Winners of the week
The second half of the ‘Sunshine Double’, the Miami Open, certainly didn’t disappoint over the past fortnight, with 19-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik claiming a memorable first title on the ATP Tour.
Having shown a glimpse of his immense potential with successive third-round appearances at the US Open and Australian Open, the rising star announced his arrival at the very top of the sport this week with a series of statement victories to take home the Masters 1000 crown.
Armed with a devastating serve and aggressive groundstrokes from the back of the court, Mensik defeated Indian Wells champion Jack Draper, Arthur Fils and Taylor Fritz en route to the final, before battling past the great Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s showpiece, 7-6(4), 7-6(4).
It was a thoroughly accomplished display from the Czech, who raised his level in the key moments to defeat his idol for the first time, denying Djokovic a historic 100th title on Tour in the process.
On the women’s side of the draw in Miami, top seed Aryna Sabalenka proved to be a cut above the rest, securing her eighth WTA 1000 crown without dropping a set throughout the tournament.
Having fallen short against Mirra Andreeva in the Indian Wells final, the Belarusian provided a champion’s response, dispatching top-10 players Qinwen Zheng and Jasmine Paolini in convincing fashion before proving too strong for Jessica Pegula in the final, winning 7-5, 6-2.
Sabalenka remains comfortably the best hard-court player on the WTA Tour, claiming three of the last four hard-court titles in the US, and with 12 wins from her previous 14 matches against top 10 opponents, she’ll fancy her chances of carrying her momentum into the clay-court swing.
Strugglers of the week
After a superb end to 2024 and a solid showing at the Australian Open, Coco Gauff has been unable to string together any kind of form, owing mainly to familiar failings on both her serve and the forehand side.
The American was in a ruthless mood in Miami when dishing out a double bagel to compatriot Sofia Kenin in the second round, but any encouragement from that performance was soon dispelled after a tame straight-set defeat to Magda Linette.
That marked a fifth loss in nine matches for Gauff, who has plenty to work on ahead of a busy schedule in the coming months.
Meanwhile, in the men's tournament, Carlos Alcaraz fell to another desperately disappointing defeat, with the Spaniard losing in three sets to experienced Belgian David Goffin.
It follows an alarming trend for Alcaraz, who at his best can blow away any opponent at the drop of a hat, but all too often struggles to find his top level on a consistent basis.
The 21-year-old has also fallen to Draper and Jiri Lehecka in recent months, so he'll be keen to rediscover the winning habit as he prepares for the clay-court season and his defence of the French Open crown.
Moment of the week
You'd be forgiven for not knowing the name of Alexandra Eala a couple of weeks ago, but after a remarkable run to the semi-finals in Miami, the Filipino has established herself as one of the most exciting prospects in the sport.
Competing at the WTA 1000 event via a wildcard, Eala produced fearless tennis to defeat Grand Slam winners Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys (both in straight sets), before elevating her reputation to a whole different level with a stunning upset of world number two Iga Swiatek in the quarter-final.
Despite falling agonisingly short to Pegula in the last four, it was Eala's heartwarming reaction to defeat that will live long in the memory, earning her hundreds of thousands of new fans across the globe.
As a result of her unforgettable tournament, Eala became the first player from the Philippines to be ranked inside the top 100 on the WTA Tour, rising to world number 75.
Rallies of the week
In a top-quality second-round contest between Mensik and Draper, the Czech came out on top in a breathtaking rally to earn himself a valuable break point.
Emma Raducanu enjoyed a morale-boosting run to the quarter-finals in Miami, but the Brit had no answer to Pegula in this thrilling exchange.
Upcoming events
As is always the case in the non-stop world of tennis, it’s another busy week ahead with WTA tournaments in Charleston and Bogota, as well as ATP events in Houston, Marrakech and Bucharest.
Pegula headlines a star-studded field at the WTA 500 in Charleston with Keys, Zheng and Emma Navarro among the other top seeds, while in Bogota, Marie Bouzkova and Camila Osorio are the standout names to watch out for.
The best of the ATP action comes in Houston, where top seed Tommy Paul will fancy his chances of claiming a maiden clay-court title. Another player to keep an eye on is 2023 champion Frances Tiafoe, who will be hoping to kickstart his season after an inconsistent few months.
Elsewhere, there are also ATP 250 events in Marrakech and Bucharest, with Tallon Griekspoor, Lorenzo Sonego and Sebastian Baez all involved.
Check out the full schedule for tournaments in Charleston, Houston, Marrakech, Bucharest and Bogota via the links.