The season finale is almost upon us. While the WTA Finals got underway at Indian Wells on Sunday, the ATP Finals field was confirmed following the conclusion of the calendar year’s last Masters 1000 tournament, with Carlos Alcaraz lifting the trophy in Paris.
The biggest development: Alcaraz wins Paris
The Spaniard clinched his third consecutive title on the tour, but more importantly, avenged his US Open defeat to Ben Shelton in the Paris Masters final on Sunday. Facing the American for the first time since their quarter-final meeting in New York, Alcaraz prevailed in straight sets, winning 7-6(5), 7-5.
It was his fifth title of the season from six finals. Only Jannik Sinner won more trophies in 2026, with six. The victory also made Alcaraz the third man since 1990 to win at least one Masters 1000 title in five consecutive years, after Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. He also became the second Spaniard to win the Paris Masters, after David Ferrer in 2012.
Earlier in the tournament, Novak Djokovic suffered a shock 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 defeat to qualifier Rinky Hijikata, ending his hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals. The Serbian’s only title of 2026 came in Beijing.
Alexander Zverev, meanwhile, endured a forgettable start to his reign as World No. 1, losing 7-6(5), 6-2 to Lorenzo Musetti in the second round.
ATP Finals field confirmed
The eight-player field for the ATP Finals was confirmed on Friday, when Alcaraz defeated Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul was eliminated. Flavio Cobolli, Arthur Fils, Frances Tiafoe and Rafael Jodar secured the remaining four spots, with all four set to make their tournament debuts.
The season-ending tournament will be played in Turin from November 15 to 22.
WTA Finals: Rybakina pulls out
Defending champion and World No. 1 Elena Rybakina withdrew from the WTA Finals on November 7, citing a viral illness and saying she was not physically ready to compete. Marta Kostyuk replaced her in the draw.
The draw was made earlier last week, with the eight-player singles field split into two groups. Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Linda Noskova and Kostyuk were placed in Group 1, while Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Elina Svitolina and Karolina Muchova formed Group 2.
The tournament began on Sunday with Gauff beating Pegula 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-2. Having defeated her compatriot earlier this season in Cincinnati, Gauff once again found a way past Pegula, saving three set points in the second set. She now leads their rivalry 6-5.
Meanwhile, Noskova, who enjoyed a breakthrough year with her Wimbledon title triumph, got off to a winning start with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over debutant Kostyuk.
In doubles, Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, along with Cristina Bucsa and Nicole Melichar-Martinez, opened their Group 2 campaigns with victories. The Italian pair defeated second seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, while Bucsa and Melichar-Martinez recorded a straight-sets win over Ellen Perez and Demi Schuurs.
Unfortunate farewell for Chennai Open
Chennai is hosting a WTA 250 event for the third and final time. The tournament was scheduled to conclude on Sunday with the women’s singles final between defending champion Janice Tjen and Magda Linette, following the doubles final at the SDAT Tennis Stadium.
However, the singles contest was delayed thrice due to rain before poor visibility amid heavy smog forced its postponement to Monday.
Earlier, the Indian pair of Vaishnavi Adkar and Rutuja Bhosale were denied a dream finish to their campaign in Chennai, losing 2-6, 0-6 to the Swiss duo of Simona Waltert and Naima Karamoko in the final. Adkar and Bhosale had become the first all-Indian pair to reach a WTA Tour-level doubles final.
The WTA 250 event will move to Manila next year, taking India’s place on the calendar. Tamil Nadu Tennis Association president Vijay Amritraj, however, is making an effort to bring four consecutive WTA 125 events to India in early 2028. Mumbai has already hosted a WTA 125 tournament for the past three seasons.
Looking ahead
ATP Finals: The draw for the season-ending tournament in Turin is scheduled to be released on Thursday.
WTA Finals: The round-robin stage will continue, with the singles final scheduled for November 15.