Sinner Wins in Paris, Sabalenka's No.1 Season, and Tour-Vet Farewells
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This week on Served, Andy Roddick and Jon Wertheim unpack Sinner’s 2025 Paris Masters title, Sabalenka’s impressive No.1 season, and a couple of tour-veteran farewells.
If you haven’t watched the episode yet, click the link below and then come back here to finish reading the rest of the stories!
Biggest headlines from this week’s episode.
Jannik Sinner Sweeps Paris (without dropping a set) – His indoor hardcourt streak hits 26 matches. World No. 1: Reclaimed.
Victoria Mboko’s Breakthrough – Victoria Mboko captures Hong Kong for her second WTA title of 2025 and crashes into the Top 20.
Aryna Sabalenka’s Dominance – Aryna Sabalenka locks up Year-End No. 1 for the second straight year. Plus, she’s only the third woman this century to hold #1 every single week in a calendar year.
ATP Finals: Down to the Wire – The last spot hinges on a dramatic long-distance battle between Lorenzo Musetti and Félix Auger-Aliassime.
Legends Retire – Rohan Bopanna, who became the oldest World No. 1 at age 43, hangs up his racket after a legendary 22-year career. Nicolas Mahut played his final match during the 2025 Paris Masters.
Cool stories with crazy stats.
Mboko Balls Out in 2025
Victoria Mboko’s breakthrough season is one of the most remarkable climbs in recent WTA history, confirming her place among tennis’ rising stars as she heads into 2026.
2 WTA Titles in 2025 – Hong Kong (WTA 250) and Montreal (WTA 1000), both in her age-19 season.
From World No. 333 to No. 18 in One Year – Mboko began 2025 ranked outside the Top 300 and will close the season inside the world’s Top 20.
60-14 Season Record – One of the biggest win totals on tour; includes a perfect 7-0 record in deciding sets since Wimbledon.
Youngest Canadian in Top 20 Since Andreescu – Mboko is only the sixth Canadian woman ever to reach the WTA’s Top 20 in the Open Era.
Longest WTA Final of 2025 – Her three-set Hong Kong triumph (2h 49m) was the year’s most dramatic title match.
Stories we love but didn’t make it on the episode.
Alexandra Eala: Philippine Trailblazer
Alexandra Eala just became the first Filipina to crack the Top 50 in WTA history, hitting No. 50 after a gutsy performance in Hong Kong—where she led Victoria Mboko 4-1 in the third set before falling 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Her 2025 resume is STACKED:
First Filipina to reach a WTA 1000 semifinal (Miami).
First to reach any WTA final (Eastbourne).
First to win a Grand Slam main draw match in the Open Era (US Open, beating Clara Tauson).
Three Top 30 wins in Miami—including TWO Top 5 players (Madison Keys and Iga Świątek), all in straight sets.
She’s making history with every match.
Rafael Jódar: The College Crusher
UVA sophomore Rafael Jódar just won his third ATP Challenger title of 2025 on his home court in Charlottesville, beating Martin Damm Jr. 6-3, 7-6(2) in front of a raucous crowd.
The 19-year-old Spaniard rocketed to a career-high World No. 166 and joined Carlos Alcaraz as one of the only Spanish teenagers to win at least three Challenger titles in a season. He’s now ninth in the race to the Next Gen ATP Finals.
College by day. Champion by weekend.
Janice Tjen: Indonesia’s Comeback Kid
Former Pepperdine star Janice Tjen made WTA history at the Chennai Open, becoming the first Indonesian to win a tour-level singles title in 23 years with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Kimberly Birrell.
What was the rest of her 2025 like? Outside the Top 500 → World No. 53.
A 77-15 match record, titles at every level of professional tennis, and a Grand Slam main draw debut at the US Open where she upset 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova. Hours after her singles triumph, she swept the Chennai doubles crown too. Talk about a statement season.
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Global action beyond tennis.
PADEL: The FIP World Cup Pairs kicked off in Kuwait with over 170 players from around the globe battling for the world doubles title and a €1 million prize pool. Spanish legends Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia are headlining the star-studded field. (Read more here)
BADMINTON: Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie dominated the HYLO Open in Germany, claiming his third title of 2025 with a commanding 21-14, 21-14 win. Meanwhile, Vietnam celebrated a multi-gold weekend at the Vietnam HYLO Open. (Read more here)
PICKLEBALL: The 2025 Jenius Bank Pickleball World Championships are lighting up Dallas with concerts, celebrity exhibitions (featuring Dirk Nowitzki!), and the world’s top players battling for global glory. Edge-of-your-seat action all week long. (Read more here)
TABLE TENNIS: China continues its stranglehold on the WTT Champions circuit, with the season culminating in the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup in Chengdu (Nov. 30-Dec. 7)—a warmup for the format’s Olympic debut at LA 2028. (For more information, click here)
Last week’s poll results: 51% correctly predicted that Jannik Sinner would win the 2025 Paris Masters.
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