Winners of the week
Felix Auger Aliassime continued his superb start to 2025, claiming the title in Montpellier with a hard-fought 6-2, 6-7(7), 7-6(2) triumph over Aleksandar Kovacevic in Sunday’s final. It was the Canadian’s second tournament victory already this year, adding to his success in Adelaide last month.
Having won 10 of his last 11 matches, beating the likes of Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul along the way, Auger-Aliassime will be desperate to carry his momentum into the rest of the year as he looks to become a major factor at the Grand Slams and Masters 1000 events.
Over in Linz, Ekaterina Alexandrova secured the biggest title of her career, coming from 0-3 down in the decider to outlast Dayana Yastremska 6-2, 3-6, 7-5. Having beaten top seed Karolina Muchova in the semi-finals, the Russian completed the job with a gritty display in Sunday’s showpiece, moving back into the top 25 as a result.
Lastly, in Singapore, Belgium’s Elise Mertens captured her ninth career title, dropping just one set en route to the final, where she eased past Ann Li in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4. Only Australian Open champion Madison Keys and Aryna Sabalenka have won more matches in 2025 than Mertens’ 10.
Strugglers of the week
Seeded third in Linz, Maria Sakkari made it through just one round before falling in straight sets to Yastremska in the quarter-finals. It was yet another disappointing defeat for the former world number three, who lost the final eight games of the match in alarming fashion.
Sakkari, who reached two major semi-finals in 2021, has since slipped to 29 in the rankings, and with 13 losses from her last 20 matches on Tour, is in desperate need of a spark as she looks to rediscover her best form in 2025.
Another player who struggled this week was Stan Wawrinka, with the experienced Swiss losing to Arthur Cazaux in the opening round in Montpellier. It was a fourth straight defeat for Wawrinka, and while it’s undoubtedly impressive he’s still competing just weeks before his 40th birthday, the three-time major winner continues to drop down the rankings.
Moment of the week
The Davis Cup qualifier between Belgium and Chile was won in hugely controversial circumstances when Zizou Bergs careered into Cristian Garin at the net, forcing the Chilean to retire with an injury caused by the collision.
Having broken Garin to lead 6-5 in the decider, Bergs raced to his seat in wild celebration, only to jump straight into the path of Garin, who fell to the ground from the impact. After receiving treatment, the rightly aggrieved Chilean refused to return to court, and as a result, received a game penalty, handing the match (and tie) to Bergs and Belgium.
It's safe to say Bergs was extremely fortunate to avoid being disqualified for his role in the incident, and shortly after the match, Garin took to social media to share an image of his swollen eye. Incredible drama.
Rallies of the week
Kovacevic was a joy to watch on his run to the final in Montpellier, not least during his quarter-final dismantling of Alexander Bublik when he won this remarkable point.
Over in Singapore, top seed Anna Kalinskaya produced a moment of magic to steal a point in her opening match against Caroline Dolehide.
Upcoming events
As always, it’s another jam-packed week of tennis ahead, with four notable tournaments taking place around the world.
Men’s world number three Carlos Alcaraz headlines the prestigious ATP 500 event in Rotterdam, while Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur and Holger Rune are all names to watch out for in a fascinating draw.
The best of the WTA action comes at the Abu Dhabi Open, where top seed Elena Rybakina will be fancied to take home the crown. Another player to keep an eye on is Paula Badosa, with the in-form Spaniard looking to build on her impressive run to the Australian Open semi-finals last month.
Elsewhere, there’s another intriguing ATP 500 tournament in Dallas which includes the likes of Fritz and Paul, while Anastasia Potapova is the top seed in Cluj-Napoca’s WTA 250 event.
Check out the full schedule for tournaments in Rotterdam, Dallas, Abu Dhabi and Cluj-Napoca.