kenneth in the (212): Weekend Tennis Roundup

Monday, March 03, 2025

Weekend Tennis Roundup

Titles for Djere, Tsitsipas, Machac, Pegula and Navarro. Full report plus all the ATP beef that's fit to post BELOW.

Hot orphan Laslo Djere won his third tour-level title at the Chile Open, denying third seed Sebastian Baez's bid to retain the Santiago title and win a trophy for the second straight week. The Serbian claimed his first title since 2020 with a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 victory Sunday, earning his 150th tour-level singles win in the process. On Monday the former World No. 27 returned to the Top 100 in the ATP Rankings, moving up 29 places to No. 74. At World No. 103 last week, Djere was the first player outside the Top 100 to win a title this year.

Punching bag Stefanos Tsitsipas redeemed himself a bit on Saturday by capturing his third title in Dubai. The fourth seed produced a high-quality performance to sink Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-3 and claim his 12th tour-level title. It was the Greek's maiden ATP 500 crown, and his first hard-court trophy since Los Cabos in 2023.

This one I was torn about. Neither Tomas Machac nor Alejandro Davidovich Fokina had ever won an ATP event -- and the Spaniard had recently lost a heartbreaker in the final of Delray Beach. But in the end, the King of the Short Shorts sealed a milestone week in Acapulco when he claimed the crown with a 7-6(6), 6-2 victory.

As a result, the 24-year-old Czech made his Top 20 debut in today's ATP Rankings.

India's Rithvik Bollipalli and Colombian partner Nicolas Barrientos upset top seeds Andres Molteni and Maximo Gonzalez 6-3, 6-2 to win the men's doubles title in Santiago on Saturday.

Yuki Bhambri and Alexei Popyrin upset Harri Heliövaara and Henry Patten in the final, 3–6, 7–6(14–12), [10–8] to win the men's doubles tennis in Dubai

Americans Christian Harrison and Evan King continued their dream start to the season Saturday in Acapulco, where they claimed their second title of the year. Harrison and King, who three weeks ago triumphed as qualifiers in Dallas, matched that feat at the ATP 500 in Mexico, racing past fourth seeds Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul 6-4, 6-0 in a 56-minute final.

On the women's side: Jessica Pegula captured her seventh career WTA Tour singles title at the ATX Open in Austin on Sunday by defeating McCartney Kessler 7-5, 6-2 in an all-American final.

And American Emma Navarro became only the fifth player this century to win a WTA final 6-0 6-0 with victory over Emiliana Arango at the Merida Open in Mexico.

Elsewhere around the net ...

Hubert Hurkacz wears better-fitting shorts on the golf course than on the court

Who wants to go for a ride?

Andrea Picchione tight and perky

Borna Coric wins the Challenger in Lugano

Manspread Monday with Fede Coria

Stefanos'll tumble 4 ya

The days and nights of Adam Jones

Marcel Granollers and Pablo Andujar?

Novak Djokovic gives Rebel Wilson a birthday shoutout

Matteo Alnaldi will see Machac's 5-inch shorts and lower him an inch

Watch HERE

Casper Ruud's got front ...

and back

Jack Draper tells Vogue he's hungry

Matteo Berrettini

Watch: Jiri Lechka and trainer

Heat up as Fran Comesana and Sebastian Baez cool off

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

Reilly Opelka

Hendrik Jebens in Dubai

Jonny O'Mara's wife revisits Easy Access Day

Macháč beans

Is this what they mean by lantern jaw?

Of course Christian Harrison is equipped with guns

Fiesta time!

Yikes. What hope is this for us mere mortals if Fede Gomez is depressed and suicidal?

Patrick Kaukovalta

Zachary Svajda

Quentin Halys for Fila

My French lover seems very proud of his career height

Cristian Garin ad Pedro Martinez

Marcos Fraiberger

Tallon Griekspoor pulled off the comeback victory of the week saving four match points to defeat Daniil Medvedev 2-6 7-6 7-5 and reach the semifinals in Dubai. Watch him play peek-a-boo HERE.