Valentin Vacherot proves he's no one-hit wonder, Carlos Alcaraz adds another trophy, Holger Rune makes his comeback, Ben Shelton hires a new coach, J.J. Wolf chronicles his road back and lots more BELOW.
How do you ask someone their cup size in Spanish?
Monaco's Valentin Vacherot could easily have been dismissed as a one-tournament wonder after his stunning run from qualifying to the Shanghai Masters title last year, but he's proving his breakthrough was no fluke.
The strapping 27-year-old captured his second ATP title in Basel, rallying past sturdy Czech Jiri Lehecka 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 after earlier defeating Holger Rune and Taylor Fritz. Vacherot, who has established himself among the world's top players since his Shanghai fairy tale, will climb back into the top 30 at No. 27 on Monday.
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Spain's Carlos Alcaraz cruised past Australia's Alex de Minaur 6-1, 6-4 to win his first Vienna Open title and fourth trophy of the season, completing a perfect 16-0 year at ATP 500 events without dropping a set all week.
Alcaraz has won four titles this season (Australian Open, Doha, Tokyo and Vienna) to Alexander Zverev's two, despite missing nearly five months with a wrist injury that kept him out of the French Open and Wimbledon.
French duo Theo Arribage and Albano Olivetti captured their sixth doubles title of the season in Basel, defeating Swiss wild cards Henry Bernet and Dominic Stricker 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (8-6). The victory came just a week after the Frenchmen finished runners-up in Lyon, continuing an impressive run of form heading into the season's final stretch.
Austria's Lucas Miedler and Neil Oberleitner delighted the home crowd in Vienna, defeating Americans Ryan Seggerman and Learner Tien 6-1, 7-5 to claim their second title in three tournaments. The pair have won 12 of their past 13 matches, including a historic Shanghai Masters triumph that made them the first all-Austrian team to win an ATP Masters 1000 doubles title. For Miedler, it was his third Vienna crown.
Russia's Diana Shnaider overcame a spirited comeback by Canada's Leylah Fernandez to win the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, claiming her first title of the season and sixth of her career after squandering a 4-0 lead in the second set.
Britain's Harriet Dart capped a dream week in Guangzhou by winning her first WTA singles title at age 30, coming through qualifying and saving three match points in the semifinals before rallying past Austria's Lilli Tagger 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the final.
Elsewhere around the net ...
Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Etcheverry show off their gym gains while celebrating Cerundolo's run to the Vienna semifinals.
Denmark's Holger Rune made an encouraging return from an 11-month Achilles injury layoff, earning his first ATP Tour win in 373 days and beating Quentin Halys and Hubert Hurkacz before falling to Monaco's Valentin Vacherot in three sets in the Basel quarterfinals. And he looked like this!
A fan consoles Jan-Lennard Struff after his loss to Jiri Lehecka in the semifinals
American Ben Shelton has added Juan Carlos Ferrero, the former world No. 1 who guided Carlos Alcaraz to six Grand Slam titles, to his coaching team for 2027. The Spaniard will work alongside Shelton's father and longtime coach, Bryan, following his split with Alcaraz last year.
Marcelo Demoliner is quite the model
Back in his street clothes, the Brazilian is hard at work in the gym
I couldn't agree more with Lorenzo Rotoloni's defense of doubles. I frequently choose to watch doubles matches over singles because they give me a chance to see more of my favorite players -- including some I'd rarely, if ever, get to watch because of their singles rankings. Doubles deserves far more respect than it gets.
Of course Daniil Medvedev would have this curious statistic
Tommy Paul strikes a pose to promote the return of World Team Tennis in December, when he'll represent the Florida Flamingos alongside Coco Gauff, Learner Tien and other American stars.
Tickets HERE
Spain's Nicolas Moreno takes his fitness routine to the beach, where even a park bench becomes workout equipment.
Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Etcheverry join Argentine-born Italian Luciano Darderi to promote the Copa Ciudad de La Plata exhibition on November 28, where they'll be joined by Thiago Tirante for a day of singles and doubles benefiting a local children's hospital.
French doubles partners Arthur Reymond and Luca Sanchez have an unusual pre-match ritual -- drinking a Red Bull before every match
Italy's Vito Darderi clearly knows what he's doing
American Patrick Kypson trades his tennis whites for a sharp suit and tie
Taylor Fritz goes retro in tennis whites for the new issue of Italy's ICON magazine, for a cover story in which he discusses why some losses hurt more than others.
Poland's Kamil Majchrzak is recovering from knee surgery, sharing glimpses of his rehab: "A long way to go, but one step at a time!"
Italy's Flavio Cobolli was overcome with emotion after being forced to retire from his Vienna match, with compatriot Matteo Berrettini offering a comforting embrace as Cobolli left the court in tears.
Caroline Wozniacki and her husband, former NBA star David Lee, channel Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce for Halloween
Isner has a great Jan-Lennard Struff story HERE!
Jan-Michael Gambill pays tribute to his friend Patrick Stewart, sharing vintage photos of the two together
... and reflecting on the devastating effects of Lewy body dementia, which also affected Gambill's father.
OK, Bret Waltz. You know your ass is off the charts when you can measure about against Frances [sic]
Exhibit A
American JJ Wolf is sharing his comeback journey in "The Road Back," a new documentary series chronicling his recovery from a shoulder injury that sidelined the former world No. 39 for more than a year.
German doubles specialist and Kenneth crush Andreas Mies checking out a performance event at the German Sport and Olympic Museum in Cologne.
Germany's Maximilian Marterer is looking ahead to 2027, when he'll join Tennis Club Steinhorst, bringing a career-high ATP ranking of No. 45, more than 100 tour-level singles wins and five Davis Cup appearances to the team.
Casper Ruud takes the plunge in an icy recovery pool as he prepares for the Paris Masters.
Never a dull moment on Mick Assaf's Instagram stories.
Follow HERE
Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz traded center court for center stage during a visit to the Vienna State Opera ahead of the Erste Bank Open, where the world "Number 1" crapped out before the two could play.
Britain's Adam Jones finds a godlike figure to identify with at the Fountain of the Gods in Las Vegas.
France's Luca Van Assche seeks attention takes a breather during practice as coach Sebastien Villette offers some courtside advice.
Jose Juarez Caro is giving me daddy issues
Marcos Giron comes out as officially straight
Americans Ryan Seggerman (left) and Learner Tien get into the Halloween spirit, posing with a Gengar plush toy at a carnival.
Tommy Paul isn't cleaning that up.
Who wore it best?
Everything I need ...
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