Tennis News

Zverev trying to do this for the first time in seven years…

Can Alexander Zverev channel fond Acapulco memories to snap a seven-year title wait of sorts this week at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC?

The No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings’ singles title hopes at the ATP 500 may be over for this year, but Zverev remains in contention for a trophy in Mexico. Competing alongside his good friend Marcelo Melo, Zverev on Thursday reached the doubles semi-finals via a 6-3, 3-6, 10-4 victory against Nuno Borges and Miguel Reyes-Varela.

Zverev is a 24-time ATP Tour singles champion and has won at least one of those titles in nine of the past 10 seasons (he did not lift a trophy in 2022, when he missed more than half the year after suffering a serious ankle injury at Roland Garros). Yet in Acapulco, he is chasing his first tour-level doubles title since he triumphed alongside his brother, Mischa Zverev, at the Mexican ATP 500 in 2019. That was Zverev’s second ATP Tour doubles trophy, after he and his brother also won in Montpellier in 2017.

México ❤️ @AlexZverev @AbiertoTelcel | #AMT2026 pic.twitter.com/hF010eRKXo

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 27, 2026

The 28-year-old Zverev holds a 72-89 tour-level record in doubles, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. He and Melo, who reached the final together at the 2024 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, will take on #NextGenATP star Rafael Jodar and home favourite Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez in Friday’s semi-finals.

In the other semi-final in Acapulco, Alexander Erler and Robert Galloway will face Vasil Kirkov and Bart Stevens. Erler and Galloway ousted third seeds Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul 7-6(3), 6-4 to seal their last-four spot, while qualifiers Kirkov and Stevens downed Guido Andreozzi and Manuel Guinard 6-1, 6-0.

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Monfils thanks Del Potro in emotional Acapulco moment: 'He's a big champion'

Gael Monfils has long been a fan favourite and a beloved presence in the locker room. Playing his final season on the ATP Tour, Monfils was honoured on Wednesday at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, with former World No. 3 Juan Martin del Potro among those in attendance.

Monfils, who reached the Acapulco final in 2009 when the tournament was held on clay, was honoured after his second-round match, a 3-6, 3-6 defeat to Valentin Vacherot. During the ceremony, the 39-year-old shared a message of gratitude, acknowledging Del Potro, who was courtside.

“We had big battles. He’s a big champion,” Monfils said of Del Potro. “For me, it means a lot that you’re here, that you send messages. Thank you so much Juan Martin and thank you to the others as well.”

A legend celebrates a legend 😢@delpotrojuan in the house to fete the great @Gael_Monfils in Acapulco. #AMT2026 pic.twitter.com/GEFnvUAaiT

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 27, 2026

Del Potro and Monfils faced each other twice, with the Argentine winning both Lexus ATP Head2Head encounters — each in Rotterdam (2013, 2014).

Monfils earned his first win of 2026 by defeating Damir Dzumhur in the Acapulco first round. A 13-time tour-level titlist, the former No. 6 player in the PIF ATP Rankings boasts a 584-353 career record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

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Clutch Cobolli saves all eight break points to reach Acapulco SFs

Flavio Cobolli continued his quest for a third ATP Tour title Thursday when he surged past China’s Wu Yibing 7-6(4), 6-1 at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.

The Italian, who is the highest-ranked player remaining in Acapulco at No. 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings, is into a semi-final for the second consecutive week, having arrived in Mexico after reaching that stage in Delray Beach.

Despite making just 49 per cent of his first serves, Cobolli won 83 per cent (30/36) of those points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The 23-year-old saved all eight break points he faced, six of which came in the second set. Cobolli dug out of a 15/40 hole in his final three service games, sealing the victory after one hour and 35 minutes.

“I think when you don’t play like you want, but you still stay positive in your mindset — I think it’s [great] for me because it’s never happened in the past. So now it’s a little bit better, I’m very proud,” said Cobolli.

“I really appreciate my attitude on the court because it’s not easy to play against [Wu] and I think he deserved to win the first set. I put a lot of energy in my game and I think I played a really good second set.”

The fifth seed, who last year won the ATP 250 event in Bucharest and the ATP 500 in Hamburg, next faces Miomir Kecmanovic. One day after upsetting top seed Alexander Zverev, Kecmanovic downed French lefty Terence Atmane 6-3, 6-3.

Man on a mission 🫡

No. 5 seed Flavio Cobolli holds firm against Wu 7-6(4), 6-1 to reach his sixth tour-level semi-final. @AbiertoTelcel | #AMT2026 pic.twitter.com/KZKGRk3LeH

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 27, 2026

In other action, Frances Tiafoe advanced to his first Acapulco semi-final in his eighth appearance at the event. The eighth-seeded American downed Italian Mattia Bellucci 6-3, 6-4.

Tiafoe missed a routine forehand down break point when serving at 5-3 in the second set, but regrouped to earn a break of his own in a topsy-turvy game, sealing his place in the last four on his third match point.

Aiming for his fourth tour-level crown and first above ATP 250 level, Tiafoe awaits sixth seed Valentin Vacherot or countryman Brandon Nakashima.

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Tom Perrotta Prize for Tennis Journalism: Entries open for 2026

Entries are now open for the 2026 Tom Perrotta Prize for Tennis Journalism. The annual award, now in its fifth year, recognises excellence in tennis journalism and is open to writers aged 35 and under.

The Tom Perrotta Prize is in memory of the famed American writer Tom Perrotta, whose exemplary contributions to tennis journalism were curtailed by his untimely death at the age of 44.

The prize includes a cash award of $2000. The winner will be presented with their award in New York on the eve of the US Open. Entrants should note that they will be expected to be able to accept the prize in person. An extra $500 will be made available to the winner to assist with travel.

Applications should include a brief CV and two recent examples of the applicant’s published writing. Examples can be in any language, but articles should be translated into English before submitting.
In addition, entrants should explain how the cash prize will help them in their career.

Entries will be judged blind by a group of judges from the International Tennis Writers’ Association. Submissions should be forwarded to tomperrotta.prize@gmail.com before midnight (EST) on 20 April 2026.

The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the International Tennis Writers’ Association co-sponsor the award.

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Cerundolo continues impressive 'Golden Swing' in Santiago, Nava breaks American drought

Top seed Francisco Cerundolo earned his sixth clay-court win of the season on Thursday at the BCI Seguros Chile Open in Santiago. The Argentine recorded an opening-round 6-2, 6-2 triumph against Elmer Moller to reach the quarter-finals at the ATP 250 event.

Cerundolo lifted the trophy on home soil in Buenos Aires for the first time earlier this month, a moment which the Argentine described as the ‘best moment of his career so far’. After a second-round exit in Rio de Janeiro, the World No. 19 was dominant throughout his 71-minute win against Moller.

In the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, the 27-year-old won 89 per cent of his first-serve points and did not face a break point, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

The Argentine will next play Emilio Nava after the 24-year-old defeated Paraguayan qualifier Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 7-5, 6-3 to become the first American quarter-finalist in tournament history. The World No. 79 is also the first American man to reach a tour-level quarter-final on South American clay since Rajeev Ram in 2017 in Quito.

Nava upset the former No. 6 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Matteo Berrettini in his first match at the ATP 250 event and then produced a clean-hitting display to down Vallejo and reach his second ATP Tour quarter-final.

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2026 Indian Wells tennis prize money

The ATP Tour’s top stars are set to compete at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. The ATP Masters 1000 event has announced a prize money total of US $9,415,725 for the 2026 edition.

The singles champion will earn $1,151,380. The doubles team that wins will split $468,200

View the full prize-money breakdown and the PIF ATP Rankings points at stake below.

2026 Indian Wells Singles Prize Money

2026 Indian Wells Doubles Prize Money (per team)

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Auger-Aliassime sets Medvedev SF in Dubai redemption bid

Felix Auger-Aliassime has no plans to slow his sizzling February run at this week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

The in-form Canadian moved past Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 7-6(2) on Thursday at the ATP 500 event, advancing to his third consecutive tour-level semi-final. After lifting the trophy in Montpellier and finishing runner-up in Rotterdam, Auger-Aliassime now boasts an 11-1 record this month and stands just two victories away from avenging last year’s Dubai final loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas.

2025: Finalist
2026: 🤔

FAA returns to the last four in Dubai, knocking out Lehecka 6-3, 7-6(2)@DDFTennis | #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/OJoPp7vUVc

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 26, 2026

Competing as the top seed at an event above ATP 250 level for the first time, the 25-year-old has shown little sign of nerves. He has yet to drop a set through three matches this week and, against Lehecka, he saved both break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

In Friday’s semi-final, Auger-Aliassime will meet third seed and 2023 Dubai champion Daniil Medvedev, who holds a 7-2 lead in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“We have very different game styles,” said Auger-Aliassime, who went 0-7 versus Medvedev between 2018 and 2024. “I’m going to try to come forward, he will try and make me miss. We’ll see who gets the better of the game plan. He’s had the better of me… It took me seven or eight times before beating him.”

Most tour-level semi-finals (players born since 2000) 

Medvedev launched Thursday’s quarter-final slate with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 victory over Jenson Brooksby, booking his third Dubai semi-final in his past four appearances at the ATP 500 tournament.

The former World No. 1 closed the 2025 season with a series of steady results — including back-to-back semi-finals in Beijing and Shanghai and a title in Almaty — and is pushing toward a return to the Top 10 for the first time since June. He opened 2026 with a title run in Brisbane and currently trails No. 10 Alexander Bublik by just 345 points in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

“There were moments in my career when I was better prepared,” Medvedev said when asked about his recent consistency. “Funnily enough, they say ‘Rookies get lucky’. It was more this kind of thing. Everything was new, I didn’t care… I was just playing the way I felt.

“Now, I have a lot more thoughts in my head, which can help me sometimes, but sometimes I need to get rid of them to play better. I still know that I can be consistent. For example, at the end of last year I was super consistent, and even this year I am trying to regain it. This tournament is great so far.”

Andrey Rublev maintained his impressive record in Dubai, moving past Arthur Rinderknech 6-2, 6-4 to advance to his fifth semi-final at the ATP 500 event.

The No. 18 player in the PIF ATP Rankings lifted the trophy at the tournament in 2022 and then reached the final in 2023. Aiming to clinch the trophy in Dubai for the second time, Rublev hit through Rinderknech to improve to 4-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. He will next face sixth seed Jakub Mensik or Tallon Griekspoor.

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Boulter secures seventh consecutive WTA win

Britain’s Katie Boulter reaches the quarter-finals of the Merida Open in Mexico as Camila Osorio retires with injury.

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Kecmanovic shocks Zverev in Acapulco: 'I didn't have any pressure'

Miomir Kecmanovic earned the first Top 5 win of his career Wednesday when he upset World No. 4 Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-7(3), 7-6(4) at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.

The 26-year-old entered the match 0-11 against Top 5 players in the PIF ATP Rankings, yet found some of his best tennis against the 2021 champion to reach the quarter-finals.

“It feels amazing, especially because it’s been a rough couple of years,” said Kecmanovic, the No. 84 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. “So I’m happy that some things are going my way finally.”

Kecmanovic struck his backhand confidently and took advantage of Zverev’s deep return positioning, opening the court and holding his ground against the German’s usually reliable two-handed backhand. Zverev finished with 17 backhand unforced errors, compared to Kecmanovic’s six.

“I guess I was more aggressive when it mattered. I served a lot better than my usual standards, so I’m happy that things went well today,” Kecmanovic said. “Obviously he’s the big favourite, so I didn’t have any pressure there, but you still have to play well when it matters, close out the match and thankfully it went my way.”

The Serbian improved to 2-2 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with the 24-time tour-level titlist. Into the last eight at the hard-court ATP 500, Kecmanovic will face French lefty Terence Atmane for the first time. Atmane overcame wild card Rafael Jodar 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.

In other action, fifth seed Flavio Cobolli downed Dalibor Svrcina 6-4, 6-4. Cobolli won 86 per cent (37/43) of his first-serve points and saved all six break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

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Pellegrino upsets Comesana for biggest win of career in Santiago

Wednesday was a milestone day for Andrea Pellegrino at the BCI Seguros Chile Open at the BCI Seguros Chile Open where he battled to secure a win he will not soon forget.

The 28-year-old, after letting slip a match point in a tense second set, rallied to upset seventh seed Francisco Comesana 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 6-3 at the clay-court ATP 250. With the victory, the Italian qualifier marched into his maiden tour-level quarter-final.

“It was a very tough match,” Pellegrino said. “A great battle. I want to say thanks to my friends who came to support me. Without them, it was very tough. Their support is something amazing.”

In his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with the Argentine, Pellegrino squandered a match point at 5-2 in the second set, then dropped serve while serving for the match in the next game. But he regrouped, earned two breaks in the deciding set and sealed the biggest win of his career in two hours and 51 minutes.

Pellegrino, who captured the doubles title in Santiago in 2023 with Andrea Vavassori, is now at a career-high No. 123 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. The Italian will face Mariano Navone or second-seeded Luciano Darderi in the quarter-finals.

Earlier, Yannick Hanfmann upset fourth seed Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-4, 6-3 in the second round. With the victory, he became the fourth player to reach at least three quarter-finals in tournament history, joining Sebastian Baez, Laslo Djere and Thiago Monteiro.

Watch Hanfmann vs. Ugo Carabelli highlights:

The German, who converted three of seven break point opportunities against Ugo Carabelli and won 10 of 13 points at the net according to Infosys ATP Stats, will face lucky loser Vilius Gaubas in the last eight. The 21-year-old Gaubas rallied past Dino Prizmic 5-7, 7-5, 6-3

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