Andy Murray stumbled out of the Melbourne Summer Set tournament after a first-round defeat to Argentinian Facundo Bagnis.
In his opening ATP Tour match of the year, three-time grand slam winner Murray slipped up 6-3 5-7 6-3 against Bagnis, a player who began the year with a 30-59 win-loss career record.
Left-hander Bagnis rose to the occasion on Rod Laver Arena to earn the scalp of the former world number one.
Murray, down at 134th in the rankings after another injury-hit year, is looking to make headway on that front in 2022 under new coach Jan de Witt, so that he can avoid having to take wildcards into tournaments.
He was allowed into this tournament by that back-door route, and has also been confirmed for an Australian Open wildcard, but the Scot could not find the form that saw him beat Rafael Nadal at an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi in late December.
Bagnis said of his win: "In the beginning it was a pleasure to play against Andy and right now to beat him is amazing. I'm really happy."
He added, according to the tournament website: "Yesterday, I came to see the stadium, to see it all around because the atmosphere is different when you play on any court outside… I enjoyed it a lot. It was so good for me."
Nadal was also back in action on Tuesday, playing his first match on the main tour since August as he teamed up with fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar for a doubles win.
A foot injury meant Nadal's 2021 season ended early, but he warmed up for singles tests that lie ahead by joining Munar for a 6-3 3-6 10-4 win over Argentinians Sebastian Baez and Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
At the Adelaide International 1 tournament, there was a notable first-round win on Tuesday for Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis, who saw off compatriot John Millman 6-4 6-3.
Kokkinakis, a major talent as a youngster, is battling to reassert himself on tour after injury troubles, and beating Millman put his name up in lights for at least one day.
He reflected afterwards on the battle it has taken so far, with last year spent largely living out of a suitcase on the second-tier Challenger Tour.
"It was a gruelling year travelling," said Kokkinakis. "I've played a couple of times [in Adelaide] but just in exhibitions, so to play a real meaningful tournament and beat such a quality opponent, a proven veteran like Johnny, means a lot. I played great, and the support was great, so I'm really happy."
Sabalenka determined to 'do everything I can' to remain world number one ahead of Swiatek
Aryna Sabalenka says she will "do everything I can" to end the year as world number one for the first time in her career.
The winner of this season's Australian Open and US Open, Sabalenka sits top of the WTA summit ahead of Iga Swiatek, with the pair battling it out to be there come the conclusion of the WTA Finals in Riyadh.
Sabalenka, who has also triumphed in Cincinnati and Wuhan this term, will hold onto top spot by winning all three of her group-stage matches or reaching the final of the event.
The 26-year-old was in a similar position last season when she arrived at the WTA Finals in Cancun, but was subsequently displaced by Swiatek.
And she is desperate not to miss out this time around.
"That's definitely one of the goals," she said. "I've always been saying that, for me, it's about finishing the year as the world number one. I'll do everything I can to finish the year as world number one.
"Any time we come to the tournament, we want to win. That's the first goal. I'm trying to be focused on the first part. Then, if I am able to finish the year as number one, it'll be amazing, and I'll be super happy."
Meanwhile, reigning champion Swiatek must successfully defend the WTA Finals crown - and land her sixth silverware of the campaign - if she is to enter 2025 as world number one.
Following an impressive start to the season, the French Open champion has tailed off and skipped the recent Asian swing due to fatigue, but is determined to seal her return to the summit.
"Obviously, we're both fighting for this spot," she said. "It's been us basically, over the past few years.
"I'm in the tournament. I want to play my best and win. I'm going to focus on my first match and do everything step by step.
"She's a great player. She also deserves to be number one. For sure, I'm going to fight for me to be in that place."
WTA Finals: Sabalenka, Swiatek and the battle for number one
Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek are once again embroiled in a tussle for the year-end number one spot in the WTA rankings.
Last year, Swiatek finished as the year-end number one, with a flawless display at the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun seeing her top Sabalenka, who had been in pole position.
Sabalenka will be out to avoid a similar fate this time around, with the WTA Finals moving to Riyadh.
Here, we preview the key storylines ahead of the tournament.
Sabalenka and Swiatek go head-to-head... again
It has been a fantastic season for both of these players, who have proved their credentials as the standout duo on the WTA Tour.
Sabalenka has scooped two grand slam titles, triumphing at the Australian Open and the US Open.
Swiatek, meanwhile, won the French Open and collected bronze at Roland-Garros at the Paris Olympics. Between them, the pair have won nine Tour-level titles in 2024.
Sabalenka will guarantee her place at the top of the world heading into 2025 should she win her three group-stage matches in Riyadh.
The Belarusian takes on Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, world number five Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini, this year's Wimbledon and French Open runner-up, in her group.
Sabalenka is the first player to make successive WTA Finals appearances as the number one since Serena Williams in 2013 and 2014.
The 26-year-old has reeled off 46 match wins across grand slams and WTA 1000 events this year, which is one more than Swiatek (45).
Swiatek, on the other hand, has Coco Gauff, US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula and Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova to contend with.
Since the reintroduction of the round-robin format in 2003, Swiatek has conceded the fewest games of any player to win the WTA Finals, dropping only 20 games en route to the title last year - breaking Williams' record of 32 from 2012.
Swiatek downed Pegula in last year's final, and dropped just a single game. That made her the player to concede the fewest games in a WTA Finals title match. Martina Navratilova (1983) and Kim Clijsters (2003) previously shared the record, conceding two games in respective finals.
She is also one of only two players, along with Williams, to win the tournament without dropping a set since the tournament's format was altered 21 years ago.
Swiatek could become the first player to win the WTA Finals on consecutive occasions as the second seed. Among this year's qualifiers, the 23-year-old (75%, 9-3) holds the highest winning percentage at the WTA Finals.
Since 2003, the Pole is, however, the only top seed to win all three group matches and not reach the final at that year's WTA Finals, losing to Sabalenka in their semi-final in 2022.
The key insights for the other contenders
Since 2003, Gauff (2022-2024) is only the second player to reach three consecutive editions of the WTA Finals before turning 21, after Maria Sharapova (2004-2007).
Gauff is aiming to become the fourth American to win the WTA Finals before turning 21 after Chris Evert (1972, 1973 and 1975), Tracy Austin (1980) and Williams (2001).
Paolini has had a fine year, and will become only the fourth Italian to appear at the WTA Finals after Francesca Schiavone (2010), Sara Errani (2012, 2013) and Flavia Pennetta (2015).
At the age of 28 years and 303 days, she will become the second-oldest player to make their maiden WTA Finals appearance as a top-five ranked player, after Li Na (29 years and 241 days) in 2011 – since the WTA rankings were first published in 1975. Paolini (18) won the joint-most matches at grand slam events in 2024, along with Sabalenka.
Meanwhile, only Swiatek (five) and Sabalenka (four) have won more WTA-level titles in 2024 than Rybakina (three).
At the age of 30 years and 258 days on the day of the final, Pegula could become the oldest maiden-winner of the WTA Finals since the event’s inauguration in 1972, surpassing Jana Novotna (29 years and 52 days) in 1997.
In Cancun last year, Pegula became the first player to face the WTA's top four players at a single event, since the rankings were first published in 1975.
Since the event's inauguration in 1972, Zheng will become only the second player from China to appear at the WTA Finals after Li Na (2011-2013).
Excluding alternates, Krejcikova (13) will be the first player ranked outside the WTA's top 10 to appear at the WTA Finals since Vera Zvonareva (11) in 2004.
Zverev reaches milestone ATP semi-final after Tsitsipas victory in Paris
Alexander Zverev became just the third active player to reach 20 ATP Masters 1000 semi-finals on Friday at the Paris Masters after his victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Zverev, who is chasing his seventh Masters 1000 title and second of the season, needed an hour and 41 minutes to secure a 7-5 6-4 triumph over his Greek opponent.
The pair exchanged blows early on, but it would be Zverev who claimed the decisive point, breaking Tsitsipas' serve in the 11th game.
Zverev then saved an immediate break point in the following game, but was able to close out the opener to gain the early advantage in the French capital.
A break of serve came much sooner for Zverev in the second set, winning the third game to put himself in the driving seat for the remainder of the contest.
He ended the encounter in style, serving three consecutive love games to seal his progression to the final four, where he will face either Holger Rune or Alex de Minaur.
Data Debrief: Alexander the Great
Zverev has now reached his 20th ATP Masters 1000 semi-final, equalling Andy Roddick for the seventh-most since the format’s introduction in 1990.
He is just the eighth player in history to reach 20 ATP Masters 1000 semi-finals. Zverev joins Novak Djokovic (78), Rafael Nadal (76), Roger Federer (66), Andy Murray (33), Andre Agassi (32), Pete Sampras (31) and Roddick (20) to hit that total.
Zverev also became the first player born in the 1990s to earn 100 Top 20 wins (100-101). Daniil Medvedev, born in 1996, is second, holding a 99-73 record.
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