Game Week 6 Round up

 

GAME WEEK 6 SUMMARY — INDIAN WELLS DELIVERS INJURIES, UPSETS, REVENGE, AND A DOUBLE FIRST‑TIME CHAMPION WEEK

WTA — Sabalenka’s Desert Redemption & a Quarter of Pure Chaos

Indian Wells has a habit of blowing up the draw, and this year it targeted the Coco Gauff quarter with surgical precision.

Coco Gauff’s Rollercoaster Continues

Gauff arrived with a favourable path and a chance to stabilise her uneven 2026 season. Instead, she ran into a completely transformed Alexandra Eala, who played with the kind of fearless aggression Coco had easily handled in Dubai.
A nagging arm injury forced Gauff to retire a set and a break down — a brutal twist for fantasy managers who had banked on a deep run.

Noskova Seizes the Opportunity

With the quarter suddenly wide open, Linda Noskova pounced.
She took out Eala, then ended the fairytale run of Talia Gibson, the Australian qualifier who had somehow taken out three seeds and briefly became the unofficial mascot of the “Who on earth picked her?” fantasy category.

Noskova’s reward: a semi‑final with Aryna Sabalenka.

Andreeva Meltdown & Siniakova’s Miracle

Elsewhere, Mirra Andreeva suffered one of the strangest losses of the week.
Facing an injured Katerina Siniakova, she failed to close out the match, lost in three, and then unleashed a spectacular fury at her team and the crowd.
Siniakova, however, paid the price — she couldn’t continue in her next match and retired against Elina Svitolina.

Svitolina Stuns Swiatek

That retirement set up a blockbuster quarter‑final: Svitolina vs. Iga Swiatek.
And in one of the shocks of the tournament, Svitolina out‑foxed the former world No. 1, handing Swiatek another painful early exit in a season that’s starting to feel… unsettled.

The Other Quarter-Finals

• Sabalenka survived a spirited challenge from rising star Victoria Mboko, who continues to look like a future top‑10 lock.
• Elena Rybakina dismissed an in‑form Jessica Pegula, who had been quietly building momentum.

The Semi-Finals

• Sabalenka overpowered Noskova with ruthless efficiency.
• Rybakina, improving with every match, ended Svitolina’s run.

The Final — A Rivalry Cemented

A rematch of the Australian Open final.
A showdown between the world No. 1 and the newly crowned world No. 2.
A rivalry that now defines the WTA.

And once again, they delivered a classic — a match that could have gone either way, decided only by a knife‑edge third‑set tiebreak.

Aryna Sabalenka finally lifted her first Indian Wells title, avenging her Melbourne defeat and extending her absurdly good tiebreak record.
The desert belongs to her now.

ATP — Sinner’s First Desert Crown & Medvedev’s Great Escape

Indian Wells looked destined to give us the final everyone expected: Sinner vs. Alcaraz, the rivalry shaping the era.
But Daniil Medvedev had other plans — and a wild travel story.

Medvedev’s Journey Begins in… Oman?

After being stranded in the Middle East due to escalating conflict, Medvedev managed to escape Dubai via Oman, arriving in the U.S. with the energy of a man who had already survived a boss fight before the tournament even began.

Quarter-Final Chaos

• Carlos Alcaraz beat Cameron Norrie, who continues his quiet resurgence and reclaimed the British No. 1 spot thanks in part to Jack Draper’s injury layoff.
• Jack Draper, defending champion, produced one of the matches of the tournament to beat Novak Djokovic in a fourth‑round epic. But the emotional and physical toll left him empty against Medvedev, who won comfortably despite a minor hindrance‑call controversy.
• Jannik Sinner dismantled young American Learner Tien with alarming ease.
• Alexander Zverev looked like the one man capable of breaking the Sinner–Alcaraz duopoly, playing brilliant tennis to beat Arthur Fils. But when he met Sinner, the script reverted to type: 6–2, 6–4, and Zverev once again left looking like he’d run out of ideas.

The Semi-Finals

• Medvedev vs. Alcaraz was the match of the tournament.
  Alcaraz came in with a 16–0 record in 2026, titles in Melbourne and Doha, and the aura of inevitability.
  Medvedev didn’t care.
  He played one of his best matches in years to win 6–3, 7–6, snapping the streak and reminding everyone that he is still the ultimate hard‑court problem.
• Sinner vs. Zverev was clinical.
  Sinner barely blinked.

The Final — A Double Tiebreak Knife Fight

Medvedev pushed Sinner to the absolute limit.
Two tiebreaks.
Two sets where Medvedev had real chances.
Two sets where Sinner’s ice‑cold precision made the difference.

Jannik Sinner won 7–6, 7–6 to claim his first Indian Wells title — a tournament he has openly admitted to struggling with in the past.
Now?
He looks unbeatable on any surface, anywhere.

Fantasy Dark Horses Shine

• Sonay Kartal reached the fourth round, beating Navarro and Keys before a back issue left her no match for Rybakina.
• João Fonseca once again showed why the hype is real, pushing Sinner to two tight tiebreaks in the fourth round.
  Managers who gambled on these two were rewarded handsomely.

Here are the Global League standings for the game week.

As the budgets available to FTL managers continue to grow, we are starting to see most of the top teams fielding very strong sides.  Most of them were able to field at least 3 of the four finalists - (Sinner, Medvedev, Sabalenka and Rybakina) while nearly everyone has Alcaraz.

As a consequence it was an extremely competitive week so major kudos to our top four Pieter-Jan, Vlad, Mikhail and Michael who were the top of the tree in the game week leaderboard.

In the end of was Pieter-Jan and Charly Cheatcode who took the game week by just 6 points from Vlad's "Possssors of Glory".  Congrats to both on a great contest which really went right down to the wire.

Here is the head to head between the two.

Crucially Charly Cheatcode had Sinner as their Captain and that proved to be the most significant tipping point between these two teams.  Both teams had Sinner, Alcaraz, Medvedev and Rybakina and also Fonseca with Vlad being bold enough to include him as a main team player while Pieter- Jan had him as a dark horse.  Vlad also had decent returns from Cirstea, Pegula and dark horse Kartal while Pieter-Jan had decent returns from Swiatek and Draper.  

The game week win as elevated Charly Cheatcode to the top of the season standings as well.

A lot of new names at the top of the leaderboard this year but also a few familiar FTL teams featured in the shape of Sagar, Mikhail, Sindre and Olga!

The season is still in its infancy though so don't worry if you've fallen a little behind in the early stages. There is plenty of time to make up the deficit.

If we look at the performance of last years top teams, you can see how unpredictable FTL can be and that's been particularly true of this season.

Our Champions from last year Nadal's Forehand (Dragan) is currently 81st in the standings.

2nd placed nbladeweilder (Nikhil) is currently 126th!

3rd place broccoli (Alex) is currently 103rd.

So you get the general idea!

Everything can and probably will change over the next 26 or so game weeks!

MIAMI DRAWS AND DARK HORSE BREAKDOWN

I have attached the Miami Draws (FTL Version) and Dark Horse Breakdown.  Please note that the Qualifying will not be completed until Tuesday March 17th, so as a result, the Qualifiers and Lucky Losers have not been placed.  Sadly, there are 10 Main Draw matches in the Womens event that are also set to be take place on Tuesday as well, so most of the Qualifying won't be completed by the time that the lockout commences.

 

Do not forget to select your Dark Horse for both the Mens and Womens events.

 

If you want a copy, click on the link, Miami Draws Once you do so, click on FILE, and scroll to MAKE A COPY, and call it whatever you want

Good Luck :)

Game Week 5 Roundup

 

Here is a clean, coherent, narrative‑driven Game Week 5 summary, written in the same tone and structure as the Week 4 piece so the two will sit perfectly together when you add the fantasy layer.

---

GAME WEEK 5 SUMMARY — UPSETS, WALKOVERS, HOMECOMING HEARTBREAKS, AND A DOUBLE CROWN

ATP 500 Acapulco – A Seed Massacre and a Cobolli Revival

Acapulco delivered pure chaos from the opening round. Three of the top seeds were gone before they’d even warmed up: Alex de Minaur was stunned by qualifier Patrick Kypson, Casper Ruud fell to another qualifier in Yibing Wu, and Cam Norrie was swept aside by the fast‑rising Rafael Jodar.

Even the marquee attraction couldn’t escape the carnage. Alexander Zverev, the top seed, was bundled out in the second round by Miomir Kecmanovic. In a bizarre echo of Rio the previous week, Zverev then turned around and won the doubles title with Marcelo Melo—the second week in a row that Marcelo Melo had helped one of his buddies salvage something from a disappointing singles run.

Two seeds did manage to restore some order. Flavio Cobolli, who has endured a rough start to 2026, rediscovered his spark and edged Kecmanovic in a tight semi‑final. Frances Tiafoe came from a set down to beat Brandon Nakashima in the other semi.

The final belonged to Cobolli. Confident, composed, and finally playing like the top‑20 talent he’s becoming, he beat Tiafoe in straight sets to claim the biggest title of his career and rocket himself up to ATP No. 15—a huge payoff for the fantasy managers who kept the faith.

---

ATP Dubai – Medvedev’s Most Ironic Title Yet

Dubai produced one of the strangest storylines of the season. Daniil Medvedev, owner of 22 career titles, had never won twice in the same city—a running joke he leaned into by suggesting the tour might need to keep finding him new locations.

This week he looked determined to end the curse. He cruised past Shang, Wawrinka, Brooksby, and Auger‑Aliassime without dropping a set, looking sharper than he has in months.

The other semi‑final was a drama of its own. Andrey Rublev faced Tallon Griekspoor, who appeared to injure himself early in the match. With limited movement, Griekspoor adopted a “hit big or go home” strategy—and somehow it worked. He stole the first set and then edged the second in a tiebreak to reach the final.

But the injury caught up with him. Griekspoor was forced to withdraw, handing Medvedev the title via walkover—the most anticlimactic but fittingly ironic way for him to finally win twice in the same city.

The week ended on a surreal note as players were temporarily stranded in Dubai due to the escalating military situation in the Middle East. There is cautious optimism that Medvedev and Rublev will still make it to Indian Wells.

---

ATP Santiago – Darderi Caps the Clay Swing in Style

The South American clay swing wrapped up in Santiago, where the home crowd hoped for a Chilean champion. Sebastian Baez had other ideas, knocking out Garin and then Tabilo despite the partisan atmosphere. Baez’s run ended in the semi‑finals against Luciano Darderi, the Argentine‑turned‑Italian who has been one of the standout performers of the clay season.

On the other side of the draw, Yannick Hanfmann produced one of the gutsiest weeks of his career. Battling illness, he somehow survived his quarter‑final against Gaubas, then delivered his best tennis to upset top seed Francisco Cerúndolo.

The final, however, belonged to Darderi. Confident and relentless, he overpowered Hanfmann to take the title and close out a superb South American swing that has firmly established him as one of 2026’s early breakout stars.

---

WTA Austin – Stearns Rides the Rollercoaster to the Cowboy Hat

Austin was supposed to be Jessica Pegula’s show, but after her Dubai triumph she withdrew—catching many fantasy managers off guard. That left Iva Jovic as the top seed and Venus Williams as the sentimental favourite.

Both were taken out by the same wrecking ball: Ajla Tomljanovic, who beat Venus in round one and then stunned Jovic. True to form, Tomljanovic then lost meekly to compatriot Kimberley Birrell, continuing her tradition of giant‑killing followed by a flat exit.

The American hopes were revived by two unexpected names: Peyton Stearns and Taylor Townsend, neither of whom had shown much form this year. Stearns beat Birrell in the semis, while Townsend—playing as a wildcard—took out Ashlyn Krueger.

The final was tight and nervy. Stearns edged a first‑set tiebreak and held her nerve in a 7–5 second set to claim the title—and the iconic cowboy hat—a remarkable turnaround considering she lost the opening set of her very first match to Fran Jones.

---

WTA Merida – Bucsa’s Breakthrough and a Double Crown

Merida delivered one of the feel‑good stories of the season. 

Jasmine Paolini entered late and immediately became the star attraction, but the week was overshadowed by security concerns as cartel violence flared across Mexico. Thankfully, the tournament proceeded safely.

Defending champion Emma Navarro continued her patchy form, losing to veteran Zhang Shuai in the second round. Paolini survived a bizarre quarter‑final where she was bageled in the first set by Katie Boulter, only to recover and reach the semis. That’s where her run ended—stopped by the week’s revelation, Cristina Bucsa.

On the other side, Magdalena Frech put together a quietly excellent week, beating both Bouzas Maneiro and Bouzkova, then taking out Zhang to reach the final.

The title match was a close one but Bucsa took it in 3 sets. Confident, composed, and riding the wave of her best week on tour, she claimed the trophy—and the traditional sombrero—before completing a stunning singles‑and‑doubles double alongside Jiang Xinyu.

---

And so to the Fantasy Tennis week. 

Here is the weekly table at the end of the game week.  

Massive congrats to Sagar Chowdhry who was the Game Week 5 champ.  While a lot of the bigger names in FTL are struggling this season, Goaldies are beginning to find some form and moving to their regular place around the top of the FTL table.  Goaldies scored 463 points this week which was nearly 33 points clear of their nearest rivals  TrickKyrgios (Demy Kunst)

Lets take a look at the head to head between the top two

Both managers had Dubai winner Daniil Medvedev and Santiago winner Darderi.  However Sagar boasted a further winner in the shape of Flavio Cobolli which meant he had a total of 3 winners in his team which is a fantastic game week by anyone's standards.  Sagar also had great point returns from FAA, Cerundolo and to a lesser extend Baez.   Demy's captaincy choice was better going for FAA when Sagar had Jovic and Demy also had a great return from Merida finalist Magdalena Frech.

Congrats to both on a great week! 

INDIAN WELLS DRAWS AND DARK HORSE BREAKDOWN

 

I have attached the Indian Wells Draws (FTL Version) and Dark Horse Breakdown.  Please note that the Qualifying was completed yesterday evening, so as a result, the Qualifiers and Lucky Losers have been placed.

Do not forget to select your Dark Horse for both the Mens and Womens events.

 

If you want a copy, click on the link, Indian Wells Draws Once you do so, click on FILE, and scroll to MAKE A COPY, and call it whatever you want

Good Luck :)

Game Week 4 Roundup

 

Here’s a clean, narrative‑driven summary of Game Week 4, shaped exactly in the tone we’ve used before: coherent, story‑first, and ready for you to bolt the fantasy layer onto afterwards.

---

GAME WEEK 4 SUMMARY — A WEEK OF WITHDRAWALS, UPSETS, AND BREAKTHROUGHS

WTA 1000 Dubai – A Tournament Held Together With Tape

Dubai was supposed to be a heavyweight WTA showdown, but instead it became a survival test. The withdrawals came thick and fast: Sabalenka citing injury, Swiatek pulling out after her shock Doha loss to Sakkari, and even the Doha finalists Mboko and Muchova stepping away. Suddenly the top seed was Elena Rybakina, but even she didn’t make it past the third round, retiring ill against lucky loser Antonia Ruzic.

Ruzic made the most of her unexpected lifeline, riding the momentum all the way to the quarter‑finals, where she finally ran into Elina Svitolina. The crowds, meanwhile, had their hearts set on rising star Alexandra Eala, who also reached the quarters before being firmly dismissed by Coco Gauff.

The other quarter‑finals delivered drama: Jess Pegula needed three sets to shake off Clara Tauson, while Mirra Andreeva suffered yet another agonisingly tight defeat, this time to Amanda Anisimova.

The semi‑finals were quality affairs. Svitolina repeated her Australian Open win over Gauff, while Pegula clawed back from a set down to beat Anisimova in an all‑American duel. But the final belonged entirely to Pegula, who produced a calm, clinical 6–2, 6–4 performance to lift the trophy and bring order to a chaotic week.

---

ATP 500 Doha – Alcaraz Dominates, Sinner Stumbles

Doha promised a blockbuster: Alcaraz and Sinner, the two standout men of 2026, returning to action. Only one of them lived up to the billing.

Alcaraz was sharp from the start, coming from a set down to beat Khachanov in the quarters and then dispatching Rublev in the semis. Sinner, however, was stunned by Jakub Mensik, whose fearless hitting produced one of the upsets of the season so far.

The other big story was the resurgence of Arthur Fils, finally looking like himself again after injury troubles. If Alcaraz was busy clearing out the Russians, Fils was taking care of the Czechs—beating Lehecka and then Mensik to reach the final.

But the tank was empty by Sunday. Alcaraz overwhelmed him 6–2, 6–1, a ruthless reminder of the gap between the very best and the merely excellent. With the win, Alcaraz tightened his grip on the 2026 Race.

---

ATP Rio – Etcheverry Survives the Chaos

The South American clay swing rolled into Rio, and the chaos began immediately. The previous week’s Buenos Aires finalists Francisco Cerundolo and Luciano Darderi both crashed out early—Cerundolo retiring against Tirante, and Darderi losing to Francisco's younger brother Juan Manuel Cerundolo. 

Home favourite João Fonseca suffered another disappointing singles exit, falling to Peru’s Ignacio Buse, though he salvaged the week by winning the doubles title with Melo.

Heavy rain forced the tournament into a brutal schedule: both semi‑finals and the final on the same day. Alejandro Tabilo beat Buse, while Tomas Etcheverry had to dig deep to overcome Vit Kopriva from a set down.

Then Etcheverry did it again. In a gripping final, he clawed back from a set down to defeat Tabilo 3–6, 7–6, 6–4, showing remarkable resilience and earning one of the most hard‑fought titles of his career.

---

ATP Delray Beach – Korda’s Redemption Arc

Delray Beach delivered a classic American hard‑court week, with five home players reaching the quarter‑finals. Tommy Paul edged out Taylor Fritz, while teenage sensation Learner Tien continued his habit of escaping from the brink—saving match points against Kecmanovic, then toppling Tiafoe.

Flavio Coboli rediscovered some form with a win over Coleman Wong, and Sebastian Korda produced one of the wins of the week, coming from a set down to beat Casper Ruud.

Tien even took the first set off Paul in the semis before the older American steadied himself. Korda, meanwhile, handled Coboli in straight sets to reach a much‑needed final.

The championship match was all Korda. Confident, clean, and finally healthy, he swept past Paul 6–4, 6–3, a reminder of the level he can reach when his body cooperates.

---

Here is the global league table for the game week.

Congratulations to Tony and his team TonyTonic who dominated the game week with a winning margin of 54 points.

Here is Tony's team for the game week. 

Captain Alcaraz delivered as expected but Tony has another winner in the shape of Rio champ Tomas Martin Etcheverry.  He also had Dubai runner up Svitolina and the runner up from Delray Beach - Tommy Paul.  Semi finalists Coco Gauff and Jakub Mensik also delivered important points. So despite the no shows from Mboko and Sakkari, Tony was a level above the rest.  

Lets have a look at the level 2 standings so see who takes the game week prize.

It was the closest of battles between Stanimal Rights Activists (Preston) and Between the Lines (David) with only 1.515 points separating them at the end of the game week.

Here is the head to head

Not much to choose between these two teams but if we are going to look at a defining moment, perhaps Preston can look to the ER performance of Learner Tien who stepped into the shoes of Victoria Mboko after her withdrawal and delivery a healthy 33 points.  Preston also boasted two winners in Captain Alcaraz and KP Pegula.

Congrats to both on a great week.

FTL Cup - Group Stage fixtures - Game Week 6

 

The FTL Cup returns during the next game week and we have the 2nd set of group stage fixtures.

The two winners in your group will face off against each other and of course the two losers.

So if you won your first match, this is your chance to claim top spot in the group and if you lost your first match, its time to get your campaign up and running!

The current standings and next set of fixtures can all be viewed on this link

FTL Cup   

Game Week 3 Roundup

 

🎾 WTA 1000 Doha – Muchova Returns, Mboko Arrives, and Iga Wobbles

Doha delivered the most intriguing storyline of the week: a final that nobody predicted but everyone enjoyed. Karolína Muchová, finally healthy enough to string matches together, reminded the tour what she looks like at full flow. Her path wasn’t soft either — wins over Anisimova and Kalinskaya set the tone, but the real statement came in the semifinal where she clawed back from a set down to beat Maria Sakkari, who had just produced the shock of the week by knocking out top seed Iga Świątek. That result alone will have fantasy managers wondering whether Iga’s aura of inevitability is flickering a little in early 2026.

On the other side of the draw, Victoria Mboko continued her astonishing rise. The Canadian teenager survived a match point against Mirra Andreeva, then outlasted Elena Rybakina in a bruising quarterfinal before dispatching the eternal chaos merchant Jelena Ostapenko in the semis. Mboko’s run was a showcase of grit, nerve, and a refusal to be intimidated by bigger names. But the final belonged to Muchová, whose variety and poise were simply too much. If she stays healthy — a perennial “if” — she’s a genuine threat at every major event this season.

🎾 ATP 500 Rotterdam – De Minaur’s Steel, Felix’s Revival, and Botic’s Almost

Rotterdam was a week for the purists: clean indoor tennis, crisp ball‑striking, and a final that pitted the top two seeds against each other. Alex de Minaur, the No. 1 seed, dropped just one set all week — and that came in a near‑disaster against home favourite Botic van de Zandschulp, who pushed him to the brink in front of a raucous Dutch crowd. Survive that, though, and the rest of the week looked almost serene. De Minaur handled Ugo Humbert in the semis with trademark efficiency and then produced a confident, composed performance to beat Felix Auger‑Aliassime in the final.

Felix, for his part, looked more like the player who once threatened to break into the very top tier. His run to the final was a welcome reminder of his ceiling, and fantasy managers who gambled on him were rewarded handsomely. But Rotterdam ultimately belonged to De Minaur — a player who seems to be entering the “I win the matches I’m supposed to win” phase of his career, which is exactly what top seeds are meant to do.

🎾 ATP 250 Dallas – Shelton’s Boom, Fritz’s Consistency, and a Pair of Comebacks

Dallas served up an all‑American final between Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz, with the No. 2 seed Shelton powering his way to the title. His lefty serve was its usual menace, but what stood out this week was his composure in tight moments — especially in the semifinal against Denis Shapovalov, a three‑set thriller where Shapo showed flashes of his old brilliance before Shelton slammed the door shut.

The other semifinal featured a welcome sight: Marin Čilić, the veteran and former major champion, pushing Fritz hard in two tight sets. Fritz, the top seed, did everything expected of him — steady, disciplined, and clinical — but Shelton’s explosiveness in the final proved decisive. For fantasy managers, Dallas was a straightforward week: pick the seeds, reap the points, and enjoy the fireworks.

🎾 ATP 250 Buenos Aires – Cerúndolo’s Homecoming, Darderi’s Breakthrough, and a Bucket‑List Moment

Buenos Aires was the most emotional stop of the week, headlined by Francisco Cerúndolo fulfilling a dream he had openly spoken about. In a video chat with Casper Ruud, he’d said that winning his home tournament was on his bucket list for 2026 — and whether Ruud was a lucky charm or simply a good listener, Cerúndolo made it happen. The No. 1 seed played with purpose all week and capped it off by beating No. 2 seed Luciano Darderi in the final.

Darderi’s run was a breakout moment in its own right, confirming that his surge up the rankings is no fluke. But this tournament belonged to Cerúndolo, who fed off the Buenos Aires crowd and delivered the kind of clay‑court tennis that makes him so dangerous in South America. For fantasy managers, this was the most predictable event of the week — the top two seeds marched to the final without much fuss — but it was also the most satisfying, a homegrown champion lifting a trophy he’s long coveted.

Here is the global league table for the game week. 

Congrats to Anuar Zhumabay and his team State of Serve who finished top of the standings for this game week. 

Anuar had Dallas winner Ben Shelton and Rotterdam runner up FAA as KPs.  He had both Doha finalists in Muchova and Mboko as well as an excellent DH choice in the shape of Jelena Ostapenko.  Altogether an outstanding week.

Sitting at 2nd and 3rd in the standings are Sindre (Team Le Tourneau) and Shane (CooCoo 4 Coco Gauffs) and it was these two teams who battled it out for Level 2 honours.

Congrats to Sindre who edged out the game week by 10 points.  Here is the head to head between the two sides.

Remarkably Shane had all 4 Champions in his team but if he's looking for scapegoat that stopped him getting top spot - look no further than Daniil Medvedev!