Our regular tennis feature, The Base Line, returns this week as we look to keep you up to date with the relentless and fast-paced nature of the ATP and WTA Tours. Who were crowned champions, who struggled to make an impact, and what moments stood out the most over the past seven days?
Winners of the week
Starting at the ATP 250 in Gstaad, Alexander Bublik clinched a maiden clay-court title courtesy of a hard-fought 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory over surprise finalist Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
The Kazakh’s new-found consistency shows no signs of slowing down this summer, with Bublik backing up his run to the French Open quarter-finals with silverware on both grass (Halle) and now a breakthrough milestone on clay.
Furthermore, he’s now racked up 20 wins from his last 23 matches, moving back into the top 30 as a result.
Over in Germany, Lois Boisson secured a first-ever title on the WTA Tour, as the 22-year-old Frenchwoman defeated Anna Bondar 7-5, 6-3 in Sunday’s showpiece.
Boisson emerged as a player to watch last month after her fairytale run to the French Open semi-finals, and despite a disappointing exit in Wimbledon qualifying, she’s now firmly underlined her credentials as an excellent clay-court player.
The Hamburg champion will be keen to transfer her form onto the American hard courts, as she looks to continue her rapid rise through the rankings.
Luciano Darderi joined Carlos Alcaraz and compatriot Flavio Cobolli as the third ATP player to win multiple tour-level clay tournaments this year after seeing off Jesper de Jong 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the Bastad final.
The Italian secured impressive victories over Argentine duo Sebastian Baez and Francisco Cerundolo en route to the showpiece in Sweden, earning his third career title on the ATP Tour.
Elsewhere, Denis Shapovalov provided a reminder of his undoubted talent, seeing off Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 6-2 to capture the title in Los Cabos, while Irina-Camelia Begu was victorious on home soil in Iasi, defeating Jil Teichmann in straight sets, 6-0, 7-5.
There was also Hopman Cup action in Bari, as Bianca Andreescu and Felix Auger-Aliassime teamed up to lead Canada to glory in a tense final against hosts Italy.
Played in a typically fervent Italian atmosphere, Andreescu and Auger-Aliassime held their nerve in the decisive doubles rubber to clinch their country’s first-ever Hopman Cup title.
Andreescu was particularly impressive for Canada, with the former US Open champion winning all three of her singles matches throughout the event.
Strugglers of the week
Having missed the entire grass-court season, Casper Ruud made a disappointing return to action in Gstaad last week, with the top seed losing his second-round clash against world number 81 and eventual finalist Cerundolo.
The former US Open finalist will be hoping to bounce back and build some much-needed momentum over the coming weeks as he targets a successful swing on the American hard courts.
Meanwhile, at the ATP 250 in Bastad, Baez’s desperate run of form continued, as the Argentine fell to a chastening 6-0, 6-2 defeat against Darderi – his 11th loss in 14 matches.
Baez enjoyed a superb start to 2025, securing his second ATP title in Rio, as well as reaching the final at clay-court events in Santiago and Bucharest.
However, first-round exits at Roland Garros and Wimbledon have headlined a dismal few months, leaving him outside the top 40 for the first time in well over a year.
Moment of the week
There was some sad, albeit unsurprising, news on Thursday, with three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur announcing she was taking an indefinite break from competitive tennis.
Often referred to as the ‘minister of happiness’ for her joyful personality both on and off the court, Jabeur said she was stepping away from the sport to “rediscover the joy of simply living”.
The Tunisian, who reached a career-high ranking of world number two in June 2022, has struggled for form this year, failing to progress beyond the third round of a major while dropping out of the top 50.
Jabeur’s recent campaign at Wimbledon – where she reached back-to-back finals in 2022 and 2023 – came to a disappointing end, as she retired from her first-round match against Viktoriya Tomova following a long medical timeout.
“For the past two years, I’ve been pushing myself so hard, fighting through injuries and facing many other challenges. But deep down, I haven’t truly felt happy on the court for some time now,” Jabeur said in a statement.
“Tennis is such a beautiful sport. But right now, I feel it’s time to take a step back and finally put myself first: to breathe, to heal, and to rediscover the joy of simply living.”
Rallies of the week
Gstaad champion Bublik produced a real moment of magic in the final against Cerundolo, defending valiantly from the baseline before unleashing a trademark cross-court winner to secure the point.
Begu came out on top in the longest rally of the final in Iasi, with the Romanian outlasting Teichmann thanks to some brutal hitting from the back of the court.
Upcoming events
This week marks the start of the American hard-court swing, with ATP and WTA 500 tournaments taking place in Washington.
Taylor Fritz, Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune are among the top seeds in the men’s event, while American duo Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro headline a strong women’s draw.
Elsewhere, Linda Noskova is the top seed at the Prague Open, while there are also ATP 250 events in Kitzbuhel and Umag.
Check out the full schedule for tournaments in Washington (ATP), Washington (WTA), Prague, Kitzbuhel and Umag via the links.
Danny ClarkFlashscore News