This Week on Ground Pass: Asia Swing Catch-Up + Birthday Q&A

Oct 6

Written By Anastasia Folorunso

Episode Overview

Anastasia and Nick celebrate the Ground Pass birthday weekend with a wide-ranging episode that mixes tour analysis, listener Q&A, and early-morning tennis talk from the Asian Swing.

From Alcaraz and Sinner’s hot streaks to Iga Świątek’s form and the rise of new names like Lerner Tien, this week’s episode captures what it’s like following tennis from the opposite side of the world.

Key Highlights

Asian Swing Catch-Up: Anastasia watches the Beijing and Shanghai finals with coffee in hand; Nick shares the challenge of following Asia-time-zone tennis from Australia.
ATP Updates: Jannik Sinner wins Beijing, Carlos Alcaraz wins Tokyo but withdraws from Shanghai; discussion on their growing global stardom.
Next-Gen Spotlight: 19-year-old Lerner Tien earns top-10 wins (Medvedev & Musetti) — Ground Pass declares him “the next big US prospect.”
Double H (Heliövaara & Patten): Beijing doubles champions back in form after a rocky season.
American Results: Taylor Fritz battles fatigue; Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton struggle in Shanghai; Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard scores a breakthrough win.
WTA Beijing: Amanda Anisimova storms to the title over Linda Nosková; Coco Gauff and Iga Świątek’s development spark discussion.
Emerging Stories: Ivelisse and Sonay Kartal reach Beijing QFs; Jerry Shang earns a top-10 win over Khachanov in Shanghai.
Two-Week Masters Debate: Do extended Masters events hurt viewer engagement? Anastasia and Nick weigh in.
Listener Q&A: Favorite U.S. tournaments (Indian Wells & Charleston), favorite interview (Abigail Johnson), and insider talk on player appearance fees.
Players of the Fortnight: Ivelisse (top-10 win in Beijing) and Jerry Shang (return from injury with a statement win).