Winners of the week
It was a week of resurgence in the tennis world as several players returned to the winner's circle, finally ending trophy droughts.
In Barcelona, Holger Rune stunned the home crowd with an incredible 7-6(6), 6-2 victory over two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz. The Dane had a magnificent week, also beating Casper Ruud and Karen Khachanov, before putting in one of his best performances in a while in the final.
Touted as one of the best young stars in the game at the age of 19 after beating Novak Djokovic in the Paris Masters final in 2022, it has been far from plain sailing for Rune, with him tumbling down the rankings after a loss of form and suffering a number of health issues.
But his triumph in Spain was a sensational return to his best as he clinched his first title since 2023 and moved back up to number nine in the world. Can he continue this momentum and force himself back into the conversations for the biggest titles?
Over in Stuttgart, the often inexplicable Jelena Ostapenko produced a tournament full of unplayable tennis to win her first title since the start of 2024.
On her way to lifting the trophy (and winning herself a brand new car), she beat Emma Navarro, Ekaterina Alexandrova and Aryna Sabalenka, handing the latter a third defeat in four final appearances in 2025. She also beat Iga Swiatek yet again, improving her incredible record to six wins and zero losses against the Pole.
The Latvian became the first woman since Serena Williams at Madrid in 2012 to defeat the world's best two players en route to winning a clay-court tournament.
It is tough to predict what you will get every week from the former French Open champion, but these performances could be encouraging ahead of Roland Garros. She also moves back into the world's top 20.
Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev got a much-needed victory in Munich, winning his third title there on home soil. The German has struggled for any sort of form since reaching the Australian Open final in January, reaching just one quarter-final in his last six tournaments.
He stood on the brink of a last-eight exit in Munich, coming back from a set and break down against Tallon Griekspoor. However, besides that, it was a rather straightforward title run, with him beating Ben Shelton in the final, 6-2, 6-4. Following his win and Alcaraz's loss in the Barcelona final, Zverev moves back up to number two in the world.
And finally, Elina Svitolina sealed her first title in nearly two years, winning in Rouen without dropping a single set all week. The Ukrainian beat Olga Danilovic 6-4, 7-6(8) in a really hard-fought final, saving two set points from 6-4 down in the tiebreak.
Strugglers of the week
There was an early exit for Andrey Rublev in Barcelona, with the Russian suffering a round-of-16 defeat to the in-form Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Since winning the title in Qatar at the end of February, Rublev has won just two matches and lost five. New coach Marat Safin will be trying to make an impact ahead of a tournament where the 27-year-old has a huge number of points to defend.
In Stuttgart, Mirra Andreeva was comprehensively beaten in the second round by Alexandrova, which may not be too much of a surprise considering the form of the latter. After winning two WTA 1000 events this season, Andreeva's goal will be to carry her incredible start to 2025 into the clay-court swing.
Finally, number two seed Linda Noskova was knocked out at the same stage in Rouen, losing at the hands of Dutch player Suzan Lamens. This follows early round exits for the Czech at both Indian Wells and Miami.
Moment of the week
17-year-old Diego Dedura-Palomero became the first player born in 2008 to win an ATP Tour match, defeating Denis Shapovalov after the Canadian retired from their contest in Berlin with an injury, trailing 7-6(2), 3-0.
A big moment for the young player, and an even bigger (and slightly peculiar) celebration. After a wild roar, the German seemed to draw a cross in the clay and lie down on it. I'm not sure what else to say about that.
Rallies of the week
Alexandrova gained revenge over Jessica Pegula following her defeat to the American in Charleston, as she triumphed this time around in Stuttgart. The Russian made a statement early in the match with this incredible cross-court passing shot.
Speaking of passing shots, Alcaraz was at his mesmerising best with this electric forehand passing shot down the line against Ethan Quinn.
Upcoming events
The tennis season now heads to Madrid, with the men and women arriving in the Spanish capital for the prestigious 1000 event. After enjoying a few one-week tournaments, the Madrid Open starts on Tuesday and will last around 13 days.
Despite taking place on the clay, conditions are very different to the recent ones in Monte Carlo and Barcelona. Played at a high altitude, the ball moves quicker through the air, often playing like a hard court.
Rublev is the reigning men's champion after beating Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final last year, while Swiatek will be defending her title on the women's side after beating Sabalenka in what was arguably the match of the year in 2024.
You can check out the men's draw here and the women's right here.