Game Week 12 Roundup

 

Jannik Sinner wins another Masters Event.   A Ukranian wins the women's title. A dark horse option runs riot.   Have we been here before?

A different city but a very similar narrative to last week as the tennis tour moved onto Roma.

But its worth repeating the crazy records that Jannik Sinner is setting at the moment.  Sinner has now completed the series of Masters titles at the tender age of 24.  He has won 6 back to back Masters 1000 titles.  Paris, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid and now Rome.  And he has now broken Novak Djokovic's seemingly unbreakable record of straight wins at Masters 1000 level making it to 34 straight wins.  

Its just ridiculous and begs the question.... how many more records is he going to set this year?  With Carlos missing from Roland Garros and Wimbledon and possibly beyond that, the stage is set for Sinner to dominate men's tennis for the next few months.  Can anyone stop him?

The only thing that seemingly can stop Jannik is his own health at times as was evident in his semi final match against Medvedev.  He looked decidedly unwell in his semi final match with Daniil Medvedev. Was it the culmination of matches, the stress of trying to win a Masters title in Italy. Who knows? He managed to survive, somehow, did the rain delays help?  Possibly...

In the final Jannik would safe Casper Ruud who once again presented himself as a Dark Horse option. In Madrid he didn't quit deliver the points everyone was hoping for surprisingly losing to Blockx but there was no stopping Casper in Rome as he cruised through his semi final against Italian Darderi who himself was enjoyed his best ever Masters Run.  (Maybe the shades were a bit over the top Luciano).

There was one man who could stop Casper however and that was Sinner in the final.  Ruud played pretty well if truth be told but Sinner was just too good  6-4, 6-4 to Jannik.

In the women's event it was another tournament where a Ukranian was to hold the trophy come the end of the event.  In Madrid it was Marta Kostyuk but in Rome it was a more seasoned campaigner in the shape of tennis Mom Elina Svitolina.  

And boy did she take down some scalps to win the title.  In the Quarter Final she came from a set down to defeat Australian Open champ Elena Rybakina.  In the semi final she bounced back from a 2nd set loss to see of the Wimbledon Champ Iga Swiatek. And in the final, she was her determined best to see out a three set tussle with reigning French Open champ  Coco Gauff.

If you're taking down three reigning Grand Slam champ to win a Masters 1000 title, its fair to say you absolutely deserve it.  What about the reigning US Open champ I hear you ask...well you probably didn't but humour me here.  Aryna actually lost out to Sorana Cirstea in thee third round. Sorana was to go on to reach the semi finals in another incredible week for her in what is proving to be a remarkable retirement year for her as she moves into the World top 20.  Will she reconsider?  

In Fantasy Tennis we had the rather unique situation of three different winners this week.  As you know we have three tiers of Fantasy Tennis in terms of Prize Options.  The global level open to everyone where the only prize is bragging rights!  Level 1 members are eligible for the end of season prize.  But if you are one of the Level 2 sponsors then you are in the running for weekly and monthly prizes!

Here the Global Leaderboard for the game week.  

Massive congrats to Maria Varano and her team AlwayswithRafa who just edged out Aditya Sharma and his team Harakiri by the smallest of margins to top the Global Leaderboard charts this week.  Maria's team finished with an excellent 835.799 points.

Aditya can finally celebrate some glory however by topping the Level 1 standings for this week. He was only 3 points behind Maria.

And the Level 2 prize winning honour goes to Tricia and Prepare for Czech Mate who finished on 814 points.

Here are their teams for the week.

Maria had a terrific team. She captained Rome champ Jannik Sinner (didn't we all) but she also had WTA Champ Svitolina and WTA Semi finalists Swiatek and Cirstea!  Significantly Maria had men's finalist Casper Ruud as a Key Player rather than a dark horse which significantly boosted his total. Her starting 8 more than made up from the sub par performance of her dark horse which makes the game week win all the more impressive!

A good week too for Aditya, who's loyalty to Elina Svitolina was rewarded in kind this week has he picked up almost 150 points from having Elina in a key player role. In fact he had all four finalists with Sinner as captain,  Coco as a TP and Ruud in the DH position. His only regret may be making Tabilo DH instead of Darderi, With Fils withdrawing Tabilo came into play but the points he could have got from Darderi would have been far more profitable!

The same could be true for Tricia who also had Darderi on the bench but that was more academic as Tricia's replacement for Fils was Rafael Jodar who turned out to be a more than adequate replacement. As well as three of the finalists - Sinner, Ruud and Gauff,  Tricia had strong performances from Pegula, Rybakina, Andreeva and DH Penko.

FRENCH OPEN DRAWS & DARK HORSE BREAKDOWN

 

I have attached the French Open Draws (FTL Version) and Dark Horse Breakdown.  Please note that the Qualifying was completed earlier today, so as a result, the 24 Qualifiers and 1 Lucky Loser (Sebastian Korda withdrew) have also been placed.

 

For those that are wondering, the Bottom half of the draw is set to take place on Monday in both the Mens and Womens event, so both sections of the draw has been highlighted in light purple. 

 

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

 

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

Good Luck!  Btw both the Mens and Womens events are set to take place at the same time on Sunday, so the event specific lockout won't be in place this week.

Game Week 11 Roundup

 

⭐ FTL Game Week 11 — Madrid Masters: When Dark Horses Became Headliners

Masters events and Slams always give us that delicious FTL twist: the dark horse picks. One man, one woman, each under 6.5 million, quietly tucked into your squad as potential chaos agents. Most weeks you’re hoping for a couple of wins, maybe 40 points if the stars align.

But every so often, FTL hands you a gem — a dark horse who can actually win the whole thing.

Game Week 11 was one of those weeks. On the women’s side: Marta Kostyuk, fresh off a clay title in Rouen. On the men’s side: Casper Ruud, underpriced after a poor hard‑court swing but back on his beloved clay.

Both looked like dream picks. One of them delivered in spectacular fashion.

🎾 WTA Madrid — Kostyuk’s Breakthrough Amid the Chaos

The women’s draw was absolute carnage.

• Iga Swiatek fell victim to the Madrid bug and retired in Round 3.

• Coco Gauff battled illness and still nearly beat Noskova before fading.

• Elena Rybakina was stunned by a resurgent Anastasia Potapova.

• And the shock of the week: Aryna Sabalenka losing to an inspired Hailey Baptiste, who kept finding magic whenever Aryna tried to close the door.

Through all that turbulence, Kostyuk looked like the one player who actually knew what she was doing.

Her supposed stumbling block was Round 3 vs Jess Pegula, but clay is Pegula’s least favourite terrain. Marta flattened her 6–1, 6–4, then powered past McNally and Noskova to reach the semis.

Her semi against Potapova was a rollercoaster — dominant first set, lost second, emphatic third — but she handled it like a player who finally believes she belongs at the top.

In the other half, Mirra Andreeva continued her clay‑court surge, tantrums and all. She toughed out Bondar in three and then ended Baptiste’s dream run.

The final had hype, but in truth, Kostyuk controlled it from start to finish, imposing her game and her presence. Straight sets, first WTA 1000 title, and a statement that she’s a genuine Roland Garros contender.

Just don’t expect her to be a dark horse ever again.

🎾 ATP Madrid — Sinner’s Reign Continues

With Carlos Alcaraz withdrawing and Novak Djokovic absent, the draw opened wide for the unstoppable Jannik Sinner, who seems intent on rewriting Masters 1000 history     one week at a time.

He did get one early scare — Benjamin Bonzi nicking the first set in Round 2 — but Sinner quickly restored order.

Next came the rising Spanish sensation Rafael Jodar, who’s been tearing through the clay swing (Marrakech title, Barcelona semis). Sinner schooled him in the first set, but Jodar made the second competitive and showed he’s the real deal.

Then it was Arthur Fils, Barcelona champion and human highlight reel. But Sinner smothered him too, as if someone had turned the electricity off.

🔥 The Ruud Detour — and the Blockx Bombshell

In the bottom half, Casper Ruud looked every inch the clay titan again, cruising past Munar and ADF before surviving a spirited Stefanos Tsitsipas in Round 4.

But the story of the week wasn’t Ruud. It was Alexander Blockx.

The Belgian teenager quietly took out FAA and Cerúndolo, then produced the shock of the tournament: Blockx def. Ruud 6–4, 6–4.

A dark horse dream for many managers… just not this week. The silver lining? Ruud would be available again in Rome — and as you hinted, we all know how that turned out.

Blockx’s run ended in the semis against Alexander Zverev, who found his Madrid mojo just in time after shaky earlier rounds. He dispatched Cobolli and then Blockx with clinical efficiency.

But Zverev vs Sinner? That matchup feels like a foregone conclusion these days.

Sinner dismantled him 6–1, 6–2 in a final that looked more like a coronation than a contest, sealing his fourth straight Masters title and extending a run that’s starting to look historic.

Here is the Global Game Week table for Game Week 11. 

He's back folks and he means business.  Its been a stuttering start for Dragan Josifoski after his historic league and cup double in 2025 but his 2026 campaign is very much back on track after a cracking game week in Madrid.  He was pushed all the way by Oli and the Gravy Shipwrecks however and ultimately there was less than 10 points between them.

Here is the head to head between the two top teams.

Both Dragan and Oli made most of the right choices this week and had all four finalists with Sinner as Captain and Kostyuk as a dark horse.  In fact, from a line up point of view there was only one difference in their starting 10.  Dragan had Machac and Oli had Iga who of course was a surprising early exit. Now of course Iga outscored Machac so how did Dragan win?  It all came down to player positioning! While Oli had Gauff as a TP, Dragan had her as KP.  And while Oli had Coboli as a dark horse,  Dragan had him in his main team scoring additional points.  And that's what made all the difference in the end!

Congrats to Dragan and Oli on a great week!

FTL Cup - Game Week 13

 

The FTL Cup returns in Game Week 13 and its time for the seeds to enter the fray as we play the 2nd knockout round.

This is likely to be a challenging week for the cup participants with most of the top players having a week off prior to the French Open.

A couple of the top players who we hoped might be available for selection have now withdrawn.  So no Kostyuk, Machac or Jodar.  And now no Musetti who sadly will be missing the French Open this year.  The question also remains as to whether Casper Ruud will play as he is still very much involved in the latter stages of the Italian Open.

And if you are short of players for Game Week 13, who do you trade out?  Most of us will now have a core group of 9 or 10 players who we will make our French Open selection from and will therefore be reluctant to take the decision to release them before we even know the draw.

ah decisions, decisions.  Who's idea was it to hold a cup week in Game Week 13.

Here is a full rundown of the fixtures.

Top Half

Stanimal Rights Activist (1)          vs            Prepare for Czech Mate

The Gravy Shipwrecks                  vs            Soul Power Tennis (28)    

No AO No Problem (20)                vs            Djoker's Sympathy Card

Swift Team                                     vs            Harakiri (15)  

Mirzini Sinovi (10)                         vs            Thunder Turkeys

Read or Die                                     vs            In the Volley of Rivendale (17) 

Rafa (32)                                         vs             Bits and Pieces

Dukla Pumpherston                        vs             Goaldies (5)

The Champs (8)                               vs            DreamTeam

Blinkova Nigh                                 vs            Big Tom Day (30)

Carlitos Way (22)                            vs            Team Le Tourneau   

Possesors of Glory                           vs             Charly Cheatcode (11)

Bandits (16)                                    vs             Referee

Vlad the Macedonian                      vs             Ospreys (18)

Volt (29)                                          vs            Even more Sinn-sational

Just Married with Child                  vs             Hail to the Victors (3)

Bottom Half

Blocked by Wembanyana (4)         vs              Stripes IX

The Fed Express                             vs               Chip and Charge (25)

Gordon Trailers (19)                       vs              Bazinga

Yet Again                                         vs             Roger That (14)

 jbatta44 (9)                                     vs             Fantasy Addict

Aces in Spaces                                vs             Stan's Farewell Party (24)

FAAnatics (26)                                vs             Ternopil

Good Hits                                        vs             Grylla's Slicing Moonballers (7) 

Advantage Infinity (6)                    vs              Anton's Amazing Team

Keys to Victory                                vs              Rafalicious (31)

Slice for the Win (23)                      vs               MAOUST

Nadal's Forehand                              vs              Kalinin-out Burger (12)

Team Espana 3  (13)                        vs                Crimini

CooCoo 4 Coco Gauffs                    vs              🥜🧈🥒🧃🎾👻 (21)  

nbladeweilder (27)                            vs             Alcarazzziiii

Lucastryard                                       vs             Jannik Winner (2)

ROME DRAWS & DARK HORSE BREAKDOWN

I have attached the Rome Draws (FTL Version) and Dark Horse Breakdown.  Please note that the Qualifying will not be completed until Tuesday May 5th, so as a result, the Qualifiers and Lucky Losers have not been placed.  Sadly, there are a slew of Main Draw matches in the Womens event that are also set to be take place on Tuesday as well, so the Qualifying won't be completed by the time that the initial lockout commences.  The good thing about the new Event Specific Lockout is that when the Mens Main Draw is set to take place on Wednesday, the Qualifiers will be placed, so when you are locking in the Mens portion of your team, you'll have that information available to you :)

 

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

 

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

Good Luck and I hope you enjoy the change to the lockout setup :)

 

Introducing Per-Event Lockouts!

INTRODUCING PER-EVENT LOCKOUTS

For those of you that have been wondering what the monumental change to the website was that I mentioned in the PS of the Madrid post, this is it. As promised, here's the full explanation.

First off, the basic premise: your roster does not lock all at once anymore. Each event in a game week now locks on its own, separately, when the first match of that event's MAIN DRAW gets underway. Until that moment, every player in that event - main draw and Qualifiers alike - is still editable on your team.

Secondly, and this is important enough that I want to spell it out clearly - Qualifiers and Lucky Losers also lock together with the main-draw players, at the moment the Main Draw of their event begins. So even if the qualifiers are not known/placed yet, they still lock when the main draw starts.

Thirdly, the rest of your roster is unaffected until each of its events lock individually. Any players on your roster that aren't in a draw at all this week stay editable too, right up until the LAST event of the week starts - at which point everything locks together. So in a game week where the events start on different days, you'll see your roster lock in stages over the course of the week rather than all at once.

ROME AS AN EXAMPLE

Rome is a great one to walk through, since its a classic split-week. WTA Rome's Main Draw starts on Tuesday and ATP Rome's Main Draw starts on Wednesday. Qualifying for both runs over the weekend before. Heres how it will play out under the new system:

- Monday - both events are open. Edit anything you want, including any WTA or ATP Qualifiers on your roster, even ones that have already played their qualifying matches over the weekend.

- Tuesday, the moment the first WTA Rome Main Draw match starts - every WTA Rome player locks. Main draw and Qualifiers, all at once. Your ATP Rome players (main draw and Qualifiers) are still wide open tho.

- Wednesday, the moment the first ATP Rome Main Draw match starts - ATP Rome locks too. The full game week is now frozen for the rest of the week.

So if a WTA Qualifier you were counting on withdraws on Monday night, you've got until Tuesday's first Main Draw match to make a swap - even if their qualifying match was already on the weekend. And if an ATP player pulls out on Tuesday afternoon, AFTER WTA has already locked, you can still make that move before Wednesday's first ball.

A TRADE EXAMPLE

Heres a quick trade scenario to drive the whole thing home. Lets say before the initial lockout this Rome week, I trade out Rybakina (WTA) and trade in Djokovic (ATP). Then on Tuesday, after WTA Rome has locked, I get a hesitation and decide that I don't actually want Djokovic on my team after all. What are my options?

1st off - Rybakina is leaving regardless. She's a WTA Rome player and that event is now locked, so the trade-OUT side of my move is set in stone. She's off my team for the week, end of story.

2ndly - I'm NOT locked into trading IN Djokovic specifically. I traded him in for an ATP Rome slot, and ATP Rome hasn't started yet. So if I want to ditch Djokovic and trade in DeMinaur instead (or anyone else thats still available), I'm more than welcome to do so, right up until Wednesday's first Main Draw match.

In other words - only the side of the trade that involves a locked event is set in stone. The other side is still up for grabs until that event locks too.

THE COUNTDOWN TIMER

Please note that the countdown timer at the top of your team page is NOT changing with this update. It still counts down to the FIRST lockout of the game week, and only the first one. Once that timer hits zero, its done its job for the week, even if you have other events that haven't locked yet.

My strong recommendation - keep doing what you've always done. Set your FULL roster before the timer hits zero. Per-Event Lockouts are meant to give you a chance to fix things when news breaks during the week, they're not an excuse to leave half your team unset on Monday and figure it out later lol.

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE ON THE TEAM PAGE

A few new visuals to keep an eye out for:

- A small lock icon will show up next to each event in your team header once that event has locked.

- While a game week is partially locked, you'll see a note that reads "Some players are locked. Locked players cannot be moved or traded." Once the game week is fully locked, the note goes away.

- Locked players appear dimmed in your roster, with a lock icon where the drag handle (or remove button) used to be. You wont be able to drag, swap, or trade them out.

- In the player picker, anyone whose event has already locked will show up grayed out n not selectable. They stay visible so search still finds them, but theyre off the table for the rest of the week.

WHY WE MADE THIS CHANGE

The big reason here was to put a stop to blind lockouts. Plenty of game weeks have events whose Main Draw hasn't even been released by the time the FIRST event of the week starts - and GW29 coming up later this season is going to be probably the most extreme example we'll see all year. ATP Shanghai's Main Draw starts on October 7th and WTA Wuhan's Main Draw doesnt start until October 12th - a full 5 days later. The Wuhan draw wont even be released until just a couple days before the event begins. Under the old all-or-nothing system, your whole roster would have locked at Shanghai's first ball on October 7th, which means you would have been forced to commit to your Wuhan players nearly a week before the Wuhan draw was even publicly available. Total guesswork.

Per-Event Lockouts fix that. Each event's slots stay open until that events own Main Draw begins, so you wont ever be forced to set a lineup for an event whose draw hasnt dropped. As a nice bonus, you can also react to late-breaking withdrawals and injuries for any event that hasn't started yet.

Good Luck :)

PS. As always, feel free to reach out when/if you need further clarification. Its a real change to how the league has worked for years, and I want everyone to be comfortable with it before Rome week.

Game Week 10 Roundup

 

🎾 FANTASY TENNIS WEEKLY REPORT

Barcelona • Munich • Stuttgart • Rouen

BARCELONA — Arthur Fils Dodges Disaster, Then Dominates

Barcelona gave us the full spectrum: near‑collapse, resurgence, heartbreak, and a title run that felt like a statement.

Arthur Fils, returning this year from an eight‑month injury layoff, survived two match points in his opening round against Terence Atmane — a match that could’ve ended his week before it began. Instead, it lit the fuse.

From there, he was unstoppable: Nakashima, Musetti, and rising Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar, who continues to impress with his composure and shot‑making. In the final, Fils handled Andrey Rublev with calm authority to claim the ATP 500 crown.

But the biggest shock of the week was Carlos Alcaraz withdrawing after his first match due to a significant wrist injury. His clay swing — and many fantasy managers’ hopes — suddenly looks uncertain.

Fantasy angle: Fils owners hit the jackpot. Rublev owners get a solid haul. Alcaraz owners… are refreshing their injury‑news feeds hourly.

MUNICH — Shelton Finds His Clay, Cobolli Finds His Fire

Ben Shelton and Munich are officially a thing.

For the second straight year, Shelton reached the final — but this time he finished the job, beating Flavio Cobolli 6–2, 7–5 to claim the title. The high‑altitude clay suits his explosive game far better than traditional clay, and he looked increasingly confident as the week went on.

His path included a tough battle with young Brazilian João Fonseca in the quarters and a composed win over Alex Molčan in the semis.

Flavio Cobolli, meanwhile, delivered one of his trademark “where did THAT come from?” weeks. After stretches of poor form, he suddenly produced brilliant tennis, including a superb semi‑final win over Alexander Zverev. His run carried emotional weight too, coming in the same week his home tennis club mourned the loss of a young member.

Zverev admitted he was tired from a heavy schedule but should be back to full strength in Madrid.

Fantasy angle: Shelton owners get a monster week. Cobolli owners (the brave few) cash in big. Zverev owners take a manageable hit.

STUTTGART — Rybakina Takes the Title… and Another Porsche

Elena Rybakina is now officially Stuttgart royalty.

She wins the title for the second year running, and with it, her second Porsche. Last year she didn’t even have a driving licence — this year she rolled up in the green Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet she won in 2025, fully licensed and ready to show it off. Motivation? Let’s just say the final suggested she wanted that second car very badly.

Her opponent, Karolína Muchová, continued her terrific, injury‑free season. She beat Coco Gauff for the first time in seven attempts and edged out Elina Svitolina in a tight semi‑final. But in the final, she simply couldn’t match Rybakina’s indoor‑clay firepower.

Iga Świątek remains a work in progress. After training at the Nadal Academy under the eye of Rafa and new coach Francisco Roig, she fell to Mirra Andreeva in the quarter‑finals. Andreeva, fresh off her Linz title, is showing improved emotional control and growing confidence.

Rybakina’s biggest scare came from Leylah Fernandez, who pushed her to an 8–6 deciding‑set tiebreak in the quarters. Once she survived that, she looked untouchable.

Fantasy angle: Rybakina owners feast. Muchová owners celebrate another strong week. Świątek owners wait for the Roig project to click. Andreeva owners quietly keep climbing.

ROUEN — Kostyuk Wins, Podrez Arrives

Rouen delivered one of the most heartwarming stories of the week: an all‑Ukrainian final between Marta Kostyuk and teenage qualifier Veronika Podrez.

Kostyuk claimed the title, continuing her steady rise and proving once again that she’s becoming one of the most reliable performers on the WTA tour.

But Podrez was the revelation. A teenage qualifier making her first WTA final, taking out established players, and showing poise far beyond her age — she leaves Rouen as one of the breakout names of the clay season.

The all‑Ukrainian final carried emotional weight and highlighted the depth and resilience of Ukrainian tennis at the moment.

Fantasy angle: Kostyuk owners get a valuable haul. Podrez wasn’t on many rosters — but she will be now. Managers who ignored Rouen entirely may regret it.

🏆 WEEKLY WRAP‑UP

• Biggest winners: Rybakina, Shelton, Kostyuk

• Breakout star: Veronika Podrez

• Most stressful storyline: Alcaraz’s wrist

• Most expensive prize: Rybakina’s second Porsche

• Most emotional run: Cobolli’s tribute‑fuelled week

• Most fantasy‑relevant upset: Świątek falling early in Stuttgart

    

Maoust vs. Jan’s Snookerteam: A Heavyweight Duel Decided by Inches

Week 10 produced one of the closest finishes of the entire season.

Maoust (Noah Elio) edged out Jan’s Snookerteam (Jan) by just 3.44 points — a margin so small that a single extra game won, a single extra break, or one more match played would have flipped the result.

And for most of the week, it genuinely looked like Jan had it wrapped up.

🐱 Maoust (575.94 points) — The Narrow Winner

Noah went with an excellent template:

• Captain: Carlos Alcaraz (injured → low return)

• Key Players: Rybakina, Zverev, Musetti

• Team Players: Fils, Shelton, Kostyuk, Jodar

• Subs: Andreeva, Cobolli (both DNP)

Despite taking the Alcaraz captaincy hit, Noah’s team exploded everywhere else:

• Rybakina (96.36) — Stuttgart champion, the week’s MVP

• Fils (90.10) — Barcelona champion

• Shelton (84.40) — Munich champion

• Kostyuk (94.00) — Rouen champion

• Jodar (66.60) — deep Barcelona run

• Zverev (71.40) — solid Munich week despite fatigue

This was a week where Noah’s entire supporting cast delivered titles or deep runs. Alcaraz’s injury almost sank him — but the rest of the squad bailed him out.

🎱 Jan’s Snookerteam (572.50 points) — The Agonising Runner‑Up

Jan was one of the very few managers brave enough NOT to captain Alcaraz, and it nearly won him the week.

His setup:

• Captain: Zverev

• Key Players: Fonseca, Svitolina, Fils

• Team Players: Cirstea, Muchova, Shelton, Jodar

• Subs: Andreeva, Cobolli (both DNP)

Jan’s team was stacked:

• Fils (108.12 as key) — huge

• Shelton (84.40) — Munich title

• Muchova (67.85) — Stuttgart finalist

• Zverev (89.25 as captain) — strong despite losing to Cobolli

• Svitolina (60.06) — good Stuttgart run

• Fonseca (49.68) — breakout Munich performance

Jan’s lineup was so strong that he led the matchup for most of the week. But two things cost him the title:

1. Rybakina — the difference-maker

Noah had her. Jan didn’t. That 96.36 haul was the single biggest swing of the week.

2. Cobolli on the bench

Both managers benched Cobolli — understandable, but painful in hindsight. Had Jan activated him, he wins the week comfortably.

🔥 The Verdict: A Classic Fantasy Tennis Duel

This was a heavyweight clash where:

• both teams had elite lineups

• both teams hit on their clay specialists

• both teams had breakout performers

• both teams even had the same unused subs

But Noah’s combination of Rybakina + Fils + Kostyuk + Shelton created a title‑winning surge that just — just — overcame the Alcaraz captaincy disaster.

Jan’s strategy was excellent. His execution was excellent. His team was excellent. He simply ran into a manager who had four champions in one week.

Sometimes fantasy tennis is just cruel.