Google Play App Download

Tennis News

From around the world

Michelsen denies Vacherot at 'home tournament' Delray Beach

  • Posted: Feb 17, 2026

Alex Michelsen marked his return to the Delray Beach Open with a composed performance Monday, navigating gusty winds and a testing opponent to advance at the ATP 250 hard-court event.

The 21-year-old American defeated sixth seed Valentin Vacherot 7-6(4), 6-4 to earn his second win over a Top 30 opponent this season and reach the second round in Delray Beach for the third straight year. Michelsen, who reached the semi-finals last year, did not face a break point, according to Infosys ATP Stats, throughout the one-hour, 28-minute match.

“I live here now. I have an apartment 20 minutes from here, so it’s like my home tournament,” Michelsen said. “It’s great. I’m from California but I emigrated here. I absolutely love it here. Everyone’s so nice.”

After triumphing in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Vacherot, Michelsen can look ahead to a second-round meeting with Sebastian Korda or Mackenzie McDonald.

In other action on Day 1 in Delray Beach, Terence Atmane earned his first ATP Tour victory since October with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 win over Patrick Kypson, while qualifier Coleman Wong upset Nuno Borges 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3 to advance.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Source link

Sinner springs back to form with assertive Doha debut

  • Posted: Feb 16, 2026

Jannik Sinner began to turn the sting of recent heartbreak into renewed purpose on Monday in Doha, where he thrilled the crowd with a striking debut performance at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.

Two weeks after his five-set defeat to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Australian Open, Sinner returned to winning ways with a rock-solid 6-1, 6-4 win over Tomas Machac at the hard-court ATP 500 event in Doha. With his 70-minute victory, the second seed extended his winning streak at this level to 11 matches, having won titles in Beijing and Vienna last October.

“Today was a little bit worse than yesterday,” Sinner said of the windy Doha conditions. “But you have to adapt to every situation and condition on the court. We also played a couple of matches before, so I knew a little [about] what to expect. I felt good on court today. Physically I feel good. Every match is going to get tougher, so hopefully I will be ready for the next one.”

During his ruthlessly efficient first-round performance, Sinner dropped just six points on serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and expertly handled an explosive start to the second set from Machac. After letting slip three match points on return — in the ninth game of the second set, which featured scintillating winners from both men — Sinner sealed the victory with a statement finish behind his own delivery.

With top seed and fierce rival Carlos Alcaraz also in the Doha field, Sinner will look to maintain the pair’s stranglehold whenever they share a draw. Since Andrey Rublev’s triumph in Madrid in May 2024, no player other than Sinner or Alcaraz has captured a tour-level title at an event featuring both of them.

The No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Sinner will next take on Alexei Popyrin, who eased past Qatari wild card Mubarak Shannan Zayid 6-0, 6-2.

Daniil Medvedev bounced back from his first-round defeat in Rotterdam by earning a clinical 6-4, 6-2 win over Shang Juncheng in Doha. The 30-year-old, who triumphed in 2023, is one of three former champions in the draw alongside Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov.

Jakub Mensik and Arthur Fils also booked their spots in the second round on Monday in Doha, where they rallied to three-set wins. Sixth seed Mensik overcame qualifier Jan Choinski 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-4 and Fils defeated Kamil Majchrzak 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Source link

Will Alcaraz catch Sinner for weeks as World No. 1?

  • Posted: Feb 16, 2026

The battle for No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings has become a two-man chess match between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in recent years, and right now every move could have major implications.

Now having spent 59 total weeks at No. 1, Alcaraz broke his tie with Jim Courier for 13th on the all-time list and is edging closer to Sinner with 66. What was last year Sinner’s era at the summit has quickly evolved into a back-and-forth tussle that feels emblematic of the sport’s present and future.

Total Weeks at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings

 Player  Total Weeks
 1) Novak Djokovic  428
 2) Roger Federer  310
 3) Pete Sampras  286
 4) Ivan Lendl  270
 5) Jimmy Connors  268
 6) Rafael Nadal  209
 7) John McEnroe  170
 8) Bjorn Borg  109
 9) Andre Agassi  101
 10) Lleyton Hewitt  80
 11) Stefan Edberg  72
 12) Jannik Sinner  66
 13) Carlos Alcaraz  59

Just a year ago, Sinner was in the midst of an imperious debut stint at No. 1, becoming the fifth player to spend more than a year at the top in their maiden reign. But Alcaraz has responded in emphatic fashion.

The 22-year-old Spaniard reclaimed top spot with his US Open triumph over Sinner in September and cemented it with his Australian Open title in January, becoming the youngest man to complete the Career Grand Slam. Alcaraz now holds a 2,850-point lead over Sinner atop the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

Both Alcaraz and Sinner headline the ATP 500 field this week at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, where Sinner is aiming to make ground in the battle for No. 1 on his Doha debut. The 24-year-old Italian has no points to defend until the clay-court swing in Rome and it’s a stretch that gives him the freedom to attack without immediate pressure.

[NO 1 CLUB]

Importantly, the immediate period does not present an overwhelming points burden for the Alcaraz. He defends a quarter-final in Doha, a semi-final at Indian Wells and a second-round result in Miami before the calendar shifts to clay, where his bigger hauls begin with the Monte-Carlo title and a runner-up finish in Barcelona.

Beyond the numbers, the rivalry between Alcaraz and Sinner has come to define the ATP Tour’s narrative, with the Spaniard leading their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 10-6. The two could reignite their rivalry for the first time since the Nitto ATP Finals in November if they both reach the championship match in Doha this week.

For now, the gap in the battle for No. 1 is Alcaraz’s to protect and Sinner’s to chase. Twelve months ago the picture looked very different. Today, with no one standing between them on the all-time list and both competing deep into the season’s biggest events, the race for No. 1 feels less like a changing of the guard and more like a rivalry destined to define an era.

If Alcaraz maintains his grip atop the PIF ATP Rankings, he could overtake Sinner for weeks at No. 1 as the Tour enters the clay season at the beginning of April, following the Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Source link

Shelton saves 3 championship points for gripping Dallas final win vs. Fritz

  • Posted: Feb 15, 2026

Ben Shelton brought the thunder when it mattered most on Sunday at the Nexo Dallas Open, where he saved three championship points to defeat Taylor Fritz and capture his first title of the season.

The 23-year-old roared back to earn an explosive 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory for his second ATP 500 trophy, saving all three championship points in a nervy 10th game of the decider. After that pivotal hold, Shelton dropped just three more points en route to winning his fourth ATP Tour title, and first indoors.

In a high-octane matchup between the top two seeds that ebbed and flowed right until the last ball, Shelton showed supreme composure under pressure. He let slip a break lead in the final set and then looked down and out, but showed some gutsy tennis at the dying embers to dish Fritz a painful defeat.

With the one-hour, 51-minute victory, Shelton improved to 2-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Fritz.

More to follow…

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Source link

De Minaur downs Auger-Aliassime for Rotterdam title: 'Third time lucky!'

  • Posted: Feb 15, 2026

Persistence eventually paid off for Alex de Minaur at the ABN AMRO Open on Sunday.

The top-seeded Australian fittingly produced his sharpest performance of the week to defeat Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-2 and secure his maiden indoor title at the ATP 500 event. De Minaur fell in the past two Rotterdam finals, but he was crisp and clinical in all departments against Auger-Aliassime, who required an off-court medical timeout midway through the second set.

“That’s what it’s all about: just doing my best to rise to the occasion,” De Minaur said of his final performance, in which he did not face a break point, according to Infosys ATP Stats. “As the tournament goes on, you try and find ways out of solutions and try to give yourself the best chance to play better the following day, and I did exactly that. I’m super pleased with the performance today.

“Third time lucky… I’m super stoked, super happy. It ended up being a great week here in Rotterdam. It’s a place where I always feel really good. I was just a step short in the previous years, so it feels great to finally be able to lift the title.”

Auger-Aliassime was on an eight-match winning streak having lifted the title in Montpellier last week. The Canadian was targeting a ninth career indoor title to further strengthening his reputation as one of the most dangerous players under a roof. De Minaur, however, has been a consistent force at ATP 500 level in recent years, and his title charge in the Rotterdam final proved too much for the Canadian.

“Congrats to Alex and your team,” Auger-Aliassime said during the trophy presentation. “We’ve played a lot of matches throughout the years… I tried my best today, but you were just a little bit too good. [It’s your] third time in the final here, so congrats on the win.”

ATP 500 Win Leaders (since the start of 2023)

 Player  Wins  Titles
 Alex de Minaur  53  4
 Carlos Alcaraz  44  6
 Jannik Sinner  43  6
 Alexander Zverev  43  2

After a cagey start between the tournament’s top two seeds, the final ignited in the sixth game of the opening set when De Minaur struck two inspired winners to earn the decisive break — the first time Auger-Aliassime’s serve had been breached since his second-round win over Stan Wawrinka in Montpellier.

De Minaur carried his momentum into the second set and broke again in the fifth game, stepping inside the baseline and dictating rallies with increased aggression. Shortly after, Auger-Aliassime left the court for medical treatment and returned looking short of his usual explosiveness. De Minaur sensed his opportunity and remained ruthless, closing out the match to reduce his Lexus ATP Head2Head deficit against the Canadian to 2-3.

With his 78-minute win, De Minaur also jumped two spots to No. 6 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Source link

Alcaraz taking nothing for granted on return to action: ‘I see myself with weaknesses’

  • Posted: Feb 15, 2026

Given Carlos Alcaraz is the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings and has just completed the Career Grand Slam with his Australian Open win, he could be forgiven for sitting back and admiring his work so far in 2026.

The Spaniard, of course, has other ideas. Alcaraz is infused with the relentless desire to improve that has always characterised the greatest players in tennis history, and that is what will be at the forefront of his mind next week when he returns to action as the top seed at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha.

“Obviously I can see myself that [I have had] a lot of success so far, winning the biggest tournaments in the world,” said Alcaraz on Sunday at his pre-tournament press conference in Qatar. “But I just see myself with weaknesses. A lot of players, I know that they’re trying to catch me up in terms of they are studying my game, they study how I play, trying to beat me, trying to challenge me.

“I have to be ready for that, and I have to see where my level is, where my tennis is. I have to try to put myself in their minds and think what they could do when playing against me. So that’s what I mean about saying I have to improve some things. Obviously, you cannot be lagging in the level, you just have to keep it going.”

One obvious example of the rivals Alcaraz was referring to is Jannik Sinner. The Italian lines up as the second seed in the Doha field, presenting the possibility of a 17th chapter of the pair’s electric Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry in the championship match. Yet the 22-year-old Alcaraz has no intention of getting ahead of himself as he looks to better the quarter-final run he forged on Doha debut a year ago.

“I know how difficult every match is. Every match is different, our play is totally different,” said the Spaniard, who takes on Top 30 star Arthur Rinderknech in his opener. “I think this draw is a really tough one for a 500 tournament. We can see the first matches how good matches that we have in the first round.

“So [I’m] just thinking about a match at a time, and let’s see how far I can go. Obviously my mind is trying to go as far as I can. If it’s possible to play a final, obviously that would be great, and that’s what I’m looking for, so let’s see. I’m not thinking about playing or just putting myself in the final too early. I want to think day by day.”

Alcaraz headed to Doha with a 7-0 record for the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, following his Melbourne title run. He first enjoyed a stopoff in Bahrain, where he visited his fellow Spanish sporting superstars Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz at F1 pre-season testing, but his focus has now fully shifted to trying to take his game to even greater heights in the Qatari capital.

“Coming here, these days, my team and I, just we set up some goals for this tournament,” revealed the 25-time tour-level champion. “We are not talking about results at all. It’s just more about the process to be better, still in the process to grow up. There are some things that I really want to be better and [I want to] develop my game in a way that I really want to show up and to pull off here in this tournament.

“That would be a really successful week for me, besides results. I [want to] see myself that I’m just doing the right things on and off the court.”

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Source link

Ben Shelton & Trinity Rodman get dancing after Dallas win

  • Posted: Feb 15, 2026

When Ben Shelton advanced to the Nexo Dallas Open quarter-finals earlier this week, the American was asked about his girlfriend, football star Trinity Rodman, who recently got her U.S. Women’s National Team coach Emma Hayes to do a celebratory dance with her after scoring a goal.

Would Shelton ever get his father and coach, Bryan Shelton, to do the same?

“I think there’s a better chance of a lot of things in life,” Shelton said. “I think that’s one thing that would never happen, so that’s not something I would even ask.”

But the second seed never said anything about himself. So when Rodman arrived for Shelton’s semi-final at the ATP 500 event in Dallas and the lefty battled past defending champion Denis Shapovalov, she did the same celebratory dance in the stands.

What was Shelton’s response? To smile and do the same.

“This is the second tournament that my girlfriend has shown up on the semi-finals day,” Shelton said. “I’m 2-0 in semis when she shows up for that, so happy Valentine’s Day!”

Shelton will play Taylor Fritz Sunday for the trophy. They have split their two previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings.

It is safe to say if Shelton emerges victorious, another dance could be on the cards.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Source link