Monthy Standings - August

 

Here the global league monthly standings for the month of August which took in the Cincinnati Masters and the US Open.

Congratulations to Tricia who wins this month and gets the level 2 prize with a fine total of 2056.722 which was 14 points clear of Blinkova Nigh in 2nd place.

Tricia's burst for August glory really took off at the US Open where she finished in 2nd place in the Global League.  That was enough to overhaul the other contenders for this months title.

Level 2 standings

GAMEWEEK 27 LOCKOUT

Please note that there is an extremely high probability that neither Mens Events (Chengdu and Hangzhou) Main Draws will be available for the upcoming GameWeek Lockout.  According to the information that has been provided from both the ATP and WTA, the Main Draw of the Womens event in Korea is set to take place on Monday September 15th, whereas both Mens events won't start until a couple of days later on Wednesday.

 

Sadly, in terms of FTL this is what we call a Blind Lockout, and its both extremely uncomfortable and borderline unfair.  Unlike in previous years, we have a solution (Event specific lockout) for this issue, but its not ready quite yet and probably won't be ready for the upcoming lockout.

 

When this solution is available, to help remove the confusion, we'll be sure to provide a HOW TO guide.

 

I'll pray for a miracle that it will be ready before the 15th, but I'll be honest that the odds of it happening in the next few days are closer to getting hit by lightening! 

Game Week 24 results

 

A belated congrats to our three winners from Game Week 24.   

Diana Shnaider had a terrific 2024 but maybe hasn't kicked on as much as many expected this year but this result in Monterrey gave her a title and some much needed ranking points.  Aside from a fine win in the final over compatriot Alexandrova, the crucial win for Diana was a hard fought three set win over Elise Mertens in the Quarter Final in which she came from a set down to win two tie break sets.

Sorana Cirsrtea was in inpsired form all week in Cleveland.  It was a bit of the blue if truth be told.  She came through two rounds of qualifying for the loss of just 5 games and continued to dominate everyone she playing in the main event defeating no 1 seed Samsonova 6-4, 6-1 in quarter finals and ultimately she was just too good for American Ann Li in the final.   7 matches played - no sets dropped. A good weeks work for the veteran Romanian!

In Winston Salem, it was Hungarian Marton Fucsovics holding the trophy at the end of the week. There were 9 withdrawals at the start of the week so the starting line up was a little different from the one original expected. It was seemingly bolstered by the late addition of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Tallon Griekspoor.  But in keeping with his forgettable season, Stef was skittled out in his first match by Bu of China. No 2 seed Griekspoor also lost his opening match in a tight three setter against Fucsovics.  And Fucsovics kicked on from that match going on to beat RBA and Munar before benefitting from a walkover against Korda in the semi final.   Maybe a little rest helped as he defeated Botic van de Zandschulp in striaght sets in the final.

And so to FTL.  Here is the final global league table for the week.

Massive congrats to Lukas de Grauw who won the game week by almost forty points.  This particular win is even more remarkable as he left one of the game week finalists (Ann Li) on his bench!! 😲  Funnily enough - this is a theme which at the time of writing will be applicable to the US Open winner as well but we'll resist from any further spoilers until that write up is done.  

Here is the winning team for Lukas.

Lukas had both finalists from Monterrey - Shnaider and Alexandrova a well as semi finalist Bouzkova.  Linda Noskova also provide some decent points with her run to the Quarter Final.  But just imagine what that total might have been had Lukas played Ann Li instead of Jacqueline Cristian!  

Lukas is the level 2 game week winner for the week.  Jenny Foreman was the best of the rest in the Global League.

      

Game Week 26 draws

 

A tricky week for all of us FTLers.

Only two WTA events in play this week and we have had plenty of big name withdrawals. If anyone can field a team of 8 this week, you're either a genius or a crazy person!  😃

Notable withdrawals:

Guadalajara -  Fernandez, Kalinskaya, Kartal, Navarro, Stearns, Ruse

Sao Paulo - Baptiste, Burrage, Cirico, Klimovicova

US OPEN MAIN DRAW & DARK HORSE BREAKDOWN

 

I have attached the US Open Main Draw (FTL Version) and the Dark Horse Breakdown.  The Qualifying for both the Mens and Womens events were completed earlier today and as a result, the placement of the 32 Qualifiers and 3 Lucky Losers has been finalized.

 

Do not forget to select your Dark Horses for both the Mens and Womens events! Just a reminder that the US Open starts playing Round 1 Main Draw Matches on Sunday (August 24th)

 

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

Good Luck :)

Cincinnati results

 

(no sooner had Carlos and Iga got their trophies then they were catching the next flight to NY to take part in the mized doubles event!)

🎾 Cincinnati Open 2025 Recap

August 6–18 Lindner Family Tennis Center, Ohio

🔥 ATP: Alcaraz Claims Title in a Final That Fizzled

The much-anticipated clash between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner—their fourth final of the season after Rome, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon—ended in disappointment as Sinner was forced to retire after a lopsided first set, citing heat-related illness and fatigue. The match had promised fireworks but instead underscored the brutal toll of the Cincinnati conditions.

• Alcaraz’s path: Defeated an ailing Alexander Zverev in the semis, who was visibly struggling with illness.
• Sinner’s path: Took out surprise semifinalist Terence Atmane, who had stunned Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune after coming through qualifying.

The oppressive heat and humidity were a major storyline, with multiple players showing signs of physical distress throughout the week.

🇫🇷 Terence Atmane: Breakout Star

Ranked No. 136, the 23-year-old Frenchman Terence Atmane lit up the ATP draw:

• Beat Fritz in three sets
• Dominated Rune in straight sets
• Reached his first Masters 1000 semifinal

His fearless baseline aggression and composure under pressure made him one of the most talked-about players of the week.

👑 WTA: Swiatek Reigns Again

Iga Swiatek continued her hardcourt dominance, lifting her 24th career title and third of the season by defeating Jasmine Paolini in the final. She didn’t drop a set all week, including a thrilling semifinal win over Elena Rybakina.

• Swiatek vs. Rybakina: A high-quality semi that showcased Swiatek’s defensive brilliance and Rybakina’s serving power.
• Paolini’s run: Took out Coco Gauff in the quarters and Veronika Kudermetova in the semis, but fell to Swiatek for the sixth time in their head-to-head.

• Coco Gauff: Lost to Paolini, extending a rough patch on hard courts.
• Jessica Pegula: Suffered a surprise early exit to Magda Linette, continuing her post-Wimbledon slump.
• Aryna Sabalenka: The defending US Open champ was blown off court by Rybakina, 6–1, 6–4, in the quarters.

Here is the global FTL league table for the game week.

Congrats to Johnatton Santos and his team SRN2025 who topped the Cincy table seeing off spirited competion in the shape of 2025 Battle and Rydal 250 Sponsor Exemption.

Here is a breakdown of the head to head battle for the level 2 prize between Johnatton and Eric and Michael.  

Both had pretty similar teams but crucially Johnatton had a key differential in the shape of Paolini who ensured that he had all four finalists for this event.  Rydal had Zverev who also had another great tournament but crucially his defeat in the semi finals meant he scored 20 points less than Paolini.  

Tosh, Maire and Matt L make up the top 5 in the level 2 standings.

Congrats to all of you on a terrific game week.

In the 2nd half masters Rick topped the table for this week with Yulia's Holy Crud Muffins in 2nd place.

Canadian Open results

 

🎾 Rogers Cup 2025 Summary

Montreal (WTA) & Toronto (ATP)
July 26 – August 7, 2025

🇨🇦 Victoria Mboko’s Historic Triumph in Montreal

The story of the tournament—and perhaps the season—was Victoria Mboko, the 18-year-old Canadian who electrified home crowds with a record-shattering run to her first WTA 1000 title. Mboko defeated four Grand Slam champions en route to the trophy, including Naomi Osaka in a nail-biting final. Her matches were defined by grit, clutch play, and a fearless attacking style that won over fans across both host cities.

Even in Toronto, the crowd erupted when news of her win broke—causing a moment of confusion for men's finalists Ben Shelton and Karen Khachanov, who were still battling it out on court.

🎾 Naomi Osaka’s Return to Form

After months of struggling to find rhythm post-comeback, Naomi Osaka surged through the draw in Montreal, defeating top seeds and showing glimpses of her championship pedigree. Her run to the final marked her first WTA 1000 final since 2021, and her composure under pressure suggests she’s ready to rejoin the elite.

💥 Upsets and Absences

• Clara Tauson stunned Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek early in the tournament, continuing her breakout season with aggressive baseline play and tactical maturity.
• Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula both exited early, extending a worrying trend of poor form in big events.
• Aryna Sabalenka was notably absent from the women’s draw, citing scheduling and recovery needs.

On the men’s side:

• Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz skipped Toronto, leaving the field wide open.
• Their absence paved the way for a surprise final between Ben Shelton and Karen Khachanov.

🔥 Ben Shelton’s Breakthrough in Toronto

In a tournament full of twists, Ben Shelton emerged as the new force in men’s tennis. He defeated Taylor Fritz in the semis and then outlasted Karen Khachanov in a high-octane final to claim his first Masters 1000 title. Shelton’s explosive serve and fearless court coverage have now cemented him as a top-tier contender heading into the US Open.

Meanwhile, Khachanov continued his strong season, highlighted by a statement win over Alexander Zverev in the semis.

💰 Prize Money Highlights

• Men’s Champion (Shelton): $1,124,380
• Women’s Champion (Mboko): $752,275

🧠 Final Thoughts

The 2025 Rogers Cup was a showcase of emerging talent, shifting power dynamics, and emotional resonance—especially for Canadian fans. With Mboko’s rise, Osaka’s resurgence, and Shelton’s ascension, the tennis world heads into the US Open with new storylines and fresh contenders.

 

Here is the Global Leaderboard for the week

It was certainly a game week for dark horse picks with both winners and runner up Osaka being dark horse eligible.  Needless to say the strongest teams in the game week had two of the three in their team.

Congratulations to Adnan Akhtar who was top of the pile for this game week.  Lets take a look at the head to head between Adnan and Andrea Russo who also had a terrific week.

Adnan actually only had one high scoring dark horse in the shape of Montreal winner Mboko but that didn't matter because he had Ben Shelton in his starting 8 as well as Toronto runner up Khachanov.  He also had semi finalists Zverev, Fritz and Rybakina.   Pegula and mens's DH Shapovalov were really the only players in his team to flop.

Andrea also had a terrific team opting for Shelton as a DH alongside Mboko.  He also had men's runner up Khachanov and Montreal semi finalist Rybakina with decent supporting roles from Keys and Popyrin.

Gregsj (Greg), jbatta44 (Jamie) and AceCream (Sonja) made up the top 5 in the global league for this week.

Here is the 2nd half masters leaderboard for the week