The Weekly Recap: Pro Tennis Around the Globe

What happened in pro tennis around the globe in the past week? Plenty. We can't cover it all here but a few key highlights follow below in order to catch you up on all the action...   

Auger Aliassime Wins Second Title of the Season

On the famous courts of Montpellier, Felix Auger Aliassime lifted his second title of the season, continuing his streak after winning an Australian Open warm-up event in Adelaide. Seeded second at the event, the first three matches he played after receiving a bye in the first round went smoothly, routine wins for the 24-year-old. But once he stepped onto the court against Boca Raton resident Aleksandar Kovacevic, things were a bit more difficult. The Canadian won the first set comfortably 6-2, but Kovacevic wasn't done yet. The American held his own in the second set, pushing a tiebreak and saving two championship points on his way to winning that set 9-7 in the breaker and taking the match to a deciding third. And the final set was just as close as Auger Aliassime just slipped by in another tiebreak to win the match. Only a very few points separated the two men, but the 2nd seed who has more experience playing on this stage of professional tennis was able to keep his emotions at bay and focus up in the final stages of the match.

Above: Felix Auger Aliassime. Photo credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour.

In regards to the victory, Auger Aliassime said: “For sure, the craziest final I have played, whether I won or lost. It was a crazy match. I couldn’t have got a better start. I was feeling good, but credit to Aleks, he raised his level. I think it was a very high level on both ends, serving well. This match deserved to go three sets with the way he was playing in the second.” 

Ekaterina Alexandrova is a First-Time WTA 500 Champion

Over in Linz, Austria, Ekaterina Alexandrova won her first WTA 500 title and defeated the #1 seed at the tournament along the way. Across the week, the 30-year-old played four matches after receiving a bye in the first round. While she came out on top in all of these matches, some weren't as straight forward as she would have wanted. After an easy first round win, the 4th seed took on Petra Martic who made her life a lot more difficult. Alexandrova lost the first set to the Croatian, 3-6. But after the changeover in between sets, it was like Alexandrova flipped on a switch, racing to the finish line 6-2, 6-2 in the final two sets.

Above: Ekaterina Alexandrova. Photo credit: si.robi, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikipedia Commons. 

Alexandrova's semi-final against 1st seeded Karolina Muchova was surprisingly very easy; the 4th seed won the first set 6-0 and while Muchova was able to play a bit better in the second, it wasn't enough. Alexandrova now found herself in the final, against the most difficult player yet: Dayana Yastremska. And these two pushed each other to the limit. Yastremska hit a staggering 90% of first serves in, and if that isn't enough, Alexandrova hit an unbeatable 97%. Despite this, both returned beautifully and a total of nine breaks were exchanged, creating an unpredictable and exciting atmosphere for the fans looking onward. In the end, Alexandrova won 6-2, 3-6, 7-5. 

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Written by William Turvey. Top photo: Peter Staples/ATP Tour.