All three finals this week featured matchups between the tournament’s top two seeds, setting up true heavyweight showdowns. I hosted ATP weekly on Talking Tennis to discuss the three tournaments, but have added some quick hitting blurbs below. It was a packed week!
Ben Shelton saved three championship points at 4–5 in the third set, then closed the match by winning 10 of the final 13 points to defeat Taylor Fritz 3–6, 6–3, 7–5 in the Dallas final.
It’s the 23-year-old’s fourth career ATP title and his first on indoor hard courts. Shelton survived four deciding sets this week and improves to 11–4 in three-set matches since the start of 2025. He consistently found a way out of trouble, knocking off Diallo, Mannarino, Kecmanovic, Shapovalov (the 2025 champion), and Fritz. This surface looks like a natural fit going forward.
Alex de Minaur rolled past Felix Auger-Aliassime 6–3, 6–2 to claim the ATP 500 title in Rotterdam, snapping a two-year run of final losses at the event to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
The Aussie didn’t face a single break point all match and ended Auger-Aliassime’s 39-game service hold streak. He’ll rise to world No. 6 on Monday. De Minaur had to dig deep earlier in the week, coming back from a break down against Botic van de Zandschulp and the home crowd in the quarterfinals. After finishing runner-up the past two years, a well-earned breakthrough as the top seed. Credit as well to Auger-Aliassime for another strong indoor week, the final was the first time anyone truly pushed him.
After falling short twice before, Francisco Cerúndolo got his moment in Buenos Aires defeating Luciano Darderi 6–4, 6–2 to claim the title.
The 27-year-old now tops the tour with 46 clay wins since the start of 2024, while Darderi earns a career-high ranking of No. 21. Cerúndolo has spoken for years about how much this title meant to him, and he delivered in dominant fashion, cruising through the week without dropping a set.
Vamo!
Let’s goo!
Large Ben!