ATP/WTA: Fonseca, Sinner and Bencic rule

Fonseca beams in Basel

There are very few players who can crack a tennis ball with the force of Joao Fonseca. He’s simply box office.

Remember, the Brazilian teenage sensation had fans queuing around the grounds to catch a glimpse of his Roland-Garros debut back in May, which turned into a straight sets passage past No.30 seed Hubert Hurkacz.

Fonseca has now laid down another marker during his breakout season, lifting his second ATP title and first at the ATP 500 level on Sunday. Over in Basel, Switzerland, Fonseca roared to a commanding 6-3, 6-4 triumph across the net from Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

"It is crazy. I want to thank my family and my coaches who helped me achieve this amazing effort," said Fonseca. "My parents just came from Brazil. They were coming to Paris and changed their flights and came here one hour before the match with my uncles. It is just amazing to have them here for the biggest title of my career.

"It is a pleasure playing this sport and this tournament and I am very happy."

Rewind just 10 months and Fonseca’s rise took a significant shift up with Next Gen ATP Finals glory. Over to Melbourne, the wonderkid swatted aside Top 10 Andrey Rublev at the 2025 Australian Open and then became the youngest South American champion in the ATP Tour Era (since 1990) with the Buenos Aires silverware.

Basel represented another telling sign this special talent is destined for the top, in a run which included victories over reigning champion Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Denis Shapovalov and Jaume Munar. As a result, the 19-year-old surges up 18 spots to a career-high No.28 ranking, having begun the 2025 campaign down at No.145.

Sinner’s grit helps regain Vienna crown

World No.2 Jannik Sinner defied both a sharp start from his opponent and leg cramps en route to recapturing the Vienna trophy on Sunday.

The Italian found the answers in a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 scoreline facing world No.3 Alexander Zverev to land his 22nd career title. About numbers, he remains on a 21-match winning streak on indoor hard courts.

“It feels amazing. It was such a difficult start in this final for me,” said 2023 Vienna winner. “I just tried to stick there mentally and play my best tennis when it came.

“The third set was a bit of a rollercoaster, but I was feeling the ball very well at times, so I tried to push and I’m very happy of course to win another title. It’s very special.”

Cramping in his left hamstring in the decider became increasingly problematic for Sinner, who hit out with intensified aggression (whilst downing pickle juice) to eventually conjure up a 48th win of the year.

“It was very difficult of course. The most important thing was to not give up and try to stay there. Try to see what the situation was. I just tried to make the right choices at the right time. I think that was the key today.”

Within the men’s ranks, attention turns to the Rolex Paris Masters this week, with world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner leading the pack in the French capital.

Bencic harnesses golden memories

10 years ago, Belinda Bencic collected just four games in the Tokyo final dismissal by Agnieszka Radwanska.

A decade on and the Swiss flipped that script, prevailing past Czech powerhouse Linda Noskova 6-2, 6-3 to earn a 10th career title. It was a particularly impressive title run, considering the No.5 seed erased match point in a 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 tussle versus Karolina Muchova in the quarter-finals, prior to another three-set clash in the semi-finals with Sofia Kenin.

The Japanese capital is a cherished city for the 28-year-old, where she won Olympic gold four years ago.

“It was wonderful playing in front of you guys,” said Bencic, climbing two spots to world No.11. “The last time I won here was the Tokyo Olympics when it was an empty stadium, so it was a completely different atmosphere. I love to play in Japan, so I’m super happy to finally win this tournament.”