The Weekly Recap: Pro Tennis Around The Globe

Chengdu And Hangzhou Continue On

2 ATP tournaments in Chengdu and Hangzhou are mid-week, with the quarterfinals finishing up before the two final rounds conclude on Tuesday. And neither has been short of action. In Chengdu, first seed Lorenzo Musetti escaped a difficult test against Adrian Mannarino on Sunday. The Frenchman took the world #19 to three sets, but in the end, the in-form Musetti was able to make quick work of the third, winning 6-2, 5-7, 6-2. Playing at home, Juncheng (JC) Shang was able to rally up the crowd support to help him through an entertaining quarterfinal against the 2nd seed Alexander Bublik. Shang, who is unseeded at the event, won two nail-biting sets, 6-4, 7-6, with a tie-break score of 10-8. He went on to become the champ beating Musetti in the finals. Meanwhile in Hangzhou, more Chinese players have been able to make a splash. 6th seeded Zhang Zhizhen and Bu Yunchaokete sealed their spots in the semis. On the home front, American Brandon Nakashima played some brilliant tennis as well.

Above: No. 777 Marin Cilic became the lowest ranked champion in ATP Tour history after defeating Zhang Zhihen in the Hangzhou Open final. Photo: ATP Tour.

Haddad Maia Wins in Seoul

After a beautiful run at the US Open that ended in a dissappointing loss, Beatriz Haddad Maia has hopped back on a plane and is making headlines again 7,000 miles away. She played four very talented opponents this week, expertly handling each and every one of them. She knocked out Ajla Tomljanovic, Polina Kudermetova & Veronika Kudermetova, who yes, are sisters, and finally the top seed Daria Kasatkina in the final. Her only real challenge came against that final opponent, who pushed the Brazilian to three sets, and took the first decisively 6-1. But Haddad Maia came back winning the next two 6-4, 6-1, to win the title. 

Above: Champion Beatriz Haddad Maia. Photo: By Hameltion - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0.

An Unexpected Champion Snatches Trophy in Hua-Hin

Rebecca Sramkova is on a roll! Just one week ago, she suffered a big upset when she lost in her very first final. But the 27-year-old stayed mentally strong, arrived in Thailand, and never looked back. She played some very difficult opponents, including Magda Linette, Tamara Zidansek, and Laura Siegemund, but she didn't falter at all. Across her five matches, she only dropped two sets which helped her waste little energy, and came onto center court on Sunday looking a lot more motivated that Siegemund, and she proved it, winning 6-4, 6-4 in comfortably close sets. Overall, Sramkova's service stats played a key roll, winning 72% on her first and 64% on her second, compared to the German's 53% and 57%. And while both competitors broke each other several times, Sramkova was able to manage those points better only losing her service twice and breaking Siegemund four times. Now, she heads to the big leagues playing in the China Open, a WTA 1000 event. Seeded 5th in qualifying, she'll take on a familiar face in Zidansek as she hopes to qualify for the high-tier event. 

Above: Rebecca Sramkova. Photo: By Hameltion - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Borg Gets One Final Triumph At the Laver Cup

The first editions of the Laver Cup were ridden with victories for Team Europe, and it wasn't until 2022 when Team World, captained by John McEnroe, won the trophy for the first time. And the past two editions have gone the way of Team World, which typically features a heavy American presence. But this year, the Europeans took the title one final time before both Borg and McEnroe retire as captains. And it came down to the final match to decide this one. Europe's standout, Carlos Alcaraz, won both of his matches, including Sunday's decider against Fritz, securing the title once more for Europe as the dynamic shifts going into 2025. 

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Written by Will Turvey. Bjorn Borg (and Laver Cup's Team Europe) featured in top banner, photo credit: ©Rolex.