The Weekly Recap: Pro Tennis Around the Globe

What happened over the past week as players competed in grass court events across Europe? Plenty. While we can't keep you updated on all the action, here are some recaps to keep you updated. 

Vondrousova Makes Dangerous Statement Ahead of Wimbledon

It's no secret that Marketa Vondrousova is a scary player to encounter on the grass. The 2023 Wimbledon champion may not have recorded the best results lately, but it seems she's found some form this week with a statement win in Berlin. A WTA 500 event, Vondrousova entered the draw unseeded and found herself in a pool of powerful names from Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff to Madison Keys and Paula Badosa. With the top eight seeds all ranked inside the top 10, it seemed unlikely that Vondousova could find a way to victory, but that she did---and she calmly defeated the world #1 along the way. 

Photo credit: Hameltion - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikipedia Commons.

After the Czech triumphed over Keys, the 7th seed, in the first round, it was clear that she was playing at a level well above her ranking. And she backed that win up against Diana Shnaider and Ons Jabeur in the following rounds. Next on the checklist was a massive challenge. Aryna Sabalenka. On paper, the Belarusian should have beaten Vondrousova in a couple simple sets, but it turned out exactly the opposite of the reasonable prediction. Instead, the 25-year-old came out swinging and found an answer to everything Sabalenka threw at her in the first set, putting herself ahead 6-2---halfway to victory. After a quick rest, Sabalenka showed up with a new energy and a severe cut in unforced errors, and was able to hold steady with her fast-paced opponent for most of the set. But just one break of serve can make the difference, and Vondrousova wasn't going to let any opportunity slip out of her hands. With a few errors to give her the advantage, the Czech was able to break Sabalenka and eventually triumph 6-4 in the second, and secure her place in the final. 

Vondrousova's final test was against somebody who scored some big results throughout the week, including an early round triumph against Roland Garros champion Coco Gauff. And with an absolute domination over Liudmila Samsonova in the semis, unseeded threat Wang Xinyu could have been the woman to cut the fuel on Vondousova's engine. And it was clear from the get-go that this would be no easy win for either player. A nail-biting first set culminated in the perfect way: a tiebreak. But it wasn't an ordinary tiebreak. The two competitors forced each other to hold serve and kept their nerves under check, tieing the tie at 10-10. But that's when the Czech was able to spring ahead, and win the first 12-10. While Xinyu could have been discouraged from this setback, she didn't let it affect her in the second, and leveled the match with a 6-4 comeback. But all the work she put into in the second set seemed to have left little, and the experienced Vondrousova took ahold of the battle from the start of the third and triumphed 6-2 to take home the silverware. And with this key win, Vondrousova enters herself into a narrow selection of picks for the 2025 Wimbledon champion. 

Alcaraz Backs Up RG Title at Queens

Similar to Coco Gauff, it wouldn't be surprising if after the shocking Roland Garros final Carlos Alcaraz couldn't quite find the right form sliding into the brief grass swing. But after completing the longest RG final ever with just a couple week's rest before hitting the grass again, Alcaraz didn't seem pressured to perform at the historic Queen's Club tournament and confidently made his way through the draw to raise the oversized trophy. That's not to say it was always an easy time for the Spaniard. But fortunately for him, as the #1 seed he did not encounter any other seeded opponents and had a relatively light week under the hot summer sun. 

Photo credit: Netflix

Taking on Australian Adam Walton in the first round, it wasn't the smoothest win for the 22-year-old. But he conquered the challenge and progressed into the second round after two tight sets. Next up was fellow countryman and Rafa Nadal Academy prodigy Jaume Munar, who held his own and forced a 3-hour epic. The top seed took the first set 6-4, but Munar wasn't done there. Instead, he leveled Alcaraz in the second and pushed the match into a tiebreak, which he won just barely with a 9-7 clinch. And the third set was a bit topsy-turvy, but Alcaraz was able to take advantage of a few unlucky errors on Munar's part and break him in the final game to win 7-5 and avoid another dangerous tiebreak. The quarter-final and semi-final went smoothly for Alcaraz, and he didn't add too many hours to his tally on the way to the final showdown. But the man standing across the net on Sunday's championship wasn't anyone to undermine. 

Unseeded Jiri Lehecka had quite a week, and scored some big wins against Alex de Minaur and Jack Draper. And he was ready to claim and even bigger victory against the hardest challenge yet. And he got close. In typical fashion, Alcaraz just snuck by in the first and put himself a point ahead on the scoreboard 7-5. But like the Munar match, Alcaraz wasn't able to set himself ahead in the second and grasp the match in the way he would have wanted. And Lehecka took advantage of his mediocre form, and kept himself in check to level the match in a grueling tiebreak. But Alcaraz, who is at the peak of physical ability and ready for any long battle, was able to finally buckle the seatbelt in the driver's seat and speed away to victory, closing it out quickly 6-2 in the third. With this win on top of the major title earlier this month, Alcaraz is firmly the favorite heading into the next summer slam. 

Bublik Lets the Champagne Cork Loose in Halle

After defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final of Halle, Alexander Bublik and his opponent had some fun during the trophy ceremony and to the crowd's delight, they engaged in a heated champagne soaking skirmish. After a good result at Roland Garros, the Kazakhstani let loose and found some of the best form of his life, defeating four seeded players including the world #1 on the way to victory. 

Photo credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

The one unseeded test he faced was against Alexandre Muller in the first round. The Frenchman played a solid match, but Bublik was able to create some small opportunities that set him apart from Muller. He won the match 6-4, 6-4, taking perfect advantage of the two breaks that were handed to him. But his next opponent wasn't just a seeded threat. It was Jannik Sinner, the world #1. Let's not forget that Sinner blasted Bublik off the court a few weeks ago at Roland Garros, and after the first set which the Italian won 6-3, it appeared that the match was on a similar track. But that's when everything clicked for Bublik, who sprung back from the one-set disadvantage and took the next two, 6-3, 6-4. It seemed that after this win, it was only right that Bublik be crowned the champion at the end of the week. But there was more work to be done. 

Next up was a pair of sweet wins against the 7th and 8th seed in the following rounds, respectively. First up was Tomas Mahac, who Bublik took down in two. Karen Khachanov was a different story however, and he won a key first set. But similar to the Sinner match, Bublik found himself plenty comfortable down a set and showed up in the next two with an adjusted, scrappy game style. He mixed in cheeky tactics, utilizing the under hand serve and some wonderful drop shot angles to win the following two sets 7-6, 6-4. His final challenge of course was Danill Medvedev, the third seed and perhaps the trickiest task yet. But once again, Bublik calmly took control of the match and was victorious in two entertaining sets, 6-4, 7-6. 

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Written by Florida Tennis contributor Will Turvey. Photo credit (top): Netflix.