Game Week 20 round up

Game Week 20 proved to be one of the most challenging of the season for Fantasy Tennis League managers, as the traditional post-Grand Slam slump took full effect. With Wimbledon wrapped up just days earlier, the tournament calendar was hit by a wave of withdrawals, as top players took time off to recover. The result? A game week where assembling a full squad of eight was more of a survival exercise than a strategic masterstroke. Some managers were left staring at zero active players in their starting line-up before trades even opened, making this one of the most unpredictable and frustrating weeks of the year.

ATP Gstaad  – Bublik Breaks Through on Clay

 Alexander Bublik claimed his first career clay court title in Gstaad, defeating  Juan Manuel Cerúndolo in the final. Known more for his flair than consistency, Bublik followed up his strong French Open showing with a composed, controlled run in the Swiss Alps. The victory surprised many given his historic discomfort on clay—some even joking it was more unexpected than  Iga Świątek winning on grass! Still, he was unplayable at times and fully deserved the title, adding another layer to his unpredictable but entertaining career.

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WTA Hamburg  – Boisson’s Breakthrough
 Loïs Boisson continued her fairytale 2025 with a maiden WTA title in Hamburg, overcoming  Anna Bondár in a composed final performance. Boisson, who stunned fans with a semifinal run at Roland-Garros as a wildcard, confirmed she’s no flash in the pan. Bondár had pulled off a surprise of her own earlier in the week, knocking out top seed  Ekaterina Alexandrova in the quarters. But Boisson was the player of the week—fearless, confident, and tactically smart. At just 21, she’s becoming one of the breakout stars of the season.

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ATP Båstad  – Darderi Delivers Again
 Luciano Darderi captured his third career ATP title in Båstad, defeating  Jesper de Jong in a quality final. Darderi impressed all week, beating fourth seed  Sebastián Báez in the quarterfinals and top seed  Francisco Cerúndolo in the semis. The Italian’s aggressive baseline game and confident court presence are becoming his trademarks, and this latest title continues his steady rise up the rankings. While de Jong had a strong run himself, Darderi’s level in the final proved a step above, confirming his clay-court credentials.

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WTA Iași  – Begu Reigns at Home
 Irina-Camelia Begu gave the home crowd reason to cheer in Iași, capturing the title with a straight-sets win over  Jil Teichmann in the final. The Romanian veteran played with poise and authority all week, including a hard-fought semifinal win over top-seeded compatriot  Jacqueline Cristian. With so many Romanian players in the draw, a local winner felt likely—but Begu’s calmness under pressure and experience ultimately made the difference. It's a timely title for the 34-year-old, who continues to deliver strong results on home soil.

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ATP Los Cabos  – Shapovalov in Cruise Control
 Denis Shapovalov was unstoppable in Los Cabos, not dropping a single set across four matches on his way to the title. He conceded just 18 games all week and saved his best for the final, where he swept past  Alexander Kovacevic in dominant fashion. Kovacevic had earlier shocked top seed  Andrey Rublev in the semifinals, but had no answers for Shapovalov’s firepower. After several inconsistent seasons, 2025 is shaping up to be a breakthrough year of sorts for the Canadian, who now looks settled in the top 30 and playing with renewed belief.

Here is the final Level 2 table for the game week: 

Congratulations to Nikhil Idnani and his team  nbladeweilder  who topped the level 2 standings this week defeating Violet and her Grass Court Masters into 2nd place in what proved to be another close contest.

Here is the head to head between the two teams.

Both teams ended the week with two winners.   Nikhil had Gstaad winner Bublik and Bastad winner Darderi while Violet had Bublik and Hamburg winner Lois Boisson.  Yastremska was the most valuable player for Nikhil outside of the two champions.

The top of the global league standings was heavily dominated by the 2nd chance teams who were in a better position to field a strong side for this game week and it seemed fitting that Emi's 2nd chance team topped the standings in the global league having so narrowly missed out on Wimbledon. Maybe no prize for this one but definitely bragging rights.  

Here is Emi's team

Here are the season standings after Game Week 20

After Game Week 20

🔢 Rank	🏆 Team Name	👤 Owner	💯 Total Points
1️⃣	ThunderTurkeys	Michael Blomer	9492.935
2️⃣	GOALDIES	Sagar Chowdhry	9469.436
3️⃣	MTL89	Kevin G	9309.924
4️⃣	fc izrodite	Силви Георгиев	9308.997
5️⃣	Nadal’s Forehand	Dragan Josifoski	9261.484
6️⃣	The Umpire Strikes Back	Jamie Edmundson	9222.588
7️⃣	broccoli	Alex	9204.544
8️⃣	Bonehunters	Goran Zadravec	9187.296
9️⃣	NEW CAL ACES 🎾🏖️	Mat Mermoud	9157.120
🔟	Fedex Superstars	Muhammad Aoun Abbas	9133.329