Game Week 2 Round up

 

Fantasy Tennis Weekly Report — Breakthroughs, Home Crowds, and Indoor Redemption

Four tournaments delivered a mix of breakout runs, emotional homecomings, and the kind of Fantasy‑shifting results that make early‑season roster management a minefield.

WTA Abu Dhabi — Bejlek Breaks Through, Baptiste Surges

Abu Dhabi produced the week’s biggest storyline: the emergence of Sara Bejlek as a genuine hard‑court threat. The 18‑year‑old Czech edged Clara Tauson in a tense semi‑final, then stunned top‑10 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova to claim the title. It was the sort of run that instantly changes her Fantasy valuation.

Hailey Baptiste was nearly the story herself. She knocked out seeds Emma Navarro and Liudmila Samsonova, then held match point against Alexandrova in the semi‑final before narrowly missing the upset. For managers who backed her, it was still a strong scoring week.

Belinda Bencic’s pre‑event withdrawal hit a huge chunk of the Fantasy field, reshaping the scoring landscape before the first ball was struck.

WTA Cluj — Cîrstea’s Farewell Flourish, Raducanu’s Revival, Oliynykova’s Spark

Cluj once again delivered one of the most vibrant atmospheres on the WTA calendar. The Romanian crowd backed every local player—and adopted Emma Raducanu as one of their own—but most home favourites fell early. Tournament regular Jaqueline “Draqueline” Cristian was among the early exits.

Sorana Cîrstea, in her final season, gave the fans a run to savour. She played with clarity and purpose all week, ultimately lifting a hugely popular title.

Oleksandra Oliynykova became the surprise star of the tournament. Sporting stencilled bat tattoos in honour of Transylvania, she backed up the aesthetic with wins over Ana Bondar and Xinyu Wang. Her semi‑final against Raducanu was one of the matches of the week, pushing Emma to the brink.

Raducanu reached her first final since her US Open triumph, a meaningful step forward, though she had little left against Cîrstea’s experience in the championship match.

WTA Ostrava — Boulter Rebounds, Bartůňková Builds, Fruhvirtová Re‑Emerges

Ostrava lacked the usual star‑power of a Czech event, but it still produced several Fantasy‑relevant stories. Rising talent Nikola Bartůňková continued her upward trajectory with two wins before falling to Diane Parry in the quarter‑finals.

Another Czech, Linda Fruhvirtová, delivered her best week in some time. Once tipped as a future star, she finally showed signs of that early promise again before losing to eventual champion Katie Boulter in the quarters.

The draw opened up dramatically, leading to an unseeded final between Boulter and Tamara Korpatsch. Boulter’s title run marked a welcome return to form after a difficult 2025 and pushed her back into the top 100. Korpatsch’s emotional week—and her praise for Boulter’s past kindness during her own struggles—added a heartfelt layer to the event.

ATP Montpellier — Félix Resets, Qualifiers Shock, Hurkacz Falls Early

With most ATP players on Davis Cup duty, Montpellier became the lone men’s event of the week—and it mattered. Félix Auger‑Aliassime, taking a wildcard after his early Australian Open exit, rediscovered his indoor rhythm and beat Adrian Mannarino in the final. Managers who bought low on Félix were rewarded with a clean, confidence‑restoring run.

The qualifiers stole the early headlines. Martin Damm delivered the Fantasy gut‑punch of the week by knocking out popular pick Hubert Hurkacz in the first round. He rode that momentum all the way to the semi‑finals. Fellow qualifier Harold Mayot Droguet matched him, also reaching the semis and offering huge value in a thin ATP week.

Tomáš Macháč, one of the most widely owned players, retired again—this time against Arthur Gea—continuing a frustrating pattern of injury‑interrupted tournaments. Gea had already advanced via Mpetshi Perricard’s retirement, but he backed it up with strong play and pushed Mannarino hard in the quarter‑finals.

Arthur Fils added two solid wins as he continues his comeback, though Félix handled him comfortably in the quarters.

Here is the final table for the game week.

And here is the head to head between the top two teams in level 2.

Massive congrats to Graham who was top of the pile in what was a difficult week.  Its perhaps fitting that the main difference between the top two sides was their choice of captain.  Graham selected Cluj winner Sorana Cirstea while Roger That had runner up Raducanu although they did have Cirstea as a KP. Those additional multiplier points made all the difference for Metty's Marvels.

In addition to Cirstea, Metty's Marvels had solid scores from Samsonova, Baptiste amd Xinyu Wang while Mikhail was one of the few teams to go with the entertaining Ukrianian Oliynykova.

Congrats to Graham and Mikhail on a great week. Top two in level 2 and top 2 in the global league.