US Open Roundup

 

US Open 2026: The Slam of Open Doors and Closed Nerves

A tournament that promised chaos — and delivered it in stereo.

⭐ Preamble: A Slam Without a Centre of Gravity

The 2026 US Open arrived with a strange, electric tension.

Both draws felt wide open, both tours felt off‑balance, and the absence of Jannik Sinner — once again — left a gaping hole in the men’s field. His absence didn’t just remove a contender; it removed the gravitational centre of the sport. And when gravity disappears, chaos rushes in.

Carlos Alcaraz returned from his long injury layoff, but nobody knew whether he was ready to challenge so soon. Alexander Zverev, the man who had finally broken his Grand Slam curse in Paris and backed it up with a Wimbledon final, looked like the “best of the rest”… until early losses in Montreal (Griekspoor) and Cincinnati (Tommy Paul) raised fresh doubts.

The American hard‑court swing had produced new heroes:

• Ben Shelton, Montreal champion for the second straight year

• Arthur Fils, the brilliant Frenchman who took Cincinnati

• Tiafoe and Nakashima, both in form

• Taylor Fritz, always lurking

Add rising Spanish talent Jodar, Cobolli, and Felix Auger‑Aliassime, and the draw felt like a minefield.

And then there was Novak Djokovic — chasing history, chasing Slam No. 25, chasing immortality. But his loss to Tirante in Cincinnati, where he looked physically unwell, cast a long shadow. Novak at slams is a different beast… but even beasts age.

The women’s draw was no less volatile. Sabalenka, Gauff, Swiatek, and Rybakina had all looked out of sorts through clay and grass. Youngsters Andreeva (Roland Garros champion) and Noskova (Wimbledon champion) had shaken the hierarchy. But the US hard‑court swing brought both clarity and questions.

• Swiatek roared back in Toronto

• Gauff reclaimed Cincinnati

• Sabalenka kept losing unexpectedly

• Rybakina picked up an injury at the worst possible moment

And hovering over everything was the World No. 1 race: Gauff, Pegula, Rybakina — all with a chance to dethrone Sabalenka.

The stage was set. The chaos was ready. And New York delivered.

🔥 Men’s Tournament: A Slam That Started With a Fire Alarm

⭐ Round 1: The Earthquake

The men’s draw exploded immediately.

Novak Djokovic — out in Round 1. Navone defeated him in a near‑carbon copy of Cincinnati: Novak looked ill, uncomfortable, and unable to handle the heat. He later admitted he’s struggling physically in hot conditions. The whispers began: is Father Time finally catching up?

Arthur Fils also crashed out — Tsitsipas was a brutal draw, but Fils looked nothing like the Cincinnati champion.

Then came the shock of shocks: Jodar won four games total in a straight‑sets demolition by Yunchaokete Bu.

Meanwhile, several contenders barely survived: Shelton, Zverev, Cobolli — all needed five sets. The slam was already eating its favourites.

⭐ Round 2: More Bodies on the Floor

Auger‑Aliassime, De Minaur, Nakashima, Musetti — all gone.

Zverev needed another five‑setter, this time against Halys. He was spending a lot of time on court not helped by the fact that half of that time was spent bouncing the ball like he was trying to break a world record. But the draw was opening up for him.

Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, looked frighteningly sharp — as if he’d never been away.

⭐ Round 3: Fritz Falls Apart

Taylor Fritz blew a two‑set lead against Francisco Cerúndolo. Another contender gone. Another hole in the draw.

⭐ Quarterfinals & Semis: The Rise of Zverev, The Roar of Shelton

Zverev, having survived his early marathons, finally locked into slam mode. Straight‑set wins over van de Zandschulp and Khachanov put him into his third straight Grand Slam final.

The other half of the draw was pure theatre.

Tiafoe came from two sets down to beat a devastated Alex Michelsen.

And then the match of the tournament: Shelton vs Alcaraz — five sets, final‑set match tiebreak, and Shelton took out the returning superstar to the delight of the home crowd.

Could this be Shelton’s year?

He answered that by beating Tiafoe in four sets in an all‑American semi.

⭐ Final: Zverev vs Shelton — The Expected Ending

Zverev led the head‑to‑head 5–0. He said winning his first slam freed him mentally. And it showed.

Shelton took the third set, causing a brief surge of excitement, but the inevitable happened: Zverev claimed his second Grand Slam title, just months after his first.

Years of chasing one slam. Months to collect two.

💎 Women’s Tournament: Order, Quality, and One Surprising Phoenix

⭐ Early Rounds: The Calm Before the Storm

Compared to the men, the women’s draw was almost serene.

A hampered Muchova lost early. Last year's runner up Anisimova fell to Potapova. But nothing seismic.

The big story was the return of Qinwen Zheng.

Once a slam finalist and an Olympic champion, she had struggled badly since her injury. She came through qualifying, scraped through her first two rounds, and then faced Madison Keys.

Down 5–0 in the final set, she produced a miracle comeback.

Then she did it again.

Against Iga Swiatek.

Down 5–0 in the opening set, she flipped the match on its head. Iga never recovered. Qinwen won in straight sets.

Suddenly, the phoenix was rising.

⭐ Quarterfinals: Rybakina’s No. 1 Quest, Coco’s Escape, Sabalenka’s Survival

Qinwen faced Rybakina next — with the World No. 1 ranking on the line. Qinwen took the first set. The upset was brewing.

But Rybakina steadied herself, raised her level, and won in three. With that victory, she became the new World No. 1, regardless of what followed.

Elsewhere:

• Gauff was nearly knocked out by Andreeva, who had chances to win in straight sets. Coco escaped, as she so often does.

• Pegula came from behind to beat Navarro.

• Sabalenka vs Noskova delivered the match of the round — a thriller decided by a 10–7 match tiebreak. Noskova looked every bit a Wimbledon champion; Sabalenka survived by inches.

⭐ Semifinals: The Final Four Deliver

Sabalenka crushed Pegula — Jess never had a chance.

Rybakina dropped the first set to Gauff but stormed back to win in three.

The final was set: Sabalenka (defending champion, chasing a US Open 3‑peat) vs Rybakina (new World No. 1)

A perfect storyline.

⭐ Final: The New Queen of New York

Rybakina took the first set. Sabalenka hit back to take the second. But in the third, Rybakina reached a new level — controlled, fearless, immaculate.

She claimed her first US Open title, cementing her status as the new World No. 1 and ending Sabalenka’s bid for a historic three‑peat.

🏆 Conclusion: A Slam of Shifting Eras

The 2026 US Open didn’t just crown champions — it reshaped the landscape.

• Zverev is now a multi‑slam champion, no longer haunted by the “one‑slam wonder” label.

• Shelton proved he’s not just a showman — he’s a genuine threat.

• Alcaraz returned with fire, even in defeat.

• Djokovic showed vulnerability we’ve never seen before.

• Rybakina became the new queen of women’s tennis.

• Sabalenka fought like a champion but couldn’t stop the shift.

• Qinwen Zheng produced the comeback story of the year.

A wide‑open slam delivered wide‑open drama — and crowned two champions who now look ready to define the next era.

Despite the chaos on the men's side - A Shelton v Zverev final coupled with the top 4 women reaching the semi finals meant that there were some pretty big scores to be had in the world of FTL.

Here is the final Global League table for the US Open

Massive congrats to Antonela (Just Married with Child) who clinched US Open glory with a fantastic score of 1187 points.  Tom Vaughan took 2nd spot in the global table with Sara (Bandits) taking third.

Here is the head to head between the top two in the level 2 standings -  Antonela and Sara. 

Antonela had both men's finalists and all four women's semi finalists in her team. Add to that she had a quarter finalist Alcaraz with really Fritz the only disappointment in her starting 8. (ER1 Noskova would have been a better pick)  DHs Bergs and Navarro also provided a decent return.  Sara also had both men's finalists with Zverev as Captain and all four women's semi finalists. Medvedev and Kostyuk also provided a decent return. 

Game Week 24 roundup

 

A little bit behind the times with this one so i'll keep it brief!

Here are the Global Standings for Game Week 24.

Congrats to Aditya who's 2nd team finished top of the pile!!

Its a good indication of how tricky that game week was for everyone that Aditya's team managed to romp the game week with basically half a team.   Captain Ignacio Buse delivered with decent supporting roles from KPs Bartunkova and Mertens!

In the level 2 contest it was No Strings Attached (Daniel Warren) who came out on top. Here is the head to head between No Strings Attached and 2nd placed Prepare for Czech mate  (Tricia)

Having both Winston Salem finalists made all the difference for Daniel.  Buse and Fery proved to be excellent picks

Monthly Standings for August

 

Here are the Global Standings for the Month of August  

Congrats to Seahawks (Taraba) who finished top of the pile in the global league for the month of August.

The Level 2 prize goes to Robert Rowat and FAAnatics

Here is a breakdown by game week.

    

US OPEN DRAWS & DARK HORSE BREAKDOWN!

 I have attached the US Open Draws (FTL Version) and Dark Horse Breakdown.  Please note that the Qualifying was completed earlier today (August 28th), so as a result, the Qualifiers and Lucky Losers (Joao Fonseca & Ugo Humbert withdrew a couple of days ago) have been placed.  Leading up to the event, there are a few players that are dealing with some injuries, so you may want to double check the draws before the lockout.

 

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

 

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

 

Please note that the New Players Prices aren't listed as both events are ongoing in Monterrey and Winston Salem.

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 22 and Game Week 23 Roundups

 

Falling a little bit behind on updates at the moment so I hope you folks don't mind a double header.  This blog will cover the 1000 events in Canada a couple of weeks ago and also lasts weeks 1000 events in Cincinnati.  There is also a good reason for doing so which will be evident in the results section.

What is clear at this stage of the season as there is still scope to make up a lot of places in the leaderboard (providing of course you pick the right team).  With Alcaraz and Sinner missing from these events and with a lot of volatility on the WTA side, the results are becoming far more difficult to predict.  Compare it to Sinner and Sabalenka both winning the sunshine double!

Have the last few weeks told us anything about the runners and riders for US Open success?  I think its fair to say that one or two players are finding their form and a few new contenders have emerged.

Toronto and Montreal 

Lets start with the carnage first.

On the ATP side the event was already weakened by the absence of Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic and shortly after lockout FAA became the latest casualty.   Top seed Alexander Zverev lost his opening match to Griekspoor, Fritz, perhaps tired from winning Washington was an early exit to Tirante and Medvedev, Cobolli and Rublev all lost their opening match!

On the WTA side, the only 2nd round exit was Wimbledon champ Linda Noskova suffering a surprising loss to Caty McNally but Mirra Andreeva fell in the following round and there were surprise four round losses for Sabalenka (to Alexandrova) and Pegula (to Diana Shnaider)

Hardly surprising that some teams were decimated before the Quarter Finals stage!

But this all opened the door of opportunity for other players.

It was a very youthful looking Quarter Final line up on  the men's side. Once again Jodar was impressing taking down Arthur Fils in the Quarter Finals and he was to be joined in the semi finals by a trio of young American talent.  Shelton and Tien in one semi final and Jodar's opponent was to be Brandon Nakashima.

Shelton came through comfortably against Tien and it was Nakashima that brought an end to the Jodar juggernaut this time round with a tight straight sets win.  Ben Shelton took down Nakashima in the final thereby securing his 4th title of the year and surely setting his stall out as a contender for US Open succes.

The WTA semi final lineup had a more familiar look about it despite the early carnage but at the same time it was a return to form for Swiatek, Gauff and Rybakina who had all struggled during the clay and grass swings.  Iga in particular had looked a shadow of her former self this season but she seemed to have the spark back in Canada.  She took down Svitolina in a tight semi final and was to face Elena Rybakina who defeated Coco in a potentially mouth watering final but in the end Iga won it quite comfortably.

Cincinnati 

ATP

Once again Sinner and Alcaraz were missing and once again the top seeds on the men's side all crumbled! Montreal champ Shelton couldn't back up his success in Canada and fell at the first hurdle to Portugal's Jamie Faria.  An out of sorts Djokovic succumbed to the head and an explosive Tirante in his opening match,  Zverev was a 4th Round casualty to Tommy Paul and a returning Felix was comfortably beaten by Tiafoe in the same round. 

The semi final line up was to feature 21st seed Arthur Fils against Flavio Cobolli (who was having one of his good weeks again!) and backing up his fantastic run in Canada, 27th seed Nakashima was to play 17th seed Frances Tiafoe who had impressed after his recent return from surgery for a cyst on his hand. Despite the rankings, all four must fancy their chances for deep runs in NY and potentially US Open glory.

It was Arthur Fils who was to take the title on this occasion though with dominant displays to take down Coboli in the semi final and Tiafoe in the final.

WTA

The big shock on the WTA side was once again Aryna Sabalenka. Yet another fourth round exit and this time it was the diminutive Sara Bejlek who was to prove the surprise package.  Yet another Czech making waves in the tennis world and she showed it was no fluke by backing it up with a win over Madison Keys in the Quarter Final to set up a semi final with Coco Gauff. 

Having met in the final in Toronto, it was a Quarter Final match up for Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina but unfortunately a worrying injury to Rybakina in the 1st set brought an early conclusion to that match and cast doubts on Rybakina's participation at the US Open which would be a great shame given her close proximity to No 1 status in the women's rankings.

The fairytale run of Sara Bejlek was to end with defeat to Coco Gauff and Iga couldn't follow up her Toronto success as she lost out to reliable Jess Pegula who always performs well during the North American hard court swing,  Still a great month for Iga and she'll go into the US Open with a new found confidence.

Coco turned on the style in the final and cruised to a comfortable win over Jess Pegula.

Perhaps the most remarkable story of the back to back Masters events was in Fantasy Tennis League as in the Global League we had a manager winning back to back Masters game weeks.

Massive congrats to Grand Slammajamma  (Jay) who won Canada with 732 points and then won Cincinatti with 720.199 points     

For Game Week 22, Jay had Montreal winner Ben Shelton as Captain and had both women's finalists Swiatek and Rybakina  as well as Osaka and Anisimova who both had great runs!

For Game Week 23, Jay made only two changes but they were inspired ones as he drafted in the two champions.  Osaka and Fernandez dropped out and Fils and Coco Gauff both moved into the KP slots!  Yet another good captain choice as well with Pegula reaching the final.

A remarkable couple of game weeks for Jay which must have given Grand Slammajamma a significant boost up the overall rankings table!

Of course the prizes for game weeks do go to level 2 participants so I'll finish off by taking a look at these tables.

Game Week 22

Congrats to Nachiket and Bazinga who took the Canadian Open honours.  Tennis Talk's very own Cam Williams finished 2nd and fitting that we have a Canadian representative in 3rd in the shape of Robert Rowat.    

Game Week 23

And congrats to Cleeve to takes the Cincy honours with Jamie and Faris running him closest.

FTL Cup Round Up

 

And then there were 8.  It seems a long time ago since we were all battling it out in the preliminary group stages of the FTL Cup.  Since then we've had 4 knockout rounds and whittled the contenders down to 8 teams!

Congrats to Melissa.  

Swift Team took down The Gravy Shipwrecks (Oli) in Round 4.

Current overall rankings (level 1)   15th

Congrats to Samir.

Mirzini Sinovi defeated Rafa (Vlad Z)  in Round 4.

Current overall rankings (level 1)   19th

Congrats to Vlad S

Possessors of Glory defeated The Champs (Marc) in Round 4.

Current overall rankings (level 1)   111th

Congrats to Vladimir Jovanovski

Vlad the Macednoian beat Volt.  (Voltan) in Round 4

Current overall ranking (level 1)   17th

Congrats to Tomasz K

Yet Again beat 'No longer watching tennis' (Devin) in Round 4

Current overall ranking 68th

Congrats to Robert

FAAnatics beat jbatta44 in Round 4

Current overall ranking  65

Congrats to Jeremy

Kalinin-out Burger defeated Advantage Infiniry in Round 4

Current overall rankings (level 1)  27

And finally - congrats to Matt

Jannik Winner defeated Team Espana in Round 4

Current overall rankings (level 1)  29th    

CINCINNATI DRAWS AND DARK HORSE BREAKDOWN

 

I have attached the Cincinnati Open Draws (FTL Version) and Dark Horse Breakdown.  Please note that the Qualifying will not be completed until later today (August 13rd), so as a result, the Qualifiers and Lucky Losers (Naomi Osaka & Corentin Moutet withdrew yesterday) haven't been placed, and sadly the First Main Draw match starts before the Qualifying matches will be completed.

 

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

 

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

 

Please note that the New Players Prices aren't listed as both Finals have yet to be played in Canada.

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 21 Roundup

 

A busy FTL week with a joint ATP/WTA 500 event in Washington and two 250 events - the women competing in Memphis and the men competing in Los Cabos and once again we had some remarkable storylines.

In Washington we had two experienced US competitors taking on the best of the new crop of young players. Both finals had to be completed on the Monday after heavy rain on finals Sunday.

Taylor Fritz had already edged past two American young pretenders in the shape of Alex Michelsen and Brandon Nakashima in close three set matches.  But in the final the level of opposition was raised further with breakout Spanish star Rafa Jodar providing the opposition. Jodar had himself come back from a set down in his quarter final against Musetti and again in his semi final versus Tabilo.

But it was Fritz who was to prevail 7-6, 6-4 to cap off a satisfying week for the American who has had his fair share of fitness issues this season. 

In the woman's final, the ever reliable Jessica Pegula faced Alex Eala of the Phillipines who continues to pack stadiums wherever she plays. Pegula had only dropped one set en route to the final at the hands of Magda Frech in her opening match and the same was true of Eala who came from behind against Qinwen Zheng in the 1st round before scoring impressive wins over Fernandez, Svitolina and Osaka.

The match did commence on the Sunday as planned with Pegula taking a one set lead but when they returned on the Monday to complete the match, everything flipped.  Eala came out with purpose and drive while Pegula was surprisingly off her game. Eala came back to secure a 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory and became the first Filipino to win a Tour Level singles final.

The field may have been weaker in Memphis but the storyline was even more remarkable.  16 year old Kristina Liutova would no doubt have been a new name to most of us this week.  She has been performing impressively on the lower tiers of women's tennis and had earned the right this week to have a crack at a tour level event. 

She couldn't have been handed a harder draw. Top seed and compatriot Ekaterina Alexanrova has not been at her best this year but was a favourite to win this event.  But in the heat, Kristina outlasted Alexandrova who eventually had to retire when she was on the brink of defeat due to apparent heat stroke.

The rest is history, Liutova took down Maya Joint, Caty McNally and Kalieva to set up a final against another surprise package in the shape of Darja Vidmanova.  Despite losing the first set, Liutova bouced back to secure a 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 win. Liutova became the first player born in the 2010s to win a WTA Tour singles title, the youngest player to win a tour-level singles title since Coco Gauff in 2019, and the first to win a tour-level singles title on their main draw debut since Maria Timofeeva.

We had another young first time winner in Los Cabos.  Arther Gea defeated definding champ Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4 in the final.

Here are the final standings for the game week.

Congrats to Dalisvolleys (Jim Ackerman) who is this weeks winner in a very close contest with Holy Tigers (Vlad)

Here is the head to head between the two teams.  

Both teams had both Washington Champs - Fritz and Eala. Vlad also had bother runner ups in Pegula and Jodar. Jim also had inspired pick with Arther Gea (Los Cabos) winner and also had Pegula. Two very strong sides who were well clear of the rest of the chasing pack in this game week.  

Monthly Standings for July

 

Here are the monthly standings for July.

Congratulations to Preston and the OG Stanimals who are top of the charts for July.   Roger That (Mikhail) take 2nd spot and Goaldies (Sagar) finished 3rd.

Here is the breakdown by game week.

Interestingly The OG Stanimals actually fell behind the leading back after a low score in Game Wee 20 but they stormed to the top of the leaderboard following a 3rd place finish in Game Week 21 when all the other contenders faltered!

The FTL Cup returns!!

 

After a length hiatus, the FTL Cup is BACK!!

 

Here is the draw for the 4th Round which will take place at the Cincinnati Masters next week.

 

After the chaos of the Canadian Masters, there are going to be some serious selection headaches for this round of fixtures!

Canadian Open Draws & Dark Horse Breakdown

I have attached the Canadian Open Draws (FTL Version) and Dark Horse Breakdown.  Please note that the Qualifying was completed earlier today (August 1st), so as a result, the 32 Qualifiers have been placed.  Currently, there are no Lucky Losers in either the Mens or Womens Draw.

 

The first day of play is August 2nd.

 

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

 

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

 

Please note that the New Players Prices aren't listed as there are still 3 ongoing events from the Current Game Week.

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 20 Roundup

 

Three first time winners on the tours this week.

In Kitzbuhel, Quentin Halys had a terrific week taking out 2nd seed Vacherot in the 2nd round and then beating Navone and Hanfmann to set up a final with the no 1 seed and defending champ Alexander Bublik.

Halys took the final in straight sets as Bublik was unable to defend either of the clay court titles he won in back to back weeks last year.

In Estoril it was Luca Van Assche who was the surprise package taking out no 1 seed and Andrey Rublev (who had just won Bastad the previous week).  He set up a final with the Belgian Alexander Blockx who had come through a remarkable series of three set battles against Jacquet, Burruchage and Darderi.

The final duly delivered and having lost the 1st set, it loooked like Blockx might just manage to pull off another comeback victory but Luca stood firm and took the final set 7-5.

Another youngster took the title in Prague.  Lilli Tagger is making waves on the WTA Tour and her one handed backhand is a thing of beauty. 

The quarter finals were stacked with home players. Valentova took down compatriot Bouzkova in three sets while Krejcikova (aiming for back to back titles) comfortably defeated Salkova while Tagger took out the 5th Czeck Bejlek.  

But by time we got to the final - the Czechs had all checked out.  Daria Sniger defeated Valentova and Tagger outlasted Krejcikova.   The 18 year old Austrian took the final against Ukrianian Snigur 7-6, 6-2.

We did get one home win this week in Hamburg,  Tamara Korpatsch has been playing some great tennis this season and is now the top ranked German on the WTA Tour!  It was an emotional week for her and she defeated Anna Bondar to win the title in her home city in front of the delighted fans.

Of all the winners this week Tamara was the only one to have been on the winners podium before. This was her 2nd title having won the Transylvanian Open in 2023.

Here is the global league table for the game week.  

Congrats to Melissa and Swift Team who romped to the Game Week win in the Global League finishing almost 30 points over 2nd placed Israel.

Here is her winning team

No winners in her team but a pretty strong week across her 8 strong team in a game week where many of us were really struggling to field any sort of team.   She had 2 finalists in Bondar and Bublik and another strong week from captain pick Barbora Krejcikova all contributed to an impressive total of 424 points.

In the level 2 contest, it was a lot tighter between 1st and 2nd.

Just over 2 points seperated Roger That and Keys to Victory!   But its congratulations to Mikhail who takes the level 2 honours this week.

 

Game Week 19 Roundup

 

A tricky couple of weeks for FTL.  Seemed like most of the tour were either getting married or taking a break.  For reasons best known to themselves, the ATP like to have a brief return to the clay before we move on the North American hard court swing.   So FTLers were left with the dilemma on whether to splurge out on trades on players that they may not need long term.  

There is always the danger in these game weeks that the top seeds bomb and in the case of Ruud, Bublik and Cobolli -  they did!!

Ok quick run through the finals then.

ATP Bastad   -   Two top players who delivered here.  Andrey Rublev was back to winning ways winning the title  6-4, 6-3  over the hot headed Luciano Darderi.

ATP Gstaad -   Another player back to winning ways -  Stefanos Tsitsipas won a tight three setter against the Belgian Raphael Collignon.   Don't go back to your Dad ever again Stef!

ATP Umag -  Daniel Merida took the title her against Damir Dzumhur.

WTA Athens -   Another excellent win for Barbora Krejcikova as the Czechs continue to grap all the trophies these days. Home favourite Maria Sakkari came up just short in the final.

WTA Iasi   -    This final got rolled over to the Monday due to rain,  And its a win for Egypt - as Mayar Sherif took the title following a 2nd set retiral from Paula Badosa. Good couple of weeks for Paula having won a lower tier event in Bastad the previous week. Rumours that the match was called off early on the Sunday to allow Paula to watch the world cup final are unfounded!

Here is the Global table for the game week.  

Congrats to Mark and the Starodubtsteppers who are on a rich vein of form recently after a rough first half of the season.   Mark won the monthly prize for July recently and has now followed that up with the Level 2 weekly prize for Game Week 19.    Kevin G (mtl89)  and Goaldies (Sagar) take the 2nd and 3rd spots for this week.

Lets take a look at the game week winning team.

Mark finished the week with 4 finalists with Darderi, Sakkari, Collignon and Krejcikova but in the end it was only Babs who delivered a trophy.  A solid week across the whole team with the exception of Captain Ruud and Etcheverry!

Game Week 17 Roundup

 

I'll keep this brief cos I'm playing a bit of catch up with FTL related things at the moment.

So yeah - here are your four champs from Game Week 17!  Incidentally i think these anime likenesses are getting worse!

From left to right:

ATP Eastbourne -   Zizou Bergs defeated Ugo Humbert in the final.  (They actually played again in the first round of Wimbledon - same outcome Bergs won again!)

WTA Eastbourne  - Maddie Keys loves Eastbourne. She won her third title there defeated Tatjana Maria in the final.

ATP Mallorca -  Finally a first ATP title for Alejandro Davidovich Fokina after being the nearly man on so many occasions in the past.  He defeated Ethan Quinn in the final.

WTA Bad Homburg -   Another German grass court title and another elephant trophy for a Czech champion,  Karolina Muchova won he title following a mid match retirement from Naomi Osaka. Of course the other elephant was won by Linda Noskova in Berlin the previous week.  Who knew that these two were going to contest the Wimbledon final!! 

Here is the final FTL table.  

This is a new team name to me.  "You've been Osta-spanked" .  I love it!  😆😆

Massive congrats to this weeks Global League winner Rebecca who romped the game week with a ridiculous 400 points.  

Lets take a look at the head to head with 2nd placed Sindre.

Rebecca had Eastbourne winner Keys and both Bad Homburg finalists Muchova and Osaka with a decent supporting role from Ostapenko.  Her total could have been higher if the player placement was different becaue Captain Svitolina and KP Andreeva did not really deliver. 

A decent week for Sindre too.  He had Keys as Captain as Eastbourne runner up Maria as well. He also shared in ADF's first title delight as he had him as a KP.  Most importantly for Sindre - he takes the level 2 prize for the week and also earned some valuable points in his quest to win the overall title for 2026.

Game Week 18 Roundup (Wimbledon)

 

Wimbledon 2026 — A Fortnight of Answers After a Season of Questions

Wimbledon began under a haze of uncertainty. Both tours arrived in London battered, confused, and searching for direction. The heat was oppressive, the form guides were shredded, and the favourites looked anything but convincing. It felt like a Championships waiting for someone — anyone — to seize control.

MEN’S DRAW — Sinner’s Survival, Novak’s Defiance, Zverev’s Rise, and a British Ferytale

Sinner’s Scare

For Jannik Sinner, the questions were immediate. His opening match against Miomir Kecmanović was supposed to be routine; instead, it became a five‑set ordeal that reopened every doubt about his physical resilience in heat. But somehow, surviving that match seemed to unlock him. Rust shaken off, rhythm rediscovered, he began to look like himself again.

Novak’s Last Stand

Novak Djokovic, at thirty‑nine, refused to fade quietly. His movement wasn’t what it once was, his dominance no longer automatic, but his competitive fire remained untouched. His five‑set victory over Félix Auger‑Aliassime was vintage Novak — stubborn, miraculous, defiant. It earned him a semifinal against Sinner, a matchup of youth versus legend.

The Ferytale

On the opposite side of the draw, a story nobody saw coming took shape. British hopes had collapsed early — Raducanu and Draper withdrew, and nearly every other Brit fell in the first round. But Arthur Fery, slight, unassuming, and utterly fearless, refused to join them.

He overturned Bergs. He overturned Dimitrov. He dismantled Roland Garros finalist Flavio Cobolli in the quarterfinals with shocking ease.

Centre Court embraced him as its adopted son. A nation starved of success suddenly had a hero.

Zverev’s Grass Awakening

Waiting for Fery in the semifinals was Alexander Zverev — and this time, he looked every inch the Grand Slam champion he had become in Paris. He ended his embarrassing losing streak to Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals, outlasting the American and proving that his newfound confidence travelled with him. Against Fery, the fairytale ended quietly. Zverev was simply too strong, too composed, too ready.

Sinner vs Djokovic was a passing of the torch. Novak fought, but Sinner’s level was too high, too relentless. The ageing champion could no longer match the Italian’s pace.

Zverev vs Fery was a reality check — the German dominant, the Brit exhausted.

The Final

The final was a classic. Zverev, liberated by his Paris breakthrough, played with aggression and intent, taking the first set and refusing to retreat into passivity. But Sinner rose to the challenge. He took the second set, absorbed Zverev’s pressure, and gradually wore him down with superior consistency and shot tolerance.

In four competitive sets, Sinner claimed the title — a champion forged through early adversity and late brilliance.

WOMEN’S DRAW — Chaos, Carnage, and a Czech Coronation

The women’s draw unfolded exactly as the pre‑tournament panic suggested: the favourites fell, the form book burned, and Wimbledon became a battleground for the bold.

The Collapse of the top seeds

• Rybakina fell in the third round to Elise Mertens.

• Swiatek lost in the same round to Alexandra Eala.

• Sabalenka was overpowered by Naomi Osaka in the fourth round.

• Andreeva, the Roland Garros champion, lost a brutal second‑round match to former champion Barbora Krejcikova.

It was carnage — and opportunity.

Coco Gauff’s Escape Act

Coco Gauff nearly joined the exodus. In round two, she stood on the brink of defeat against Solana Sierra, surviving only by sheer force of will. That became the theme of her tournament.

She beat Liu in three. She came back from a set down against Bencic. She came back from a set down against Pegula.

Suddenly, improbably, she was in the semifinals.

Muchova’s Revival

Her opponent was Karolína Muchova, stylish, elegant, and finally healthy after years of injury. She stunned Osaka — who many believed was playing well enough to win the title — and arrived in the semifinals brimming with confidence.

Their match was a thriller. Gauff had match point. She squandered it. Muchova did not. The Czech advanced.

Noskova’s Surge

On the other side of the draw, Linda Noskova — champion in Berlin — was building a case as the best grass‑court player of the season. She survived a scare against Sorana Cirstea, then tore through Madison Keys, Elise Mertens, and Marta Kostyuk in straight sets.

Two Czech women. Two contrasting stories. One final.

The Czech Final

Czech success at Wimbledon is practically tradition — Navratilova, Novotná, Kvitová, Krejcikova, Vondrousova. Now Noskova and Muchova added their names to the lineage.

Noskova dominated early, taking the first set and racing to a 5–2 lead in the second. But then the match turned. Nerves crept in. Muchova fought with artistry and grit, winning five straight games to steal the set and flip the momentum.

Yet Noskova, remarkably composed for her age, reset. She reclaimed control, dictated rallies, and closed out the match 6–2, 5–7, 6–3.

It was emotional, fierce, and unforgettable — two friends battling for history. Noskova dedicated the victory to her mother, who had passed away two years earlier. Centre Court stood for her.

A Wimbledon of Answers

The fortnight began with doubts. It ended with clarity.

Sinner proved his resilience. Zverev proved his breakthrough was real. Djokovic proved he still mattered. Arthur Fery proved fairytales still happen.

Noskova announced herself as a future star. Muchova reminded the world of her brilliance. The top women were humbled.

And Wimbledon crowned two champions forged in adversity.

Wimbledon FTL was just as thrilling as the real thing with several teams vying for glory right up until the end!

It was the teams that took a gamble on the outsiders who did best.   Muchova, Noskova and Kostyuk were form players but still risky picks.  And managers were faced with the dilemma of whether to trade Novak in despite the fact that he is rarely useful outside of the slams -  those that did were rewarded. Cobolli too probably did better than many expected but just as impressive as his run to the quarter final was (so soon after being runner up at RG), his capitulation at the hands of Arthur Fery was also quite shocking!  

Here is the final table for the game week.  

Congratulations to Tomasz  (CocoJumbo) who eventually came out on top by the narrowest of margins. Taylor and Stripes IX were only 2 points behind and even Harakiri led by Aditya were within 10 points. A remarkable game week for all three. 

Tomasz was definitely out with the calculator working our permutations as a significant defeat for Karolina Muchova could have been catastophic with Taylor having Linda Noskova. In the end Muchova earned enough points to defend the lead Tomasz had build up but it was close!! 

Here is the head to head between the top 2. 

Both Tomasz and Taylor had excellent dark horse picks which proved to be just as crucial as their other picks.  As you would expect they both had Sinner as Captain but having Zverev as a key player helped Tomasz.  Noskova was an inspired KP pick for Taylor while the inclusion of Kostyuk and Pegula proved to be key for Tomasz.

 

Monthly Standings for June

 

Here are the monthly standings for June.  (Level 2)

Massive congrats to Mark McDonald and his team Starodubsteppers who were winners by a distance in June.  

Mark had a terrific grass swing and put in three excellent weeks in the run up to Wimbledon that already had him in great shape to take the title for June.  The chasing pack of Lucastryard99, Stanimal Rights Activists and Austin3:16 put in an impressive Wimbledon to close the gab on Mark but in the end he still had a significant 63 point lead.

The highest monthly total for June actually came from Sasha Sheremet with 1908 points for his team in level 1.  Unfortunately not eligible for the monthly prize but congrats to Sasha on a great month.   

Game Week 16 Roundup

 

Fantasy Tennis – Game Week 16 Recap (Tournament Edition)

A week of upsets, breakthroughs, and a whole lot of rain…

🇬🇧 Queen’s Club (ATP 500)

The grass swing’s marquee warm‑up event delivered drama from the start as the top two seeds both crashed out earlier than expected. Jiří Lehečka, the No. 2 seed, fell in the third round to an inspired Rinky Hijikata, while top seed Alex de Minaur was bundled out in the quarter‑finals by Brandon Nakashima.

With the draw blown wide open, the final came down to Francisco Cerúndolo and Tommy Paul — a rematch of their Eastbourne 2023 showdown. Cerúndolo had already survived three consecutive three‑set battles en route to Sunday, and he needed a fourth to claim the biggest title of his career. The Argentine lifted his first ATP 500 trophy and his second grass‑court title, once again outlasting Paul in a gritty, physical contest.

A heart‑warming footnote: Cerúndolo’s father flew outside South America for the first time ever to watch his son compete — and ended up witnessing the greatest triumph of his career.

🇩🇪 Halle (ATP 500)

Halle delivered its own American storyline. After meeting in the Stuttgart final the previous week, Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz renewed their rivalry in the quarter‑finals — this time with Fritz reversing the result.

Both semi‑finals became USA vs Germany affairs.

• Alexander Zverev, returning home as the new French Open champion, received a hero’s welcome but ran into his personal nemesis. Fritz has now beaten him seven straight times dating back to 2024. Zverev later revealed his diabetes monitor malfunctioned mid‑match, causing him to take on more sugar than intended, but he still credited Fritz for the level he brought.

• On the other side, Frances Tiafoe ended the run of Daniel Altmaier, who had shown surprising grass improvement with guidance from the ever‑creative Dustin Brown.

For the second week running, Fritz reached a final — and for the second week running, he lost to a fellow American. This time it was Frances Tiafoe who claimed the crown, securing the first ATP 500 title of his career and announcing himself as a real threat heading into Wimbledon.

🇩🇪 Berlin (WTA 500)

Berlin boasted one of the strongest fields of the entire grass season, but for several top seeds it became another chapter in a worrying pre‑Wimbledon trend.

• Elena Rybakina, still searching for rhythm after her early Roland‑Garros exit and a surprise loss to Katie Boulter at Queen’s, fell in her opening match to Alexandra Eala. She later withdrew from Bad Homburg citing injury concerns — not ideal for one of the tournament favourites at SW19.

• Coco Gauff also stumbled, losing early to wildcard Paula Badosa as her uneasy relationship with grass continued.

• Aryna Sabalenka fared slightly better, reaching the semis and fighting back to level her match with Jessica Pegula, but then suffered another dramatic collapse — including a bagel set reminiscent of her Roland‑Garros struggles.

Pegula, who thrives on German grass, marched into the final — but the story of the week belonged to Linda Nosková. The Czech didn’t drop a set en route to the championship match, dispatching Eala along the way. Rain chaos forced the final into a stop‑start affair, but Nosková held firm to claim the title. She then returned on Monday to win the doubles crown with Ekaterina Alexandrova, completing one of the most impressive weeks of her young career.

Now a top‑10 player, Nosková heads to Wimbledon as a legitimate dark horse.

🇬🇧 Nottingham (WTA 250)

Nottingham produced yet another Czech‑vs‑American final — a theme of the week, with five Americans appearing across the four finals but only one (Tiafoe) lifting a trophy.

Here, it was Marie Bouzková who prevailed over Emma Navarro. Navarro continues to impress since returning from her break earlier in the season, showing steady progress on both clay and grass.

Bouzková’s route to the final was immaculate:

• She didn’t drop a set,

• Took out two rising stars — Tereza Valentová and Britain’s own Hannah Klugman,

• Then eliminated two seasoned grass‑court operators — Tatjana Maria and Karolína Plíšková.

She needed three sets to finish the job against Navarro, but her consistency and court craft shone all week.

The seeds struggled again:

• Top seed Iva Jovic withdrew before the event began.

• Second seed Leylah Fernandez was upset in round one by Zeynep Sönmez, continuing a difficult stretch for the Canadian.

Here is the final game week table for the Global League

The Global League leaderboard ended with a runaway winner: Moto, finishing nearly 50 points clear of the chasing pack. Their total of 546.3 points left the rest fighting for scraps, with Stanimal Rights Activists the best of the rest on 497.3 points, followed by Allez Express 🌈, Harakiri, and Jannik Winner rounding out the top five.

Moto’s success was built on a perfectly balanced squad featuring several of the week’s standout performers:

Player	Event	Key Result	Points
Linda Nosková	Berlin	Singles + Doubles Champion	120.2
Frances Tiafoe	Halle	Champion	89.7
Francisco Cerúndolo	Queen’s	Champion	86.4
Jessica Pegula	Berlin	Runner‑up	73.6
Alexander Zverev	Halle	Semi‑finalist	86.1
Ben Shelton	Halle	Quarter‑finalist	48.6
Dayana Yastremska	Berlin	Early rounds	17.7
Katie Volynets	Berlin	Early rounds	23.9

It was a masterclass in timing and player selection — three champions, one runner‑up, and a semi‑finalist all in the same lineup. No wonder Moto surged ahead while others scrambled to keep pace.

And as usual the FTL prize goes to the winner of the level 2 game week which was closely contested by Staninal Rights Activists and Allez Express at least up until finals day but it was to be the Stanimals that boasted the winners on finals day.