Happy Friday, everyone! Start your day by checking out the first Served Live Show from the Laver Cup. If you haven’t watched yet, click the video above and this newsletter will be waiting for you when you’re ready.
Keep scrolling for a BJK Cup Finals check-in, draw updates before the next WTA 1000 event, and more headlines from the world of racket sports.
1️⃣ Let The Laver Cup Begin
Served Live from the Laver Cup is off to an epic start! Special guests, and new team captains, Andre Agassi and Yannick Noah joined Thursday’s show to share their Day 1 lineups, strategies for the competition, and to explain why this event is so unique.
Now that pleasantries have been exchanged, it’s time to watch Team Europe battle Team World in San Francisco.
Friday’s Matches:
Match 1: Reilly Opelka vs. Casper Ruud
Match 2: Alex Michelsen vs. Jakub Mensik
Match 3: Joao Fonseca vs. Flavio Cobolli
Match 4: Taylor Fritz & Michelsen vs. Carlos Alcaraz & Mensik
Make sure you subscribe to our YouTube page so you catch every live stream as it happens. All show times are in local Pacific Time.
2️⃣ BJK Cup: The Final Four
Speaking of team events, the Billie Jean King Cup semifinals began Friday as defending champion Italy met Ukraine in the semifinals. Click here to view the scores.
The United States advanced to the semifinals on Thursday for the first time since 2021 after a 2-1 win over Kazakhstan. Emma Navarro won in singles and Jess Pegula and Taylor Townsend sealed the win in the deciding doubles match. Team USA meets Great Britain in the semis after Sonay Kartal and Katie Boulter won their matches to clinch the 2-0 victory over Japan.
USA vs. Great Britain is scheduled for Saturday.
The final is scheduled for Sunday
Stay tuned for Quick Served episodes recapping all the action!
3️⃣ Townsend Apologizes After Chinese Cuisine Remarks
Before taking the court in Shenzhen, China, Taylor Townsend apologized after making controversial remarks about traditional Chinese cuisine. The 29-year-old posted videos of local dishes including bullfrogs and turtles and joked she would need to “talk to HR” about the quality of the food.
NBC News reports her comments have been widely criticized as culturally insensitive on Chinese social media.
Townsend released an apology on Instagram, saying in part: “I understand how privileged I am as a professional athlete to travel the world and experience so many cultures. My experiences here in China have been amazing—everyone has been kind and gracious, and my comments do not reflect that at all. There’s no excuse, and I will strive to do better moving forward.”
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4️⃣ Sabalenka Pulls Out, Stars Gear Up for China Open
Aryna Sabalenka is out of next week’s WTA 1000 event in Beijing due to a “minor injury” she picked up in her title run at the US Open, according to tournament organizers.
Minus Sabalenka, the rest of the WTA Top 10 is confirmed for the China Open, including No. 9 Qinwen Zheng who’s been sidelined since July with an arm injury that forced her to miss the US Open.
Paula Badosa is also back in the field. She played in this week’s BJK Cup Finals for Spain after missing time since Wimbledon due to a back injury.
Coco Gauff is the defending champion.
5️⃣ Björn Borg Reflects on Drug Use and Retirement in Memoir
In his new memoir “Heartbeats,” tennis legend Björn Borg opens up for the first time about his personal battles with drugs, why he quit tennis, and a recent diagnosis of prostate cancer.
According to the Associated Press, the 11-time Grand Slam champion reveals how his problems began after his early retirement, admitting that the pressures and emptiness that followed led to years of self-medication with cocaine, pills, and alcohol.
“Heartbeats” released in Great Britain on Thursday and releases in the U.S. on September 23.
Didn’t Make The Cut:
Alcaraz-led Spain and Sinner-led Italy could meet in the Davis Cup final
ATP names Eno Polo as new CEO
Stefanos Tsitsipas replaces Jack Draper in October’s Six Kings Slam
Madison Keys to appear as a guest judge on “Beat Bobby Flay”
Elena Rybakina clinched her 22nd WTA Top 10 win since 2020 at the BJK Cup, the fifth most of all players during that span.
Alexander Zverev leads all 2025 Laver Cup players in matches played at the event with 14, and has a 7-2 singles record in five appearances.
Barbora Krejcikova has comeback from match-point down four times since June to tie Madison Keys for the most such wins in 2025.
Weekend Draw
Korea Open (WTA 500)
World No. 2 Iga Swiatek will face Barbora Krejcikova in the quarterfinals. Ekaterina Alexandrova and Clara Tauson, seeded second and third, are also through to the quarters. Those matches were postponed to Saturday due to weather. The final is on Sunday.
Chengdu Open (ATP 250)
Alejandro Tabilo upset second seed Luciano Darderi to reach the quarterfinals. Lorenzo Musetti is the top seed in the tournament which concludes Tuesday.
Hangzhou Open (ATP 250)
Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev, and Alexander Bublik are the top three seeds and take the court this weekend. The final is scheduled for Tuesday.
Full international WTA & ATP broadcast list.
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I know people like to or used to make a big deal about the Laver Cup but it’s just an exhibition. Nothing at stake. Not sure I will be watching.