From injuries and heartbreaks to some inevitable finals, a lot of action is happening in the tennis world. Naomi Osaka’s campaign at home ended early, Lorenzo Musetti is battling fatigue on his road to the ATP Finals, and Tommy Paul’s injury troubles continue. Meanwhile, the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh is ready for another final between two of the sport’s biggest names right now.
What Was the Reason Behind Naomi Osaka’s Abrupt End at the Japan Open?
Osaka’s much-awaited Japan Open run ended early after she suffered a left leg injury in her second-round match. She started her week strong with a 6-0, 6-4 win over fellow Japanese player Wakana Sonobe, followed by a hard-fought 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-2 victory over Suzan Lamens 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-2.
During her match against Lamens, Osaka seemed to hurt her left leg. She called for a medical timeout and came back with her left thigh wrapped, and was struggling to move freely. Although she still managed to finish the match, the former world No. 1 was forced to withdraw before her quarterfinal match against Jaqueline Cristian.
Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the WTA event in Osaka due to a leg injury she sustained in her last match.
Jaqueline Cristian advances to the semifinals.
Wishing Naomi a quick recovery… she’s been playing some great tennis again lately.
🇯🇵❤️🩹 pic.twitter.com/c7MTiLl19Y
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 17, 2025
Tournament officials confirmed the decision. Osaka, who just celebrated her 28th birthday in a hospital, is still hoping to play in the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo if her recovery goes well.
Lorenzo Musetti’s “Nightmare” in ATP Finals Race
As the season is reaching its end, all eyes are on the race to qualify for the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals, which will be held from November 9 to 16 at the Inalpi Arena in Turin. Musetti, who is currently in eighth place in the ATP Race and holding the last qualifying spot, is fighting for a chance to make his debut at the event.
His recent win over Yannick Hanfmann at the BNP PF European Open in Brussels gave him much-needed ranking points. He now faces Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the quarterfinals. However, Musetti admitted that the push for Turin has been “not a dream, but a nightmare.” During the post-match interview, he said:
“It’s becoming not a dream, but a nightmare..honestly, because I’m fighting every week since Wimbledon. I’m playing every week straight. So, [I’m] pretty tired. I think you can see also from the face that I’m really really tired but mentally I’m there. Of course, that’s my goal for the season. We manage to make a lot of improvements, especially on this surface. So, one step at a time and focus on the next one tomorrow and we will see.”
“It’s becoming not a dream, but a nightmare” 😅
Musetti on his bid to qualify for the #NittoATPFinals in his home country 🇮🇹#BNPPFEuropeanOpen pic.twitter.com/ZLmsdAWA2I
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 16, 2025
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have already secured their top two places. The rest of the players, excluding Musetti, who are currently at the top eight on the list, are Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, and Alex de Minaur.
Other players who are still chasing a late push for a spot include Felix Auger-Aliassime, Casper Ruud, Holger Rune, Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Bublik, and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Jack Draper was also looking for his debut, but has been sidelined for the rest of the season due to injury.
Tommy Paul’s Extended Absence from Competition
Paul’s 2025 season has been marked by one injury after another. His French Open run was hindered due to an abdominal strain. He then had to skip the ATP 500 event at Queen’s Club, where he was the defending champion.
And even before the French Open began, Paul was struggling with the peroneus longus tendon, the long tendon running down his foot. Though he played through that pain as well, things got worse when he tore the tendon in the second round of Wimbledon.
He managed to return at the Cincinnati Open but faced an early exit at the round of 32. Paul again made a short comeback at the US Open, reaching the third round. Since then, the American has withdrawn from the Shanghai Masters, the Nordic Open in Stockholm, and recently from the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.
Vienna update:
OUT: Paul, Dimitrov
IN: Altmaier, Borges
Next: Brooksby
— Entry List Updates (@EntryLists) October 15, 2025
Another player who has suffered similar consequences is Grigor Dimitrov. He was forced to retire in the first round of the French Open due to a thigh injury. He retired during the fourth round at Wimbledon due to a pectoral injury and has since missed the US Open, the entire Asia tour, the Nordic Open, and now the Vienna Open.
2025 Six Kings Slam: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz to Meet Once Again
The Six Kings Slam in Riyadh brought back the two inevitable finalists of this year. Defending champion Sinner beat Djokovic 6-4, 6-2, while world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz won 6-4, 6-2 against Fritz in the semifinals. This final will be their first clash since Alcaraz’s US Open win. Djokovic and Fritz will meet again for the third-place playoff.
Another one ☝️
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will face-off in a final for the sixth time in 2025 when they meet in Saturday’s Six Kings Slam 🏆 pic.twitter.com/tuGNn8ujh3
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) October 16, 2025
Alcaraz and Sinner have played five finals so far in 2025, with three of them coming in Grand Slams. The Spaniard has won all of them apart from Wimbledon, where the Italian came back from a set down to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
MORE: Naomi Osaka Cancels Her Match in Shocking Move, Days After Leaving Interview Midway Due to Painful Injury
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