StadiumPosts Logo
Stay upto date with notifications from Stadiumposts
Notifications can be managed in browser preferences

ALEXANDER ZVEREV’S REVENGE ON MUSETTI PAVES WAY FOR SINNER CLASH

Alexander Zverev beats Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 7-5 to reach the Vienna Open final, setting up a blockbuster clash with Jannik Sinner. The German was dominant on serve, saving all break points faced to advance to his 4th final of 2025.

top-news
Alexander Zverev - Photo Credit: REUTERS/Lisa Leutner

Jannik Sinner's opponent in the Vienna Open final will be Alexander Zverev, who defeated Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 7-5 in straight sets. The German will face the World No. 2 in a match between previous champions in the Austrian capital, marking his 40th career final and his fourth of the season.

The Italian won the last three meetings, including their lone prior hard-court match in the 2024 Vienna quarterfinals, and easily won the head-to-head (H2H) 3-1. This time, though, Zverev solved his opponent's game and exacted retribution on Musetti. In addition, it marks his third victory of the season and his 57th versus a Top 10 opponent.

Musetti entered the match with great expectations, particularly as he is fighting for a spot in the ATP Finals. Even though his qualification for Turin is still uncertain, he was able to increase his lead over Felix Auger-Aliassime, who is in ninth place, to 440 points with just one tournament left. This gives him some peace of mind as the week comes to a close.

Following Tallon Griekspoor's withdrawal before their quarterfinal encounter, Zverev rested in the quarterfinal round. This time, the German served flawlessly, giving up no break points to his opponent while seizing two of every four possibilities he created during the match.

Zverev's flawless serving wins him a vital first-set break.


Both players were able to easily defend their service games in the opening, which was very evenly matched. With an impressive 89% of points won on his first serve, Zverev outperformed Musetti, who earned 82% of points on his first serve. Both had hardly scored points on the comeback as the score approached 3-3, but Zverev gained the lead in the seventh game when he got the game's first break opportunity.

In order to win the set 6-4, the German needed little more effort on the return and depended on flawless service games, winning 11 winners versus 7 for Musetti and 80% of all service points, as opposed to 68% for Musetti.

Additionally, Zverev wins in straight sets.


Despite Zverev's advantage, the second set saw little change as both players held serve with ease. Although neither player had any break opportunities for a significant portion of the set—just one deuce in the seventh game when Musetti was serving—Zverev was unable to seriously challenge his opponent's serve.

But the German three-time Grand Slam runner-up had the last few seconds all to himself. When Zverev was at 4-5, 15-30 in the second set, he had to deal with a challenging service game, but he then embarked on a strong run of points, winning 11 of the next 14 points. "Sascha" took the lead after a solitary break opportunity at 5-5 and used his service game to win 6-4, 7-5, to advance to his fourth final of the year.

Zverev will play Sinner in the championship game.


The first and second seeds will square off in a thrilling final in Vienna when Zverev takes on Jannik Sinner. Without suffering any significant losses, the Italian defeated Alex de Minaur in the semifinals and will want to win his fourth championship of the year. Despite Sinner's victories in their previous two meetings, Zverev currently leads the head-to-head record 4-3.

When they last faced each other, it was in the Australian Open final at the start of the season. Sinner won in straight sets, earning his third Grand Slam trophy, while Zverev lost for the third time in a Grand Slam final.

RED BULL STAY CALM, COOL, AND CONFIDENT DESPITE MCLAREN MOMENTUM

Red Bull's Laurent Mekies denies their 2025 car focus is due to 2026 PU concerns, calling it a strategic choice to improve development tools. As Lando Norris retakes the title lead, the F1 championship battle intensifies.

top-news
Red Bull Unfazed by McLaren Rise - COURTESY/PHOTO

In Mexico, McLaren CEO Andrea Stella implied that Red Bull's choice to continue working on its 2025 vehicle was a reflection of a lack of clarity surrounding the upcoming Red Bull-Ford power unit.

However, that notion has been rejected by team manager Laurent Mekies and Dr. Helmut Marko.

Mekies stated it has nothing to do with 2026.

"We would have too many unanswered questions going into 2026 if we did not get the most out of this car by the end of the season. We made the decision to spend more money on this vehicle in order to fix its shortcomings and increase its speed.

It greatly increases our confidence in our 2026 tools, strategies, and techniques. Yes, the new project will require less time and effort, but it was a deliberate choice. Performance has nothing to do with it.

According to the Frenchman, the team's strategy is centered on comprehension rather than risk. "We think there will be a net benefit, so we are doing this. We can apply our methods to 2026 and are now verifying them. If it led to difficulties, we would not do it.

Yes, there is a cost, but we think it is worthwhile.

Red Bull's momentum was halted by Mexico as Norris resumed his winning ways, despite Verstappen's recent race surge. Despite replacing an unproductive Oscar Piastri as the championship leader, Verstappen actually cut his overall lead to 36 points.

Norris' resounding win was a welcome change for Stella. Verstappen is still a competitor, but we have the advantage in the next races, he stated.

We have demonstrated that we have a car that can win races and, in some situations, dominate, which has boosted confidence in the championship.

This is the most crucial element that permits Lando and Oscar to compete for the Drivers' Championship, the Italian engineer continued. It has to do with competitiveness, not mathematics. Although the previous races in Austin, Baku, Singapore, and Monza were challenging, we have now once again proven our strength.

In Mexico, Piastri's decline worsened, but Stella stayed positive. Oscar claimed that despite losing some points to Verstappen, he gained a lot of knowledge this past weekend. To make sure you are competitive in every situation during the last stretch, you make that kind of investment. We are stronger and more hopeful when we leave Mexico.

Marko of Red Bull concurred that the battle is still open. "It is no longer assured that one team dominates at a circuit, and there are still 116 points available," he remarked.

We still have a shot. Since Max is the center of attention, I hope the two McLarens stick to their fair play policy.

Verstappen's pace in Mexico, according to Marko, was more powerful than it seemed. In race trim, we knew we would perform better. Max compared himself to a hunting hound, saying that once he scents anything, all else vanishes and he attacks.

But at McLaren, the focus is already shifting from gearboxes to mentalities. Now at the top of the rankings, Norris is under increased scrutiny after the Mexican fans jeered him.

"The question now is whether Norris can take use of his second chance as title leader - or if things will turn unstable again," former Formula One driver Timo Glock told Sky Deutschland. Has he comprehended why the pressure was too severe for him earlier, why he couldn't drive freely back then?

The odds are on his side if he has and has figured out how to deal with it, Glock continued. It is easier said than done, though. It is a completely different picture once the helmet is on and the pressure increases.

JANNIK SINNER BREAKS SILENCE ON POSSIBLE DAVIS CUP REVERSAL

Jannik Sinner is standing firm on his decision to skip the 2025 Davis Cup, showing frustration at repeated questions. The Italian star prioritises his off-season and 2026 Australian Open preparation over defending the title.

top-news
Jannik Sinner Addresses Buzz Around His Davis Cup Future - PHOTO: EPA

When Jannik Sinner's decision to skip the 2025 Davis Cup Finals next month was brought up again, he appeared a little miffed.

Top players commit to competing in the finals because of its scheduling, which runs from November 18 to November 23. They would only have a little more than a month off until 2026 starts if they played until late November.

During Team Italy's championship runs in 2023 and 2024, Sinner was their lucky charm. The nation's remarkable recent supremacy in the sport was established by the women's victories in the Billie Jean King Cup in 2024 and 2025.

Even if the 2025 finals will be placed in Bologna, Italy's chances of winning the Davis Cup for a third time in a row appear to be slim after Sinner declared he would not participate.

The four-time Grand Slam champion said he had previously won two Davis Cups with his Italian colleagues and that he planned to use the additional week to get ready for the Australian Open in 2026.

Nicola Pietrangeli, a fellow Italian legend and two-time French Open champion, was not pleased with Sinner's choice or his justification for it. He believes that modern players are more concerned with money than with patriotism and that it was disrespectful to their nation.

Sinner stated that while people have the right to their opinions, he did not wish to contribute anything further in reaction to the criticism. It is possible that the ATP world No. 2 assumed the topic would be abandoned at that point.

Rather, a reporter at the 2025 Paris Masters questioned Sinner about the possibility of changing his mind. It is still mathematically conceivable to finish as the year-end No. 1 because Sinner had stated that it would be impossible before Alcaraz's surprise defeat by Cameron Norrie in Paris.

Compared to his response to Pietrangeli's and others' criticism, Sinner's response was even more succinct and direct. The 24-year-old reiterated that he had nothing else to say and indicated the choice had been made.

"No, the choice has been made. However, I covered everything a few days ago.

Sinner's frustration with the inquiries surrounding his Davis Cup selection was evident. Even though it makes some sense, missing a home team event is an unavoidable consequence of being a top player.

Recently, Sinner criticised the four Grand Slams.


Sinner was irritated with the four Grand Slams in a different interview for not doing more to address concerns about prize money and other advantages, including healthcare and pensions, that were brought up by elite players earlier this year.

The Wimbledon champion this year expressed frustration that the major events wanted to address some other concerns before fully interacting with players and said that initially, encouraging conversations had not resulted in any follow-up steps.

Twenty elite athletes, 10 from the ATP and 10 from the WTA, wrote to the Grand Slams earlier this season to request a larger share of the money made to be distributed as prize money and other benefits.

It will be interesting to watch if the Grand Slams address those issues and make adjustments in 2026.

Premier League Standings

WhatsApp Read More News