Physically struggling in humid conditions late in Sunday’s final at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag, Alexei Popyrin let loose to secure victory against Stan Wawrinka at the ATP 250.

Popyrin defeated the 16-time tour-level champion Wawrinka 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 to claim his second ATP Tour title after a gritty third-set showing on the Croatian clay. The Australian suffered a bout of cramp in his right leg in the fourth game of the decider that severely hindered his movement. Forced to go for broke at every opportunity to shorten rallies, his change of tactics proved successful as he forged a hard-earned two-hour, 36-minute triumph.

“All tournament I’ve been fighting battles that I don’t know how I won. This one tops it all,” said Popyrin in his on-court interview. “My quad was done at 2-1. I felt it cramp, I felt it strain. I think it’s pulled, but I managed to dig deep. I don’t know how I won it, honestly. I honestly don’t know.”

Wawrinka absorbed severe pressure from the impressive Popyrin in the early stages of the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting but rallied from 3-5 to take the opening set in a tie-break. Despite that setback, Popyrin maintained his relentless powerful hitting to level the match before being forced into his final-set heroics.

“I even told the physio when he came out,” said Popyrin. “He said, ‘If you go any more then it will be tough’. I said, ‘There’s no point in quitting now, I’m here in the final. If I lose, I lose. If I retire, I lose anyway. So I have a better chance of winning if I stay in’, so that’s what I decided to do.”

The former World No. 3 Wawrinka was chasing his first tour-level crown since his Geneva triumph in 2017. Although he struck some trademark backhand winners to the delight of the Umag crowd, he was unable to prevent Popyrin from converting four of nine break points en route to victory.

BOOM 💥

Huge return from @AlexeiPopyrin99 🔥@CroatiaOpenUmag | #ATPUmag pic.twitter.com/OEV8G2HFeY

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 30, 2023

“It’s an unbelievable honour to play somebody like Stan in a final,” said Popyrin. “I grew up watching him, Roger, Rafa, Novak play. To play him in a final and beat him in a final, words can’t describe how happy I am. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”

The 23-year-old Poyprin lifted his maiden ATP Tour crown on indoor hard courts in Singapore in 2021. Sunday’s win in Umag ensured he will rise 33 spots to a new career-high of No. 57 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday.

After 30 years, it was a hometown hero who ended the wait for a second German men’s singles champion at the Hamburg European Open.

Alexander Zverev delivered a high-class final display Sunday in the city of his birth to defeat Laslo Djere 7-5, 6-3 and lift his first title since the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals. The fourth seed produced some blistering hitting throughout the one-hour, 51-minute encounter to overwhelm Djere and become the fifth player this season to win a tour-level title without dropping a set.

“At the end of the day, this is my home, this is where I grew up, and this where I started playing tennis,” said Zverev, who was competing in his first ATP Tour final since May last year in Madrid. “It was incredible for me, incredibly emotional. I can’t describe it in words, I’m just super happy right now.”

The joy of Zverev’s win was amplified by the backdrop of his journey back from a serious ankle injury sustained during his 2022 Roland Garros semi-final with Rafael Nadal. Sunday’s title triumph was his first since he returned to competition at the start of 2023.

“It’s almost like a first Zverev Downs Djere For Hometown Triumph In Hamburg again,” said the 20-time tour-level champion Zverev. “It’s such a long time [since my previous title], 18 months, and I’m just super happy right now.”

Prior to Sunday, Michael Stich’s 1993 triumph was the only time a German had lifted the singles crown in Hamburg in the Open Era (since 1968). As it was, Zverev’s triumph wrapped a maiden clean sweep for the home nation at the ATP 500 event, after Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz lifted the doubles crown earlier on Sunday.

Zverev was clinical with his chances on return against the in-form Djere, who had dropped serve just three times en route to his first ATP Tour championship match of the season. The German frequently took heavy cuts at his opponent’s delivery as he converted three of his four break points to improve to 3-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Djere.

“I think he was the much better player throughout the first set. I just kind of stuck with it and dug it out somehow,” reflected Zverev. “Credit to him, he’s one of the most respected guys on Tour, he’s doing all the right things. At the end, I’m just happy that it went the way it went.”

Winning his 20th tour-level title at home has also boosted Zverev’s hopes of qualifying for the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals. A two-time champion at the prestigious season finale, Zverev has risen three spots to ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin with his title run, although Taylor Fritz can reclaim ninth place with victory in the Atlanta Open final later on Sunday.

A perfect end to a perfect week for Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz at the Hamburg European Open.

The German duo defeated Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 7-6(4), 6-3 to triumph at the clay-court ATP 500 in their homeland without dropping a set all week. Krawietz and Puetz, who first teamed in 2017 in Hamburg but did not become regular partners until February this year, saved all four break points they faced in an 88-minute encounter of fine margins to lift their first ATP Tour title as a team.

The third-seeded Krawietz and Mies carried their momentum from winning the first-set tie-break into the second set against Gille and Vliegen. They notched the only break of the match in the second game of the second set, which proved decisive as they became the first all-German team to win in Hamburg since Jurgen Fassbender and Hans-Jurgen Pohmann in 1974.

Now 27-12 as a team in 2023, Krawietz and Puetz’s title run in Hamburg has propelled the duo up four spots to eighth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, which represents the final qualification spot for the Nitto ATP Finals. Krawietz is aiming to compete for the fourth time at the prestigious season finale, to be held in Turin from 12-19 November, while Puetz is chasing a debut appearance at the event.

Sunday’s match was Krawietz and Puetz’s third final of the 2023 ATP Tour season, with all three taking place in Germany. They also reached the championship match in Munich and Stuttgart.

Will a star like Felix Auger-Aliassime or Andy Murray emerge from the Mubadala Citi DC Open as champion?

The former Top 10 players, who practised together on Saturday, will try to make a splash at this week’s ATP 500 in the United States’ capital. The pair cannot meet in the draw until the championship match.

Auger-Aliassime is the third seed and will face an opening test against reigning Dallas Open champion Wu Yibing or Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki. This will be the Canadian’s third appearance in Washington, having lost in the third round in 2019 and 2021.

The 22-year-old, currently No. 12 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, was upset in the first round at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon and will be keen to find his form this week. 

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Former World No. 1 Murray has more experience in Washington, having tallied a 7-3 record at the event. The Scot first competed in the tournament in 2006, before the creation of the ATP 500 series.

That year, Murray defeated a series of notable opponents — Feliciano Lopez, Mardy Fish and Dmitry Tursunov among them — en route to the final, which he lost to Arnaud Clement. The Scot in 2018 even played a match at the Mubadala Citi DC Open that ended after 3 a.m.

One year on from a first-round exit in Washington, the 15th seed will open against Atlanta finalist Aleksandar Vukic or 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals champion Brandon Nakashima. He could face top seed Taylor Fritz in the third round.

With one week to go before the ATP Masters 1000 in Toronto, three events are on the schedule across North America and Europe. Two North American hard-court events — an ATP 500 in Washington, D.C. and an ATP 250 in Los Cabos — are joined by an ATP 250 on the clay of Kitzbühel.

ATPTour.com breaks down the storylines to watch at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, the Mifel Tennis Open by Telcel Oppo and the Generali Open.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
1) Top Seed Fritz Returns: Taylor Fritz will compete in D.C. for the third straight year and the fourth time overall, seeking to improve upon his 2-3 record. Following a deep run on the Atlanta hard courts, the American will have his hands full in his nation’s capital: After an opening bye, he is seeded to meet Andy Murray in the third round.

2) Hometown Tiafoe Among Five American Seeds: The second-seeded Tiafoe could face 14th seed Ben Shelton in the third round, with Americans Sebastian Korda, Christopher Eubanks and J.J. Wolf also seeded. Tiafoe, who is from nearby Maryland, will be making his seventh appearance in D.C., with his best previous result a quarter-final showing last season.

3) Hurkacz, Auger-Aliassime Among Big-Name Contenders: Hubert Hurkacz and Felix Auger-Aliassime round out the top four seeds, while returning finalist Yoshihito Nishioka — who lost to Nick Kyrgios last year in the title round — is seeded 10th.

4) Nishikori, Anderson Continue Comebacks: Two greats of the game will bid to step up their returns to the ATP Tour — Kei Nishikori back from injury and Kevin Anderson in his second tournament after coming out of retirement. Both wild cards, Nishikori will open against Lloyd Harris and would face Eubanks in the second round, while Anderson faces Jordan Thompson, with seventh seed Adrian Mannarino awaiting beyond that.

5) Ram/Salisbury Lead Doubles Draw: Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury are the top doubles seeds, with Austin Krajicek and Mate Pavic seeded second. Krajicek/Pavic will face Daniel Evans and Andy Murray in an intriguing opening-round matchup. Also in the first round, Hurkacz and Tiafoe will meet Eubanks and Korda.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN LOS CABOS
1) Debutant Tsitsipas Set For First Action Since Wimbledon: Stefanos Tsitsipas will be the top seed in Los Cabos, where he will be making his first appearance. But the Greek is no stranger to success on Mexican hard courts: He holds a 7-2 record in Acapulco, where he reached a final and a semi-final in his two outings.

2) Norrie Aims To Continue Dominance: Cameron Norrie followed up his 2021 title in Los Cabos with a final run in 2022. He has reached at least the semis in three of his four Los Cabos appearances, compiling an 11-3 record.

3) De Minaur Bids For Mexican Trophy Double: After winning the Acapulco title in March, Alex de Minaur will hope to extend his winning streak in Mexico. After reaching the Queen’s Club final and losing to Carlos Alcaraz, the Aussie picked up just one win apiece at Wimbledon and in Atlanta.

4) Paul Returns To Hard Courts: After five straight tournaments on grass, including a final run in Eastbourne, Tommy Paul  is back on the hard courts in Los Cabos. While he is making his debut at the ATP 500, he has already reached a Mexican final this season in Acapulco.

5) Other Contenders: Borna Coric, John Isner, Cristian Garin and Dominik Koepfer are among the other top players set to compete in Los Cabos.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN KITZBUHEL
1) Thiem, Ofner Among Austrian Hopes: Wild card Dominic Thiem and fourth seed Sebastian Ofner will seek deep runs with the support of the Austrian crowd. Thiem, who won the event in 2019, joins Thomas Muster (1993) as the lone Austrian champions in the long history of the tournament, which dates back to 1968.

2) Returning Finalist Misolic Seeks More Home Magic: One year after a stunning run to the final as a 20-year-old, Filip Misolic will again look to make the most of a wild card on home soil. After defeat to Roberto Bautista Agut in last year’s title match, the Austrian will open against a qualifier this year.

3) Argentines Etcheverry, Cachin In Opposite Halves: Seeded first and third, respectively, Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Pedro Cachin will hope to meet in an all-Argentine final. Etcheverry will open against Misolic or a qualifier, while Cachin will begin his campaign against Albert Ramos-Vinolas or Juan Pablo Varillas.

4) Germans Hanfmann, Altmaier Seeded: Second seed Yannick Hanfmann will face a tough opening test against Arthur Rinderknech or Alexei Popyrin, while eighth seed Daniel Altmaier meets Marc-Andrea Huesler in the first round.

5) Austrians Erler/Miedler Lead Doubles Draw: Top seeds Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler are one of three all-Austrian teams in the Kitzbühel draw. Thiem and Ofner will team up as wild cards, as will Misolic and Joel Josef Schwärzler.

Stan Wawrinka used a commanding performance at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag to advance to his first ATP Tour final since he reached two in 2019. The Swiss defeated Lorenzo Sonego 6-3, 6-4 behind a single break in each set to advance to the title match, where he will meet Alexei Popyrin.

Through to his 31st tour-level final (16-14), and his 14th on clay (7-6), Wawrinka is seeking his first title since he won Geneva in 2017. Sunday’s final will be Wawrinka’s first since he underwent two left-foot surgeries in 2021 and fell out of the Top 300 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. 

“I’m happy with the match. I think I played really well, the best match of the week,” said Wawrinka, who has moved up 23 places to No. 49 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings behind his four straight-set wins this week. “I’m really happy to be in the final tomorrow.”

Wawrinka showed his full range in the victory, pairing powerful baseline blasts with deft touch. He saved the lone break point as he served out the opening set and escaped 0/30 to serve out the match after one hour, 26 minutes.

Sonego was denied his sixth ATP Tour final and what would have been his first since last year in Metz. 

Wawrinka will next meet Popyrin, after the Australian overcame Matteo Arnaldi 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-3 to reach his second ATP Tour final.

Popyrin, who lifted an ATP 250 trophy in Singapore in 2021, kept Arnaldi under constant pressure on return in the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head series. He converted four of 19 break points en route to a hard-earned three-hour, 16-minute triumph against the seventh-seeded Italian on the Croatian clay.

Popyrin has impressed on clay already in 2023. He reached the fourth round as a qualifier in May in Rome, where he defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime before pushing eventual finalist Holger Rune to three sets. The Australian has risen 17 spots to No. 73 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as a result of his Umag run so far.

Taylor Fritz already has one title on an American hard-court this season. Now he is one win away from a second at the Atlanta Open. The Delray Beach champion defeated countryman J.J. Wolf 6-3, 7-5 on Saturday at the ATP 250 to advance to his 11th tour-level final. 

“It was really solid. I served well the whole match,” said Fritz, who saved both break points against him. “Whenever I was in trouble I played a lot of good points. I just did what I was supposed to do and didn’t really give him much.”

Both players thrilled the crowd with power tennis, with both eager to take the initiative in points with first-strike tennis. But on a hot day in Atlanta, it was Fritz’s consistency and his performance on the big points that made the difference.

With a win in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Wolf, Fritz improved to 17-9 against Top 50 players this season. He will bid for his sixth ATP Tour title — and his fourth on hard courts — on Sunday against  seventh seed Ugo Humbert or Aleksandar Vukic.

Regardless of the opponent, Fritz will be counting on the backing of the American fans to help him over the line.

“It’s been great having all the support this week,” he said during his on-court interview. “It’s so hot, so it’s such a good effort for all these people to come out and support, even in this heat. So I appreciate all the love and I hope we’ll bring it in the final.”

Before their respective battles on the court this week at the Hamburg European Open, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Daniel Altmaier made some time to compete in a different sort of competition in the German city.

In the very first Lexus ATP Head2Head Scavenger Hunt, the ATP Tour players cruised through the streets of Hamburg testing their skills and their wits in a range of fun contests, with the winner ultimately being crowned at the tournament site. From gripping racquets to artistic adventures, the pair were neck-and-neck until the end, when a slew of athletic challenges decided the winner.

Watch the video below to find out who earned the victory and who needs a day off to recover from defeat.

There was more than pride on the line, with the loser suffering a humourous punishment, much to the delight of the other man.

Blaz Rola and Nino Serdarusic capped a dream first tournament as a duo with a hugely dramatic final victory Saturday at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag.

The Slovenian-Croatian wild cards saved three championship points in a thrilling Match Tie-break before prevailing 4-6, 7-6(2), 15-13 against top seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori. Rola and Serdadusic had led the Match Tie-break 8/4 but then lost five points in a row to stand on the brink of a heartbreaking defeat. They held their nerve at 8/9, 10/11 and 11/12 to thrice deny their Italian opponents victory, however, before sealing a two-hour, seven-minute win.

“Unbelievable, crazy week,” said Rola, who shared that the team received its wild card just before the draw was made. “I never thought that we would end up at the final day, at the ceremony with the trophy in our hands.

“We played really well and what a match today. I think we were a little bit lucky, you could say that.”

It was a third Match Tie-break win of the week for Rola and Serdarusic, who also defeated second seeds Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul in straight sets in the semi-finals. Both were competing in their maiden tour-level final, and neither player had competed at a 2023 ATP Tour event prior to this week.

The narrow defeat meant Bolelli missed out on a third Umag title. The 37-year-old, an 11-time tour-level doubles champion, lifted the trophy at the clay-court ATP 250 in both 2011 and 2022 alongside Fabio Fognini.