Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️☀️
Today’s tennis mood: Questioning Rafa Jodar’s behavior and puzzling over the WTA Tour Finals.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
🎾 On tap: It’s day one of two for the men’s quarterfinals in Shanghai, with some curious players in those slots. And the women are in the fourth round in Wuhan, which includes several fan favorites. In action: Iva Jovic, Karolina Muchova, Iga Swiatek, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Alex de Minaur, and Arthur Gea, among others. More on all this below.
🎾 Au revoir, Gael? The last we heard, Gael Monfils was set to retire at the Paris Masters 1000 in just a couple of weeks. However, that all looks a little different now. According to the ITIA website, Monfils retired as of October 5, 2026. There’s been no announcement from tournament organizers or the Monfils camp thus far. Presumably there will be some kind of event during the tournament. It would be a shame if there wasn’t.
🎾 Qualified: The WTA Finals are shaping up with six of the eight spots claimed as of today, after the addition of Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula to the field.
In: Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, and Linda Noskova.
Next two: If the cut-off were today, Elina Svitolina and Karolina Muchova would be the next two players in.
Still mathematically possible: Marta Kostyuk, Iga Swiatek, Iva Jovic, and Elise Mertens.
What about the men? Not much has changed. So far, it’s still just Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Ben Shelton who have qualified.
🎾 One to watch: Arthur Gea vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (Quarterfinals - 1000 - Shanghai): Watch this one for pure novelty.
The record: This will be the first time Arthur Gea and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina face each other.
On the line: Gea has been gaining momentum all year long, so a win here would mean reaching a milestone at the 1000 level. That comes with a significant number of points that could put him in the zone of being seeded at the Australian Open and beyond. Meanwhile, Davidovich Fokina wants this win so he can face the winner of Zverev vs. de Minaur to truly test his level this (successful) Asian swing.
🎾 🏆 🎤 YOUR CALL
(Yesterday’s poll results: 88% of you called for Daniil Medvedev to defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas. Medvedev won 6-4, 7-5.)
And that’s game.
