While many either head towards Australia and the first week of the season, Christmas time often features a lot of exhibition action including the inaugural World Tennis Continental Cup in Shenzhen.
The exhibition takes place between Friday December 26-28 and acts as the first stop for many on the road towards the Australian Open. Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek are the leading lights in Shenzhen. They are joined by Shanghai champion Valentin Vacherot, Belinda Bencic, Flavio Cobolli as well as Andrey Rublev, Zhang Zhizhen and Wang Xinyu.
It is one of multiple tournaments taking place over Christmas with the Macau Tennis Masters and the Battle of the Sexes also being on the run-up towards the new year.
Format World Tennis Continental Cup
The format of the World Tennis Continental Cup is similar to that of the Laver Cup. The exhibition tournament sees two teams in Team Europe and Team World.
The two teams will fight for glory across 10 matches, inclusive of singles ties as well as potential mixed doubles ties. Winning players will be awarded points and the team at the end who collects the most will be declared the winner.
Entry List World Tennis Continental Cup
Team Europe
| Player | Country |
| Iga Świątek | Poland |
| Belinda Bencic | Switzerland |
| Valentin Vacherot | Monaco |
| Flavio Cobolli | Italy |
Team World
| Player | Country |
| Elena Rybakina | Kazakhstan |
| Andrey Rublev | Neutral |
| Zhang Zhizhen | China |
| Wang Xinyu | China |
Schedule World Tennis Continental Cup
Friday 26 December
| Date/Time | Round | Player 1 | Player 2 | Result | |
| 26-12 10:00 | Women's Singles | Belinda Bencic | v | Xinyu Wang | 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-5) |
| 26-12 11:30 | Women's Singles | Iga Swiatek | v | Elena Rybakina | 6-3, 6-3 |
Saturday 27 December
| Date/Time | Round | Player 1 | Player 2 | Result | |
| 27-12 3:00 | Men's Singles | Flavio Cobolli | v | Zhizhen Zhang | 6-7, 3-6 |
| 27-12 4:30 | Women's Singles | Iga Swiatek | v | Xinyu Wang | 2-6, 3-6 |
| 27-12 10:00 | Men's Singles | Valentin Vacherot | v | Andrey Rublev | 6-2, 6-7, 7-10 |
| 27-12 12:00 | Mixed Doubles | Flavio Cobolli/Belinda Bencic | v | Zhizhen Zhang/Wang Xinyu | 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) |
Saturday 28 December
| Date/Time | Round | Player 1 | Player 2 | Result | |
| 28-12 3:00 | Men's Singles | Valentin Vacherot | v | Zhang Zhizhen | 6-3, 7-6 |
| 28-12 4:30 | Women's Singles | Belinda Bencic | v | Elena Rybakina | 3-6, 4-6 |
| 28-12 10:00 | Men's Singles | Flavio Cobolli | v | Andrey Rublev | 3-6, 4-6 |
| 28-12 11:30 | Mixed Doubles | Iga Swiatek/Valentin Vacherot | v | Elena Rybakina/Andrey Rublev | 4-6, 4-6 |
Predictions
Samuel Gill, Head Editor of TennisUpToDate.com sees Team Europe as the winners this next weekend.
For me while the tournament is a tad wide open, it is in the hands of Team Europe with Iga Swiatek being quality in these kinds of tournaments previously.
In addition she has the better supporting cast. Belinda Bencic was one of the best players in the sport during 2025 and her comeback was perhaps only bettered by Amanda Anisimova's rise to the top.
Valentin Vacherot won in Shanghai so has experience winning in China and Flavio Cobolli was the king as Italy won the Davis Cup.
While Rybakina has Andrey Rublev, Zhang Zhizhen and Wang Xinyu, all quality operators but only while on form. So it'll be intriguing albeit it can still can be construed as a 50/50 as let's be honest, these exhibitions often are.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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