MACAU, December 27, 2025 (Media Release)
The 2025 MGM Macau Tennis Masters kicked off with great fanfare at the Macao Forum today, bringing a festive surge of world-class tennis and community engagement to the city during the special stretch between Christmas and New Year.
Before the first ball was struck, team captains Li Na and Conchita Martínez, alongside teenage star Alexandra Eala, took part in an exclusive sharing session titled “Four Voices, One Court”, held this morning at The Fantasy Box at MGM MACAU. Moderated by former Hong Kong Olympian and host Robyn Lamsam, the heartfelt conversation saw the players reflect on what drew them to tennis, the challenges of life on tour, and the journey of shaping an identity beyond the court—highlighting the resilience and inner strength behind their success.
Also immersing themselves in the Macau experience were Ugo Humbert and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who visited the Macao Grand Prix Museum. There, the duo learned about the rich legacy of the Macau Grand Prix, which has been held since 1954, and explored some of the most iconic moments in its history.
The friendly rivalry between the teams officially began at 2:00 p.m., with the crowd treated to the event’s signature entertainment—the Captains Challenge, which offered the first points of the tournament. In this invitational format, teams earn one point for winning the daily Captains Challenge and two points for winning each match.
Today’s Captains Challenge was a king-of-the-court-style contest, where players rotated after losing a rally and needed three consecutive winners to claim a point. Two fast-paced three-minute rounds were contested, with players from both teams swinging freely, hunting bold angles and chasing highlight-reel winners. In the end, Team Li Na edged the Captains Challenge 2–1, taking an early one-point lead in the overall standings.
That lead proved short-lived, however, as Team Conchita swept all three matches on Day 1 to surge ahead 6–1. With Mirra Andreeva unfortunately sidelined from today’s matches due to illness, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Yibing Wu stepped up in style—taking the honours across all three encounters.
The opening singles match delivered entertainment and intensity from start to finish as “Jerry” Juncheng Shang went toe-to-toe with world No. 14 Davidovich Fokina. The 20-year-old Chinese star showed tremendous composure under pressure, saving two match points at 4–5 down on serve in the second set. But the Spaniard’s class shone through when it mattered most, as Davidovich Fokina broke his opponent’s serve in the final game to close out a hard-fought 7–6, 7–5 victory.
The following doubles match saw Davidovich Fokina team up with Wu to take on the mixed pair of Shang and Alexandra Eala in a fun-filled ‘mixed-mixed doubles’ clash where team rivalry, playful showmanship and serious shot making combined in equal measure. In the end, Fokina and Wu prevailed 7-5, 7–6, earning two more points for Team Conchita.
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“The first match against Jerry was fun. We enjoyed the first set a lot and then went more all-out in the second,” said Davidovich Fokina. “Both sets were very good. I also had a lot of fun with Conchita on the bench—she’s a very nice woman, and having her there next to me is a real pleasure. I’m happy we were able to win all three matches for her today.”
“I came here after finishing my pre-season, because we started very early,” he added. “Timing and jet lag were things I had to deal with, but coming here and having fun with top players is a different experience for me. I’ve never started my season in a team format like this, and being in Macau for the first time—to get to know the city—has been fun as well.”
In the final singles match of the day, China’s Yibing Wu produced a stellar performance to defeat his higher-ranked French opponent Ugo Humbert 6–4, 3–6, 10–6, completing the sweep for Team Conchita.
“I’m happy to have won both my matches today,” said Wu. “The first one was unique—I’ve never played ‘mixed-mixed doubles’ in my life—but I really enjoyed it. I think everyone is having fun here—the players, the captains and hopefully the crowd too!”
“Winning the National Games was a really good result for me. I gained a lot of confidence from that because I really pushed myself,” added the 26-year-old. “My goal now is to start the 2026 season well, stay healthy, and play as much as possible.”
Three more thrilling singles matches await fans on the final day of the 2025 MGM Macau Tennis Masters, with another crowd-favourite Captains Challenge set to kick off proceedings at the Macao Forum at 2:00 p.m. A prize presentation ceremony will bring the weekend’s festivities to a celebratory close at the end of tomorrow’s programme.
