Luca Van Assche continues to find his feet on the ATP Tour.

The #NextGenATP Frenchman claimed the fifth tour-level victory of both his career and the 2023 season Monday by downing home wild card Dragos Nicolae Madaras 7-6(2), 6-4 at the Nordea Open in Bastad. Van Assche prevailed in a topsy-turvy first-round battle featuring seven breaks of serve to book a second-round clash against defending champion Francisco Cerundolo.

“I felt good. It was a very close match against a good player,” said Van Assche. “He beat me two years ago, so I knew he was a tough player. It was a tough match, and at the end I was a little bit tight, so it was not my perfect game, but I managed to win this match and I am very happy.”

Each of Van Assche’s ATP Tour wins have come at different events, with four triumphs on clay being complemented by a maiden grass-court win against George Loffhagen in Eastbourne. He defeated Stan Wawrinka in Banja Luka in April before pushing Novak Djokovic to three sets in the second round, while his 16-5 record this year on the ATP Challenger Tour also suggests the 19-year-old is growing increasingly accustomed to grinding out wins.

Currently sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Next Gen Race, Van Assche will hope to reach his maiden ATP Tour quarter-final by upsetting Cerundolo in Bastad, a result which would also boost his chances of qualifying for the season-ending 21-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals.

“I’m very happy to be here, my first time in Sweden,” said Van Assche. “I’m looking forward to the second round against the defending champion. It will be a tough match, so I will just prepare and be ready for it.”

Thiago Monteiro also made a winning start in Bastad on Monday. The No. 122-ranked Brazilian defeated Daniel Elahi Galan 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in Sweden for his eighth tour-level win of the year. The 29-year-old Monteiro, who reached his sole ATP Tour quarter-final of 2023 so far on the clay of Santiago in February, will meet fifth seed Alexander Zverev or Alex Molcan in the second round.

Dominic Thiem did not take long to get back to winning ways Monday at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad.

The Austrian rode a fast start to a 6-1, 7-6(4) first-round victory against Alexandre Muller at the ATP 250, his first tour-level win since April. The former World No. 3, who lifted the trophy in Gstaad in 2015, saved all four break points he faced in his 95-minute triumph.

“It’s always great to be here. Already on Wednesday, when I arrived, it felt like home here,” said Thiem. “With the surroundings, with the mountains, the fresh air.

“Everything is really great here, and also when I step on the court I feel great memories from 2015 and last year, when I made a nice run to the semis. The conditions here suit my game very well, so I’m super happy that I got the win today as well.”

Thiem will take on #NextGenATP Hamad Medjedovic in the second round in the Swiss Alps as he chases his first ATP Tour crown since returning to action in March last year after a long-term wrist injury. He now holds an 8-2 record in Gstaad, having also reached the semi-finals on his second appearance there in 2022.

The 19-year-old Medjedovic upset fifth seed Zhang Zhizhen 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 for the first ATP Tour victory of his career. The Serbian, who is currently ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Next Gen Race, converted five of his eight break points to book a second-round test against 17-time tour-level titlist Thiem.

Daniel Altmaier and Jaume Munar also enjoyed straight-sets wins to kick-start their campaigns at the clay-court event. Germany’s Altmaier downed Benjamin Bonzi 6-3, 6-4 for his personal-best eighth tour-level win of the year to set a second-round meeting with his countryman, the fourth-seeded Yannick Hanfmann.

Munar saw off home wild card Alexander Ritschard 6-3, 6-3 to improve to 4-0 in opening-round matches in Gstaad. He could face another home favourite, Stan Wawrinka, in the second round, if the Swiss can beat sixth seed Roberto Carballes Baena.

The 24-year-old Zizou Bergs notched his second tour-level win of the season with a hard-fought 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 triumph against eighth seed Laslo Djere. It was the Belgian’s first victory in three Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings with Djere, having fallen to the Serbian in Gstaad in 2021 and again at this year’s Australian Open.

Carlos Alcaraz lifted his second Grand Slam trophy at Wimbledon, where several ATP Tour stars enjoyed impressive runs at the grass-court major. ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

No. 31 Christopher Eubanks, +12 (Career High)
The American has climbed to a career-high No. 31 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after he advanced to his first major quarter-final at Wimbledon. The 27-year-old, who triumphed in Mallorca last month, downed Stefanos Tsitsipas and Cameron Norrie before falling against Daniil Medvedev.

No. 32 Matteo Berrettini, +6
The 27-year-old has moved six places following his fourth-round run at Wimbledon. The Italian entered The Championships without a tour-level win since Monte-Carlo in April, but re-found some of his best grass-court form, defeating Lorenzo Sonego, Alex de Minaur and Alexander Zverev.

No. 43 Roman Safiullin, +49 (Career High)
The 25-year-old came into Wimbledon as World No. 92 with just six tour-level match wins on the season. Four victories later and he left as a Grand Slam quarter-finalist for the first time and at a career-high No. 43. Safiullin.

No. 56 Daniel Elahi Galan, +29 (Career High)

The Colombian made history on London’s lawns when he became the first man from his nation to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon. The 27-year-old, who entered SW19 with just two grass-court tour-level wins in his career, won a five-set third-round thriller against Mikael Ymer before losing against Jannik Sinner.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 14 Tommy Paul, +1 (Career High)
No. 17 Hubert Hurkacz, +1
No. 19 Alexander Zverev, +2
No. 21 Grigor Dimitrov, +3
No. 23 Denis Shapovalov +6
No. 33 Jiri Lehecka, +4 (Career High)
No. 51 Mikael Ymer, +8
No. 58 Sebastian Ofner, +14 (Career High)
No. 65 Quentin Halys, +14
No. 74 Stan Wawrinka, +14
No. 89 Pavel Kotov, +16 (Career High)
No. 92 Ilya Ivashka, +10
No. 97 Facundo Diaz Acosta, +18 (Career High)
No. 100 Juan Manuel Cerundolo, +11

Several stars, including Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios, took to social media on Sunday to congratulate Carlos Alcaraz on his epic five-set victory over Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.

Other current and former players who shared their praise include Rod Laver, Billie Jean King and Andy Roddick.

Enhorabuena @carlosalcaraz . Nos has dado una alegría inmensa hoy y seguro que nuestro pionero en el tenis español, Manolo Santana, también ha estado animando allá dónde esté como de Wimbledon al que hoy te has unido.
Un abrazo muy fuerte y a disfrutar del momento ¡¡¡Campeón!!!… pic.twitter.com/y0j2GowX3O

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) July 16, 2023

Haven’t watched a whole tennis match in a long time haha THANKYOU @DjokerNole & @carlosalcaraz for putting on that incredible performance. Congratulations to you both 👑🙏🏽

— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) July 16, 2023

Congratulations on your first Wimbledon crown Carlos Alcaraz. You certainly found your feet on grass this summer, an astonishing achievement against one of the greatest champions ever, Novak Djokovic. I’m sure there will be many more magnificent battles between you two. 🚀

— Rod Laver (@rodlaver) July 16, 2023

What a thriller final from two incredible competitors.

Congratulations to @carlosalcaraz, the 2023 Wimbledon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Singles winner! https://t.co/eH81SsyFPI

— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) July 16, 2023

No comments 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️👏👏👏 @carlosalcaraz pic.twitter.com/0KB1XQfjYC

— David Ferrer (@DavidFerrer87) July 16, 2023

Too good from Alcaraz, too good. What a match! 👏🏻

— victoria azarenka (@vika7) July 16, 2023

This is an insane level of tennis. The athleticism …….

— andyroddick (@andyroddick) July 16, 2023

What a final Wimbledon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Wimbledon That level of tennis was inspiring @carlosalcaraz @DjokerNole

— James Blake (@JRBlake) July 16, 2023

Several stars from outside the tennis world also weighed in on the Spaniard’s success, including F1 legend Fernando Alonso, actor Ben Stiller and football player Toni Kroos.

El mejor 🥇🏆! Enhorabuena @carlosalcaraz 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 https://t.co/NuK3tMfBMD

— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) July 16, 2023

And more class… Looking forward to seeing Rafa and Alcaraz out there again.

Congrats to @carlosalcaraz. What an incredible final. https://t.co/prr3Ar6mBE

— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) July 16, 2023

first entire tennis match i watched since rogers retirement. its still worth it. thanks for the show @DjokerNole @carlosalcaraz and congrats carlitos! https://t.co/9nCrh3UDRV

— Toni Kroos (@ToniKroos) July 16, 2023

Qué manera tan impresionante de coronarse en Wimbledon!! Felicidades, @carlosalcaraz!!

— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) July 16, 2023

What a fantastic final to watch! Excellent tennis by both these athletes!

We’re witnessing the rise of the next superstar of tennis. I’ll be following Carlos’ career for the next 10-12 years just like I did with @Rogerfederer.

Many congratulations @carlosalcaraz!Wimbledon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/ZUDjohh3Li

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) July 16, 2023

Absolutely crazy @carlosalcaraz 🏆🎾

— David de Gea (@D_DeGea) July 16, 2023

Big serves win big titles.

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 on Sunday to win his first Wimbledon title on the back of a stunning serving performance. Alcaraz relied heavily on his first serve to close out the match, making six straight first serves at 5-4 in the fifth set to clinch the most significant victory of his career. He served 22 service games in the final, but none mattered more than the last one.

The following serve-related statistics identify that Alcaraz took his serve up a notch or two against Djokovic compared to his previous six matches to the final.

Average Serve Speed
Alcaraz served harder in the final with his first and second serves than in any match he played in the tournament. Djokovic’s potent return game required a serve recalibration.

Alcaraz Average First Serve Speed

• Rd 1 vs. J. Chardy – 118.4 mph
• Rd 2 vs. A. Muller – 119.8 mph
• Rd 3 vs. N. Jarry – 119 mph
• Rd 4 vs. M. Berrettini – 118 mph
• QF vs. H. Rune – 118.6 mph
• SF vs. D. Medvedev – 114.8 mph
• Final vs. N. Djokovic – 121.3 mph

Alcaraz failed to reach a first-serve average of 120 mph in any match to the final. Against Djokovic, he elevated to an average of 121.3 mph. Djokovic won 30 per cent (28/94) of first-serve return points for the match but only 26 per cent (5/19) in the deciding fifth set.

Alcaraz won 70 per cent (66/94) of his first-serve points in the final, which rose to 74 per cent (14/19) in the fifth set. That was the highest win percentage of any of the five sets. Alcaraz recognised what the moment called for.

Alcaraz Average Second Serve Speed

• Rd 1 vs. J. Chardy – 97.7 mph
• Rd 2 vs. A. Muller – 99.9 mph
• Rd 3 vs. N. Jarry – 101.8 mph
• Rd 4 vs. M. Berrettini – 100.3 mph
• QF vs. H. Rune – 101.5 mph
• SF vs. D. Medvedev – 97.5 mph
• Final vs. N. Djokovic – 102.5 mph

Alcaraz won 50 per cent (28/56) of his second-serve points in the final against Djokovic, which took it out of the liability column against arguably the best returner in the world. That’s a win in anyone’s book.

Alcaraz only won 14 per cent (1/7) of second-serve points in the opening set but finished strong, winning 70 per cent (7/10) in the fifth set. The extra speed on the second serve kept Djokovic from stepping in and forcing Alcaraz Serve +1 groundstroke errors.

Body First Serves
Alcaraz cleverly served a lot at Djokovic’s body in the final to give the Serbian a third location to defend against.

Alcaraz First Serve Direction (Deuce & Ad Courts)

• Wide = 34
• Body = 24
• T = 36

Djokovic First Serve Direction (Deuce & Ad Courts)

• Wide = 54
• Body = 8
• T = 56

Alcaraz served triple the amount of first serves at the body than Djokovic (24 to 8) to jam the Serbian and give him a third target area to worry about. It worked a treat. Overall, Alcaraz had 34 per cent (32/94) of his first serves unreturned, while Djokovic was significantly lower at 25 per cent (30/118).

The icing on the cake for Alcaraz was hitting nine aces to three against the Serbian. Three of those aces came in the fifth set. Alcaraz won all five service games he served in the fifth set, with only one of his service games reaching Deuce.

Overall, Alcaraz clubbed more than twice the amount of winners than Djokovic (66 to 32), but this match boiled down to a straightforward tennis equation of hold serve/break serve.

No shot helped Alcaraz put two hands on the golden trophy more than his scintillating serve.