The Weekly Recap: Pro Tennis Around the Globe

What happened this week on the ATP and WTA Tour? Did our home-state Floridians win big? While we can't go over all of the action, here are a few key highlights to keep you updated...

Shelton loses to in-form Zverev in Munich

American and former Florida Gator Ben Shelton had an excellent week in Germany, taking down some difficult opponents and coming back from the brink of defeat on several occasions. Despite his valiant effort, the home hope Alexander Zverev finally found form after a slew of first round losses, taking down the Floridian to win his 24th title and first of the year. Let's unpack this week's action at the BMW Open. 

It's been quite a ride for the world #2 Alexander Zverev, and after one heartbreaking loss after another overseas, it was time for the German to take a trip back home and feel the crowd support, something that greatly resonated with him this week. Pitted against Alexandre Muller in the first round, it wasn't destined to be an easy test with the Frenchman experienced on the surface and eager for a big win. But this win was just as big for Zverev, who defiantly dominated his unseeded opponent 6-4, 6-1. With a sigh of relief and an extra injection of confidence, the home favorite was heading into round two, but this time would be an even trickier challenge as now he wasn't just the sole home favorite----his opponent was too!

Above: Alexander Zverev. Photo credit: si.robi - Zverev RG21 (23), CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikipedia Commons.

Daniel Altmaier recently reached the fourth round in Monte-Carlo, and with similar conditions at stake he might have made a splash here as well. But the top seed prevailed, taking down his compatriot 6-3, 6-2, excelling on his own service game while snagging a few breaks to take himself across the finish line. Now the attention was fully on the German who's next test was Tallon Griekspoor, a man he lost two just a few tournaments earlier. 

Griekspoor clinched the first set in a deadly-close tiebreaker, 8-6. It already looked like this test was playing out a similar way to the last time these two met, and when Griekspoor held his own in the second set and the players found themselves in yet another tiebreaker, it very well could have gone the Dutchman's way. But with a big serve in big moments, Zverev wasn't ready to give up yet. He cruised through the seven point showdown, only letting Griekspoor win three points on his way to the final set. And what a final set it was---Zverev just scraped by with a crucial break to seal his semi-final spot, 6-4. 

Fabian Marozan was the next challenge at hand, and he isn't a name to ignore. Famous for playing brutal tennis on the clay and picking up big-name wins, fans were on the edges of their seats as the Hungarian leveled the playing field and took Zverev into another tiebreak. But the German clearly wanted to avoid a third set this time around, and he kept his nerves in check to emerge victorious 7-3. A brief second set was a great way for Zverev to close out the match, allowing for some extra rest before the final. He did so 6-3. And boom! Big Ben was the final boss. 

With some brutal tiebreaks under his name as well, Shelton was ready for the challenge that Zverev presented. But on championship Sunday, with the crowd pushing him on, the home hope was on a whole other level. Despite Shelton's big serve and ferocious forehand, Zverev extended the points and much as he had too, forcing the error on the return games while hitting some clean serves to seal the battle, 6-2, 6-4. Hopefully for the German, this will give him a boost as he sets sail for Madrid. 

Svitolina Stuns! The Top Seed Triumphs in Rouen

With a top seed status under her name, Elena Svitolina arrived in Rouen with a fresh face and an interesting draw awaiting her. With the majority of top players East in Stuttgart, the Ukrainian had a key opportunity to win some good ranking points and a nice paycheck, as well as a can of confidence heading into higher-stakes tournaments as the clay season culminates. And she capitalized on this opportunity beautifully. 

Starting off against Jill Teichmann, Svitolina didn't play her best tennis but found herself in a rather comfortable position, and after winning the first set 6-4 she was able to let loose and cruise to game, set, and match 6-2 in the second. While her serves averaged at around 60% on accuracy and win percentage, she utilized her counterpuncher game style and outplayed a weaker Teichmann who couldn't keep up with her demanding baseline rallies. This is where the majority of points were won, and this proved to be the key to victory and a second round spot. 

Above: Elena Svitolina. Photo credit: si.robi - Svitolina RG15 (2), CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikipedia Commons.  

Her next task against compatriot Anhelina Kalinina was even simpler. Svitolina improved her serve to win her home games in a more efficient manner, putting the pressure on Kalinina who was particularly weak on her second serve, only hitting 29% and letting Svitolina attack and finish more points safely at the net. And she replicated this tactic against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the quarter-finals, excelling on her return game and fully outplaying the Spaniard. 

After a rather chill week with a nice set of wins, Svitolina wasn't looking to add any extra hours to her court time in the semi-finals, and she arguably played the best tennis all week in this short contest. Taking on Elena-Gabriella Ruse, the top seed hit a solid 77% on her first serve and broke the Romanian five times out of eleven chances. There's really not much to say about this one, only that with every match Svitolina was looking more and more like the eventual champion in Rouen. But in the final she encountered the first seeded player she played all week, and this difference alone showed to be a steep challenge. 

Perhaps a little less powerful than the semi-final, Svitolina came into the match with a little less spring, but this wasn't a problem. She kept a good consistent ball in the court, not giving the third seed Olga Danilovic any chance hit her typical powerful baseline blows that she's known for. With the first set clinched 6-4, Svitolina had a good opportunity to close it out nice and fast in the second. But Danilovic is a tough player, and she wasn't going to hand Svitolina the trophy. Instead, she put up a difficult fight and equaled Svitolina at 6-6 in second, setting the stage for an epic tiebreak. And boy, epic just about sums it up. This one really could have gone either way, but the experienced Svitolina hit just a few extra good shots to scrape by 10-8, making the winning moment all the more impactful.

Rune Gets a Big Win in Barcelona

There was not one single person Holger Rune took on this week at the ATP 500 in Barcelona that could be described as an "easy" opponent. From competitors ranging from experienced clay-court specialists to the top seed and four time grand slam champion, there were lots of places where the Dane's game could have fallen apart to a stronger rival. But a more mellow Holger found a nice rhythm and settled into it beautifully, and nobody was ready to stop him this week.

Opening against Alberto Ramos-Vinolas, a seasoned veteran who's not shy of the exclusive surface, Holger excelled in the tough moments and defeated the Spaniard against a roaring home crowd, 7-5, 6-4. And his next task was a similar man who plays his best on the red dirt: Sebastian Baez. The Argentinian came out firing and picked up an important break to win the first set 6-4. But Rune worked through his woes and reset facing forward, revving up his engines to blast past Baez 6-1, 6-2 in the next two. 

Above: Holger Rune. Photo credit: si.robi - Rune RG22 (4), CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikipedia Commons. 

Coming off some solid results, Casper Ruud looked to be the better man in a high staked quarter-final showdown. But Rune came in with a determined mind and a huge serve to slide right past the Norwegian, 6-4, 6-2. Semi-finals bound, the 6th seed now had an interesting task at hand: Karen Khachanov. While the Russian might not have had a lot of attention on him across the week, he'd actually been playing some really excellent tennis on a foreign surface and seemed hungry to come out with the forehand firing and a ticket stamped to the final. But Rune ripped the ticket in half, convincingly knocking out the unseeded, highly esteemed opponent 6-3, 6-2. 

With a final challenge of Carlos Alcaraz on his hands, there was a high chance that Rune had hit his ceiling with this one. Alcaraz had been dominant all week long, but this didn't get in the Dane's head. Instead, he really thought things through in the tight moments, sealing the first set 7-6 and the second 6-2 to outplay the Spaniard. With some high-level tennis, Rune earned himself the giant trophy and customary pool dive too. 

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Written by Will Turvey. Photo credit (top): Fred Romero from Paris, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.