Our regular feature, The Base Line, returns this week as we look to keep you up to date with the relentless and fast-paced nature of the ATP and WTA Tours. Who were crowned champions, who struggled to make an impact, and what moment stood out recently in the tennis world?
Title winners
Starting in Beijing, the women took part in a WTA 1000 event, while the men were competing at ATP 500 level. And it was the irresistible Amana Anisimova who continued her amazing year, winning the China Open title with a 6-0, 2-6, 6-2 victory over Linda Noskova.
In her fifth final of the year, Anisimova was excellent for the most part, but had a dip in the middle to allow her Czech opponent back into the contest. Eventually, she found her best form to get over the line, clinching her second career WTA 1000 title after victory in Doha back in February.
Coming off that 6-0, 6-0 defeat to Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon final, as well as a loss in the US Open final to Aryna Sabalenka, the American continues to demonstrate remarkable mental strength and resilience to go alongside her effortless power.
Her backhand is looking like one of the great tennis shots, and the way she destroyed the defending champion Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-2 in the semi-final pretty much sums up the place she is in right now. She is unquestionably one of the best players in the world, and she is now a regular face deep in the biggest tournaments.
Now up to third in the Race to the WTA Finals, she has also sealed her spot at the end-of-year event for the first time in her career.
Despite the loss, it was also a superb week for Noskova, reaching her first WTA 1000 final. She beat Jessica Pegula in a semi-final epic and has moved up to a career-high 17 in the world rankings.
Read more: Anisimova downs Noskova in Beijing final
Over on the men's side, Jannik Sinner rebounded from his US Open final defeat with victory in the Chinese capital, swatting aside young gun Learner Tien 6-2, 6-2 in the final.
The 2023 champion came into the tournament saying that he wanted to add more weapons to his arsenal in a bid to overhaul the new world number one, Alcaraz, and there were certainly signs of that.
The Italian, especially in the early rounds, seemed to be coming to the net more often and looking to finish points earlier. His serve was also functioning extremely well - an aspect of his game that has let him down recently.
On his way to the title, he also defeated Marin Cilic, Terence Atmane, Fabian Marozsan, and Alex De Minaur in a surprisingly tight semi-final.
In truth, Sinner is so far ahead of anyone in the men's game, barring Alcaraz, so this victory felt almost a foregone conclusion before the tournament even began.
And similar can be said in Tokyo, where Alcaraz himself soared to the title on his maiden appearance there, producing some utterly dazzling tennis all week.
He clinched a comfortable 6-4, 6-4 win over a tired-looking Taylor Fritz in the final, lifting his eighth trophy of a spectacular season. There is little doubt at the moment that he is playing the best tennis of his career.
Alcaraz is hitting his forehand harder than ever, but his touch and variety are simply on another planet. His drop shot - which is arguably the greatest we have ever seen in the sport - is functioning at optimum level, and absolutely no one can cope with him.
Despite a brief injury scare in the opening round, Alcaraz beat Sebastian Baez, Zizou Bergs, Brandon Nakshima and Casper Ruud before the showpiece event, with only the latter giving him a bit of a test.
The dominance of Alcaraz and Sinner at the top of men's tennis is pretty scary at the moment for the rest of the chasing pack.
There is around a 5000-point gap between Sinner in second and Zverev in third in the ATP rankings. The player 5000 points below Zverev is Arthur Rinderknech, who is ranked 54th.
No one can lay a glove on the 'Big Two', and it is hard to see how anyone besides them can win a tournament that they are participating in.
Biggest strugglers
Following her run to the US Open semi-final and a general major improvement in form, Naomi Osaka had a tough time in Beijing, falling at the first hurdle, as she was defeated 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 by Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
It was a major upset, but seemingly more down to how well Sasnovich played, and Osaka not fully being dialled in - perhaps due to the lengthy nature of the WTA season and players feeling mentally and physically fatigued, which has been a trend in Beijing.
There were several big retirements throughout the tournament, with Jakub Mensik, Lorenzo Musetti, Barbora Krejcikova, Paula Badosa, Camila Osorio, Lois Boisson and Zheng Qinwen all pulling out during matches.
A sad state of affairs, but it illustrates perfectly the unsustainable nature of the schedule for both men and women.
"WTA with all these mandatory rules, they made this pretty crazy for us. I don’t think any top player will actually be able to achieve this, playing the six 500 tournaments. It’s just impossible to squeeze it into the schedule," Iga Swiatek said during a press conference.
"I think we have to be smart about it, not really, unfortunately, care about the rules and just think what’s healthy for us. Yeah, it’s tough.”
This point was even further backed up after Alcaraz announced his withdrawal from the Masters 1000 event in Shanghai... which started a day after Tokyo finished!
You would think things have reached breaking point, but it seems like both tours are committed to the idea of two-week 1000 events, as well as forcing players to participate in tournaments, otherwise facing penalties.
Standout moment
One of the most entertaining players to ever pick up a racket, Frenchman Gael Monfils announced that he would be retiring from tennis, with 2026 his last year on tour.
A star with unmatched personality and charisma, every single time he has stepped onto court in his career has been box-office, delivering highlight reel points regularly with his freakish speed and athleticism.
Monfils once hit a career-high ranking of six in the world, while also reaching the semi-finals at the French Open and US Open. Perhaps a player who didn't reach his true potential, he has still been a major fan favourite and will be sorely missed. He is sure to get a tremendous reception at every event he turns up to next year.
The 2026 French Open could be very fun if he is in action!
Best rallies
Alcaraz was in truly scintillating form in Tokyo, and the champion produced this barely-believable flick at the net against Nakashima.
Meanwhile, despite losing a high quality clash with Pegula in Beijing, Emma Raducanu showcased incredible defensive skills and movement in this rally.
Upcoming events
Due to the already established manic and awkward tennis schedule, the Shanghai Masters got underway on Wednesday. As previously mentioned, Alcaraz pulled out of the event, while Sinner looks to defend his title and close in on his rival in the race to be ATP Year-End No. 1.
Novak Djokovic is also taking part, making his first appearance since the US Open, alongside a stacked field at the penultimate ATP 1000 event of the year.
The race for a spot at the ATP Finals in Turin is also wide open. Alcaraz and Sinner have already qualified, meaning there are six slots still up for grabs.
On the women's side, the final WTA 1000 tournament of 2025 begins on Monday in Wuhan, with three-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka returning after a break following her US Open triumph, looking to continue her dominance in China.
While all of the world's best players will be battling it out for the title, it is set to hold even more significance for Mirra Andreeva, Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini.
Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Madison Keys and Anisimova have booked their places at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, while Pegula is virtually there.
Andreeva is positioned well but still has work to do, but Rybakina and Paolini are likely to have to battle it out for the eighth and final spot!