(Tennis news) Winners of the week
After kicking off the month with a memorable French Open triumph and plenty of celebrating in Ibiza, Carlos Alcaraz’s dream start to the summer continued in West Kensington as the Spaniard made a typically seamless transition onto the grass with his second title at Queen’s.
The world number two extended his winning streak to a career-best 18 matches, as he battled past Jiri Lehecka 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-2 in a competitive, high-quality final.
Alcaraz was fairly comfortable throughout the tournament – barring a brief scare against compatriot Jaume Munar in the second round – and will be full of confidence heading to Wimbledon in pursuit of a historic three-peat.
Over at the WTA 500 in Berlin, it was a welcome return to form for Marketa Vondrousova, who defeated Xinyu Wang 7-6(10), 4-6, 6-2 in Sunday’s final to secure her first title since winning Wimbledon in 2023.
The Czech made it through an incredibly difficult draw including Grand Slam champions Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys, as well as Diana Shnaider and Ons Jabeur, before proving too strong for Wang in the decider.
It’s the perfect preparation for Vondrousova as she heads to Wimbledon unseeded and dangerous, making her a nightmare first-round opponent for any of the top seeds.
Staying in Germany, Alexander Bublik was crowned champion in Halle for the second time in his career, ending a seven-match losing streak against Daniil Medvedev to prevail 6-3, 7-6 in the showpiece event.
Having reached his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final in Paris just a few weeks ago, Bublik continued his remarkable recent upturn in form, seeing off the likes of Jannik Sinner, Tomas Machac and Karen Khachanov en route to capturing a fifth career title.
Speaking after his victory, a reflective Bublik admitted he was close to “calling it quits” after losing in the third round of Wimbledon last year.
Finally, in Nottingham, McCartney Kessler claimed her third title in the space of 10 months after a hard-fought 6-4, 7-5 victory over Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska.
It was a first piece of silverware on the surface for the American, who has now moved up to a career-high ranking of world number 32 and secured her spot among the seeds at Wimbledon.
Upcoming events
It’s one of the quieter weeks on the tennis calendar, with four tune-up tournaments taking place ahead of Wimbledon.
Nevertheless, there are still plenty of notable names in action at the WTA 500 event in Bad Homburg, as Swiatek, Jessica Pegula and Paolini all look to gain some valuable grass-court momentum.
Also read: Carlos Alcaraz will play Jiri Lehecka
