kenneth in the (212): Weekend Tennis Roundup

Monday, August 25, 2025

Weekend Tennis Roundup

Tune-up titles for Fucsovics, Shnaider and Cristea; Sharapova and the Bryan Brothers get inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Full report TK plus all the ATP beef that's fit to post BELOW.

Note: Just getting home from Flushing Meadows so will have to flesh this out later as time permits. But wanted to get these photos up because I have a million new ones from Day 1 at the U.S. Open to get together, coming soon.

Hungarian Marton Fucsovics turned a near-catastrophic collapse into a triumphant third ATP Tour title run after a roller-coaster clash with Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in Saturday’s final of the Winston-Salem Open. After earlier leading 6-3, 5-1 and squandering a championship point at 5-2 with a double fault, the 33-year-old found himself contemplating a gut-wrenching defeat when serving to stay in the second set at 5-6. But he found his nerve at the right time to come up clutch in the tie-break, steadying while his opponent sprayed a series of unforced errors to claim his first hard-court title 6-3, 7-6(3). "I'm speechless, really. I had a long career, a couple of trophies," Fucsovics said. "Actually, this is my third. I'm 33 and a half years old. So, I belong to the older generation, but I'm still here, winning an ATP 250.

During the trophy ceremony, Fucsovics turned to his wife of just two weeks and said with a smile, “I promise we will go on our honeymoon at the end of the year.”

Sorana Cirstea defeated Ann Li 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday to win the Tennis in the Land title. Despite advancing to the main draw through qualifying, Cirstea won the tournament without dropping a single set all week. It was the Romanian's first crown in four years.

Diana Shnaider continued her impressive winning streak in tour-level finals at the Monterrey Open on Saturday, beating compatriot Ekaterina Alexandrova (30) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the WTA 500 event's final. The Russian is now unbeaten in her last five finals on the WTA Tour, adding the Monterrey crown to her triumphs in Hong Kong, Budapest, Bad Homburg, and Hua Hin last year.

Italian doubles specialists Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori completed their "mission" by beating singles stars Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud to win the controversially revamped U.S. Open mixed event.

Errani and Vavassori, whose place in the new-look tournament was initially under threat, defended their crown with a thrilling 6-3 5-7 10-6 victory secured at almost midnight in New York. The pair walked away with the increased prize pot of $1 million designed to attract superstars like Jack Draper, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic -- five times more than the $200,000 they won last year.

Bob and Mike Bryan joined Maria Sharapova in being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame Saturday evening in Newport, forever cementing their legacy and impact both on and off the court.

In a surprise that even made Page Six, Serena Williams introduced Sharapova, noting, “what started as a rivalry turned into an enormous amount of respect. What grew from respect has turned to friendship. Maria didn't just win matches, she built a legacy that will last forever. Tonight was my honor as Maria’s former rival, former fan, now her forever friend, to welcome her into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.”