Tennis wrap: Medvedev ends title-defence drought; Rybakina builds momentum for WTA Finals

The end of the Grand Slam season has done little to dampen the drama in the tennis circuit. With the ATP and WTA seasons approaching the business end, the final tournaments of the year have become crucial in the race to qualify for the respective season-ending championships.

On the WTA Tour, Elena Rybakina strengthened her position ahead of the WTA Finals by successfully defending the Ningbo Open title, securing her fourth trophy of 2026. On the men's circuit, Daniil Medvedev made a breakthrough of his own, winning the Almaty Open to successfully defend a tour-level title for the first time in his career. His victory also strengthened Medvedev's bid to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin.

Swiatek ends her 2026 season

At the start of last week, Iga Swiatek was still in contention for a place at the WTA Finals. However, the Pole withdrew from the Ningbo Open on Tuesday because of a left thigh problem, bringing her 2026 season to an end and ruling her out of the race for the season-ending championship. It will be her first absence from the WTA Finals since 2020.

A day later, Marta Kostyuk retired from her second-round match in Ningbo, while Karolina Muchova secured the final qualifying spot without having to play that week.

The eight-player field is now set, featuring Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Elina Svitolina, Muchova and Linda Noskova.

Who won?

Almaty: Daniil Medvedev beat qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-3 in Sunday's final. The Russian claimed his 25th career title and fourth of the season. More significantly, he successfully defended a tour-level title for the first time in his career.

Lyon: Lorenzo Musetti defeated second seed Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4 to claim his first tour-level title since 2022. The victory also ended his seven-match losing streak in tour-level finals.

Brussels: Tallon Griekspoor captured the ATP 250 title with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Jan-Lennard Struff. The Dutchman recovered from a set down for the third consecutive match to secure his first title of the season.

Ningbo: Elena Rybakina successfully defended her title by beating Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 6-2. It was her fourth title of 2026 and her first trophy since becoming world No. 1.

The race for Turin

Medvedev's victory in Almaty strengthened his position in the race for the ATP Finals, moving him ahead of Flavio Cobolli and into fifth place in the live standings, according to the figures in the supplied draft. The Italian enjoyed a strong week in Lyon but fell short in the semifinals, allowing Medvedev to gain ground.

The Russian has built momentum since the US Open, winning titles in Hangzhou and Almaty while reaching the semifinals in Beijing and at the Shanghai Masters.

Both Medvedev and Cobolli are set to compete in Vienna, where the results could have a significant bearing on the battle for the remaining places in Turin. Arthur Fils, Frances Tiafoe and Rafael Jodar are also listed among the contenders for the remaining qualification spots in the supplied standings.

Alex de Minaur had moved closer to contention after reaching the final in Beijing and the semifinals in Shanghai. However, his decision to enter the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Riyadh meant he missed the opportunity to earn additional points at the ATP 250 events in Brussels, Almaty and Lyon. The exhibition was subsequently postponed amid the crisis in the Middle East.

De Minaur sits 10th in the standings in the supplied draft, ahead of Novak Djokovic, who is set to compete in Vienna in a bid to keep his ATP Finals hopes alive. Fritz's run to the Lyon final, meanwhile, moved him to 12th, 464 points behind Jodar.

Indian tennis

It has been a difficult autumn for Indian tennis. A 1-3 Davis Cup defeat to South Korea in Seoul in September was followed by the country's worst tennis campaign at the Asian Games since 1986, with the contingent returning without a medal.

Yuki Bhambri's doubles triumph in Almaty provided a rare bright spot. Partnering Ryan Seggerman, Bhambri defeated Lucas Miedler and Neil Oberleitner 7-6(3), 6-7(1), [10-2] to claim his fifth ATP doubles title and first of the season.

Karan Singh also enjoyed success, winning the ITF M25 title in Mumbai. It was his fourth title of the year, with Digvijay Pratap Singh retiring while trailing 5-7, 1-3 in the final.

The goodbyes

Two familiar names are approaching the end of their professional careers.

David Goffin, the first Belgian man to break into the world top 10, played his final tournament in Brussels. The former world No. 7, who won six tour-level titles, lost to Alex Michelsen in the second round.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka is also preparing to bow out. The Swiss will make his final professional appearance at the Swiss Indoors in Basel, in front of his home crowd. He has been drawn against Jiri Lehecka in the opening round.

Looking ahead

Vienna (ATP 500): Alexander Zverev is the top seed, while Carlos Alcaraz is competing on a wild card. The German will have a chance to move to world No. 1 in the rankings dated November 2, depending on results.

Basel (ATP 500): Ben Shelton is the top seed, with Fils as second. Djokovic returns on a wild card, while Wawrinka prepares for his farewell appearance.

Tokyo (WTA 500): Several leading players, including Swiatek, Pegula and Svitolina, have withdrawn, leaving Rybakina as the only top-10 player in the field.