The Weekly Recap: Pro Tennis Around the Globe

What happened this week in Madrid, a joint ATP/WTA 1000 level event? Did our home state Floridians win big? While we can't go over all of the action, here are a few highlights to keep you updated. 

The WTA Side

It's been a full week since the Madrid Open began, and there's been plenty of action packed into the last seven days. With the biggest stars of the sport battling it out at the Caja Mágica, the first half of the tournament has not been shy of upsets, drama, and some of the most beautiful tennis we've seen. On the women's side, let's start with top seed Aryna Sabalenka. 

Looking to amend her Stuttgart loss, Sabalenka entered the tournament with a bye and a reasonable draw ahead, allowing for an expected appearance in the later stages of the tournament. It seems she's done just that. Opening against Anna Blinkova, the Belerusian's baseline game was especially strong and she was able to convert three break points. This helped her close out the match in a comfortable stage, 6-3, 6-4. But her next task wouldn't be as straightforward. Up against 28th seed Elise Mertens, this should have been a typical third round win for Sabalenka, but the Belgian made it anything but that. Both came out playing decent tennis, but the different in the first set was that Mertens was able to be much more consistent. She kept the ball in play, and took advantage of Sabalenka's frequent errors. This helped her gain a break and take the first set 6-3. But after the changeover, the top seed stood up fresh and ready. She played more consistent and improved her serve stats, which was the real key to taking out Mertens convincingly 6-2, 6-1 in the following sets. 

Above: Aryna Sabalenka. Photo credit: si.robi - Sabalenka WM18 (3), CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikipedia Commons.

After a few wins, Sabalenka now takes on American Peyton Stearns. Unseeded, Stearns didn't receive a bye and has faced a couple of tough three-setters, but all-in-all the American has played some great tennis and warmed up to Madrid's high-altitude conditions. Her last match, contested against Rebeka Masarova, was her best demonstration yet with a completely dominant 6-2, 6-0 victory. But she's not the only American, and more importantly, Floridian, still left in the draw. While Jessica Pegula faced a disappointing defeat, Coco Gauff and Australian Open champion Madison Keys are still holding strong. Delray-Beach native Gauff is into the quarter-final. Today, she defeated Belinda Bencic in the round of 16, which was an important challenge for the American as Bencic defeated her just a month ago at Indian Wells----also in the same round. This time however, Gauff figured out the strategy to beat her experienced opponent and denied her another win 6-4, 6-2. Gauff will take on Mirra Andreeva, the 7th seed, next. 

Also in the mix are unseeded players Moyuka Uchijima, Anastasia Potapova, and former top-ten star Maria Sakkari. Sakkari has struggled the past few years, suffering some nasty defeats and really losing form. But as quickly as you lose form you can find it, and that statement is proving true this week. She's already taken down two seeded players, including 6th seed Jasmine Paolini, and done so convincingly. So if you haven't tuned into Spain yet, don't miss the last week as the action only intensifies. 

The ATP Side 

The past month hasn't been the best for American men, but as the days tick by and Roland Garros draws nearer, it seems that the boys are playing some of their best tennis of the season. While Sebastian Korda and Ben Shelton endured some early losses, there's still four other Americans, and three Floridians, left at the Caja Mágica. Miami-residing Taylor Fritz came back from a set down against Benjamin Bonzi, and won the second 7-5 after a dramatic climax. However, Bonzi had to retire leaving Fritz with a free card into the next round. He'll play against Casper Ruud. Frances Tiafoe also struck good fortune with a walkover, but it didn't seem like he needed it at all. He was up 7-5, 3-1 against Luciano Darderi when the Italian called it quits, giving him a spot next to Frenchman Alexandre Muller's name. Still rocking and rolling in Madrid, Tommy Paul defeated one of the hottest names right now in the sport, Joao Fonseca. Fonseca has been on an absolute tear, and has already gained an enormous following. But Paul wasn't ready to be beaten by the teenager, and survived two tiebreaks to close it out in straight sets. His next challenge is Karen Khachanov, the 24th seed. 

Above: Tommy Paul. Photo: Brett Miller.

Unseeded Italian Matteo Arnaldi has had the spotlight on him in the early stages of the tournament, and here's why. After defeating Borna Coric in a tight battle, he then took on his idol Novak Djokovic, seeded #4. Djokovic has been hunting for wins recently, and he hasn't been finding much. Except for a final run in Miami, the Serbian has struggled to make 2025 a memorable season so far. And things didn't get any better. Arnaldi comfortably won, 6-3, 6-4, leaving Djokovic still on edge as the clay season intensifies. The Italian excelled on all levels, generally just playing more consistent than Djokovic and outlasting him in the longer rallies. Today, Arnaldi backed up his win and beat Damien Dzumhur, sending him into the round of 16. Fellow countryman Matteo Berrettini is also scoring some wins, and will take on Indian Wells champion Jack Draper for a fourth round berth. There's plenty of names in the pool as the draw narrows, and it's sure to be an exciting week coming up. 

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Written by Florida Tennis contributing writer Will Turvey. Photo credit (top): Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour.