Dabrowski / L. A. Fernandez (CAN) vs O. Nicholls / H. Watson (GBR) Not Played

GREAT BRITAIN advance to Semifinals