Rybakina improved to 3-2 against the Canadian in a match that lasted three hours.

The final-set tiebreak was tied six times before Rybakina won the last two points.

Fernandez converted 4 of 8 break points, while Rybakina went 3-for-14.

Rybakina finished with a 7-6 edge in aces.

Rybakina will face sixth seed Mirra Andreeva of Russia in the semifinals Saturday.

Alcaraz, ranked No. 2, withdrew from the Barcelona Open in midweek after undergoing a test on his right wrist, and the fourth-ranked Djokovic is nursing a shoulder injury.

On Friday, Alcaraz said it “hurts” to announce that he’ll miss the Madrid Open for a second straight year. The tournament starts on Monday.

Alcaraz’s withdrawal in Barcelona came a day after he called for a trainer and had his wrist treated during his opening match, a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Otto Virtanen.

Djokovic hasn’t competed since the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. He missed the Miami Open because of a right shoulder injury and also skipped the Monte Carlo Masters.

“Madrid, unfortunately I won’t be able to compete at the Madrid Open this year,” he wrote Friday on his social media accounts. “I’m continuing my recovery in order to be back soon. Hasta pronto!”

Djokovic is a three-time champion in Madrid.

The tournament said in a statement: “We hope to see you back here as soon as possible so we can enjoy your tennis as we have done so many times in the Caja Mágica.”

Alcaraz and Djokovic’s next tournaments are the Italian Open and the French Open. Alcaraz won both of those titles last year.

Kazakhstan won both of Saturday’s opening games to clinch the best-of-five women’s international tennis showdown.

Anna Danilina and Zhibek Kulambayeva defeated Bianca Andreescu and Kayla Cross 7-5, 6-1 in a doubles match. 

Yulia Putintseva then clinched the tie with a hard-fought 7-6 (5), 3-6, 7-6 (4) win over Andreescu in a match that lasted three hours 39 minutes.

“They faced a very strong team, and I loved how the girls competed out there,” said Canada captain Marie-Ève Pelletier. “It wasn’t the result we wanted, but I’m incredibly proud of the fight and heart they showed. They have a lot to be proud of.”

Andreescu scored a break to go up 4-3 in the thirds set, but Putintseva broke back the next game before finally winning the set, and the match, in a tiebreak.

A planned fifth match between Cross and Sonja Zhiyenbayeva was not played after Kazakhstan wrapped up the tie.

The teams entered Saturday tied at 1-1 after splitting the opening singles matches.

Despite the loss, it was a successful return to international tennis for Andreescu. The 2019 U.S. Open champion and former world No. 4 defeated Zhiyenbayeva 6-4, 7-6 (4) on Friday in her first BJK Cup match since 2022 following a string of injuries.

“I’m really proud of the way I played and how we showed up as a team,” said Andreescu. “We did everything we could. Marie-Ève was with us the whole way, and the team supported us throughout. 

“I really enjoyed the week — and sometimes, that’s tennis.”

Kazakhstan advances to September’s finals in Shenzhen, China, while Canada, which won the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023, will compete in the 2026 playoffs in November.

Canada was missing its top two singles players in the WTA rankings — world No. 9 Victoria Mboko and No. 25 Leylah Fernandez.

Medvedev, who is currently ranked 10th, received a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct by the chair umpire for his actions early in the second set of Wednesday’s match.

The fine is small in comparison to the $76,000 and $42,500 that Medvedev was penalized with for outbursts at the Australian Open and U.S. Open last year, respectively.

Medvedev, who had a first-round bye, had earned 45,520 euros ($50,000) in prize money from the Monte Carlo tournament.

The 30-year-old Russian was already struggling when he landed a forehand in the net to drop his opening service game of the second set and fall behind 2-0 and he slammed his racket near the baseline. Then he picked the racket up and threw it toward a tarp at the end of the court.

Still not through, Medvedev then continually picked his frame up and kept smashing it until it was destroyed enough to fit through an opening in a courtside trash can as the crowd sarcastically cheered him on.

Medvedev, who won the U.S. Open in 2021, lost the match in 49 minutes.

His biggest takeaways from a victory over Carlos Alcaraz in the Monte Carlo Masters final, though, were finally winning a big clay-court title and doing it by beating his biggest rival on his most challenging surface.

“It means a lot to me, because it means I’m progressing,” Sinner said.

For Sinner, it was a first step toward achieving his main goal for 2026: winning the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam. That’s an achievement that Alcaraz completed when he won the Australian Open in January — making him at 22 the youngest man to have held aloft all four major trophies.

“Winning a big tournament on clay was one of our goals for this year so there’s no better way to start,” said Simone Vagnozzi, who coaches the 24-year-old Sinner alongside Darren Cahill.

Sunday’s meeting was the first on clay between the top two men’s tennis players since Alcaraz saved three match points and came back to beat Sinner in a fifth-set tiebreaker in last year’s French Open final.

“I’m not surprised,” Alcaraz said. “We’ve already seen his level on this surface and he’s improving a lot year after year. He can win any tournament on any surface. He understands the game very well on clay.”

No. 1 ranking could change weekly

While Alcaraz claimed this year’s first major in Australia, Sinner has now followed up his “Sunshine Double” of hard-court titles in Indian Wells, California, and Miami with another Masters series trophy. Sinner is on a 17-match winning streak during which he has dropped only one set — in the third round in Monte Carlo against Tomas Machac.

In the new rankings released Monday, Sinner moved 110 points ahead of Alcaraz, who had been No. 1 since November.

“It’s nice, obviously. I would be a liar to say anything else,” Sinner said. “But it doesn’t change my thought process. I’m playing to win tournaments and Carlos and I are very close, so the rankings can change from one week to the next.

“There are two big Slams coming up, Paris and London. Let’s see where we are after those tournaments,” Sinner added. “Right now, I’m focusing more on those than on the ranking. But waking up again as No. 1 is pretty nice.”

In a measure of how far ahead of the rest of the field Sinner and Alcaraz are, third-ranked Alexander Zverev trails Sinner by a whopping 7,795 points.

Alcaraz heads to Barcelona

When will Sinner and Alcaraz meet again? Well, the next Masters Series event is the Madrid Open starting next week but Sinner is not committing to that tournament.

“Now it’s important to rest,” Sinner said. “So now I’ll take two or three days without even thinking about tennis and then we’ll decide whether or not to play Madrid.”

The Madrid Open and the Italian Open are the only Masters titles that Sinner hasn’t won and he is making the Rome tournament in May another of his priorities after losing before his home fans to Alcaraz in the Foro Italico final, too, last year upon his return from a three-month doping ban.

Alcaraz’s plan is to get back on court on home Spanish soil at this week’s Barcelona Open — where he can reclaim the No. 1 ranking if he wins the title since Sinner is not entered.

“The goal is to play the entire clay-court calendar. That was the plan last year, too, but unfortunately it wasn’t possible,” Alcaraz said, referring to how he had to withdraw from Madrid in 2025 due to muscle injuries.

“This year I’m going to listen to my body much more, so of that means that I need to skip a tournament then that’s what I’ll do. But if I feel OK, I’ll play everything.”

Sinner’s return position

While tactics were difficult to execute on a windy day in Monaco, Sinner found a solution to apply pressure on Alcaraz’s serve by stepping into the court often.

“Cahill and I are trying to make Jannik more self-reliant,” Vagnozzi said. “He’s getting better at understanding when to try drop shots — which he’s also started hitting with his backhand by taking a hand off the racket. And then for the return of serve he’s mixing up his position more, which doesn’t provide any reference points to the opponents.”

Now Sinner is entering his 67th career week at No. 1 — one more week than Alcaraz’s total of 66.

The Canadian won her first WTA main-draw match since last July with a 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 upset of world No. 84 Dalma Galfi of Hungary in the first round of the Charleston Open, a WTA 250 clay-court event.

Andreescu, whose ranking has slipped to No. 140, has played mostly lower-level events this year as she tries to boost her ranking to the highs of 2019 when she won the U.S. Open and reached No. 4 in the world.

Andreescu lost a three-set match to Galfi in February in Austin, Texas. The Canadian’s last main-draw win came at last year’s National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Montreal when she suffered an ankle injury, preventing her from playing in the second round.

Andreescu, 25, has done well building herself back up at lower levels this year, sporting a win-loss record of 19-5.

She started the year at No. 228.

“I wanted to do that back in 2024 (after a nine-month hiatus), but I guess we can say my ego got in the way of that,” Andreescu said of her decision to return to lower levels this year, per the WTA Tour. “I decided that maybe it’s time to put that aside and really get what I’ve been needing, which is matches. It’s never guaranteed that you’ll be getting a lot of matches — the level on the ITF circuit is huge, I think. They’re fighting for a lot.

“Looking back at how I feel being on the WTA Tour, it’s more comfortable, right? You get more benefits being on the WTA Tour, so mentally you maybe relax a little bit. But on the ITF tour, I mean, it’s do-or-die. These players are barely breaking even. I proved to myself that I can play match after match and feel good. I played 14 matches in 16 or 17 days, and my body felt great.”

Andreescu said she was happy with her effort against Kalma.

“At the end of the day, it’s the effort that counts for me,” she said in her on-court interview. “If I’ve given the best I could that day, which I think I did, that’s the most important thing. And then intention, that’s what I speak about with my coach every single day. If I can give those two things, then win or lose, it doesn’t matter to me — have to be pleased with that.”

Andreescu will next face No. 16 seed Sofia Kenin of the U.S.

The last male player to complete the double — winning Indian Wells followed by Miami in the same season — was Roger Federer in 2017. Sinner is the first male to do so without dropping a set in either tournament.

“It’s very, very special moment,’’ Sinner said. “Coming here, performing in a good way after Indian Wells, means a lot to me. Physically, it’s tough when you come here (from California). You’re a little bit tired, but the motivation is very high.’’

The second-seeded Sinner didn’t let either of the two 90-minute rain delays slow him. He notched 10 aces in the final, and 70 in the tournament for the second-most of his career. He often had No. 21 Lehecka running from side to side with his precise, deep groundstrokes.

Sinner, 24, won his first 23 first-service points — a streak that lasted midway into the second set.

He became the eighth male to run the table at Indian Wells and Miami, and he and Sabalenka became the first to accomplish the double in the same year since Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka in 2016.

This was Sinner’s second Miami Open title in three years as he ran his Hard Rock Stadium win streak to 12 matches dating to 2024. Last year, he missed the tournament serving a suspension for testing positive for a banned substance.

“It has been on my mind,’’ Sinner said on Tennis Channel of missing last year’s events. “I missed these type of tournaments. These are very important weeks.’’

Lehecka, 24, in his first ATP 1000 final, was a big underdog, losing all three prior matches to Sinner.

Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz was upset by Sebastian Korda in three sets in the third round, and Djokovic skipped the event due to a right shoulder ailment.

The rain pushed the earlier women’s doubles final to the grandstand court. The doubles was won by Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova, who beat Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini 7-6 (7-0), 6-1. Townsend-Siniakova also claimed the double for women’s doubles — the first time since 2019.

The pair beat Australia’s Ellen Perez and Demi Schuurs of the Netherlands 7-6 (7), 6-3 on Sunday in the Round of 32 in the women’s doubles tournament at the Miami Open.

Mboko, from Burlington, Ont., and Andreeva will face each other in the Round of 16 in the singles tournament on Monday.

They will reunite on the doubles court for a Round of 16 match against Australia’s Storm Hunter and Jessica Pegula of the United States.

Earlier Sunday, Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., lost to Pegula 6-2, 6-2 in the Round of 32 of the women’s singles tournament.

Fernandez and all-time great Venus Williams of the U.S., lost a heartbreaker to New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe and American Asia Muhammad in a Round of 32 women’s doubles match later Sunday.

Fernandez and Williams won the opening set 6-3, but the sixth-seeded Routliffe and Muhammad bounced back with 6-3, 13-11 wins to take the best-of-three match.

Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime will face France’s Terence Atmane in a Round of 32 match in the men’s singles tournament on Monday.

Victoria Mboko and Marina Stakusic have withdrawn from the event due to injury-related issues, the organization announced on Saturday.

Ariana Arseneault has been added to the roster, joining Bianca Andreescu, Gabriela Dabrowski and Kayla Cross.

Mboko cited a medical procedure as the reason for her absence.

“I am very sorry to have to withdraw from the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup tie in Kazakhstan,” Mboko said in a statement. “In recent days, I have experienced recurring dental pain and will need to remove my four wisdom teeth in the coming days. Given that, I am sadly unable to travel to Kazakhstan and will therefore miss this tie.

“There is no greater privilege than playing for and representing Canada — I wish the team the best of luck next week and I am very much looking forward to joining the team again later this year.”

The 19-year-old added that representing Canada remains a top priority.

Stakusic, meanwhile, is dealing with a back injury that forced her to step aside ahead of the tie.

“I’m really disappointed to have to pull out of the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers, but I felt this was the best decision I could make for the team given that my body is not at 100 per cent,” she said. “Representing Team Canada is an honour that I don’t take for granted, and the weeks spent with the team are some of my favourites of the year.”

The former ATP Tour player will shift from mentoring select athletes to advancing high-performance tennis across the country.

“I’m incredibly honoured to take on this new position as head of men’s tennis at Tennis Canada,” Laurendeau said in a statement. “Having been part of this organization for over 30 years and seeing Canadian tennis evolve into what it is today — with even more players competing on tour, Canadians reaching new milestones, and recent success for Team Canada — I can’t wait to continue building on this momentum.”

Laurendeau, 61, succeeds Frank Dancevic in the position. Dancevic will continue to serve as Davis Cup captain, Tennis Canada said.

Laurendeau made his ATP Tour debut in 1986 and shifted to coaching in 1994. The Montreal native was named Davis Cup captain in 2004 and served in the role for 13 seasons.

He was Canadian tennis coach at four straight Summer Olympics from 2004-16 and has worked with top Canadian players like Daniel Nestor, Denis Shapovalov and Milos Raonic.

Laurendeau worked with rising star Gabriel Diallo last season, helping the young Canadian crack the top 50 in the world rankings.

“We’re delighted with the appointment of Martin as head of men’s tennis,” said Guillaume Marx, Tennis Canada’s vice-president of high performance. “Marty has played such an important role in shaping men’s tennis in our country, and it’s fitting for him to take on more responsibility in leading it at the national level.

“At the same time, we’re thankful to Frank Dancevic for leading the men’s program over the last few years, and we are pleased to be able to continue working with him as captain of our Davis Cup team.”

Montreal’s Félix Auger-Aliassime is the top Canadian in the men’s world rankings at No. 8. Diallo, also from Montreal, is next at No. 37, one position ahead of Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont.

Liam Draxl of Newmarket, Ont., is at No. 147 and Alexis Galarneau of Laval, Que., is ranked 209th.

Draxl, from Newmarket, Ont., completed the victory in two hours 36 minutes to earn a berth in the main draw of the Masters 1000 tournament.

He will play Quentin Halys of France in the first round.

Felix Auger-Aliassime and Gabriel Diallo, both from Montreal, are also entered in the main draw along with Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont.

Victoria Mboko of Burlington, Ont., and Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., are in the women’s singles draw.

Competition continues through March 29.

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Both teams converted three breaks over the first two sets before the second-seeded duo of Siniakova and Townsend took over in the tiebreak.

Dabrowski and Stefani, seeded third in Miami, have made it to at least the quarterfinals of every event they have played in this season, and won a WTA 1000 title in Dubai last month.

Dabrowski is playing with Stefani after ending a successful partnership with New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe that included two U.S. Open titles and a WTA Finals championship.


The world No. 1 overpowered fourth-ranked Gauff in the first and third sets with sizzling groundstroke winners and became the first player to accomplish the “Sunshine Double” — winning Indian Wells followed by Miami in the same season — since Iga Swiatek in 2022.

It was Sabalenka’s second straight title at the Miami Open, Gauff’s hometown tournament, and put her ahead of Gauff in their head-to-head record, 7-6.

“You’ve pushed me to be a better player,’’ Sabalenka said during the ceremony, before adding about the crowd, “You always bring a full stadium.’’

The match lasted 2 hours, 11 minutes and ended on Gauff getting broken for the fourth time with a wide backhand.

Gauff fought back to force the third set, but couldn’t maintain the momentum she appeared to get from the deafening crowd supporting her.

“It sucks not to come out with a better result but I had a lot of joy this week,’’ Gauff said to the crowd. “You guys brought energy every day this week.’’

Gauff’s off-and-on serve created seven double faults while Sabalenka registered none.

Sabalenka broke Gauff in the first game of the third set, helped by a Gauff double fault and an unforced error. On break point, Sabalenka crunched a backhand winner.

“I was disappointed about that first game of the third set up 30-0 with momentum,’’ Gauff said. “It was an important game to win in that moment.’’

The match was attended by Kai Trump, President Donald Trump’s granddaughter and a golfer at the University of Miami. She posted a photo with Sabalenka at the tournament on social media on Friday.

Sabalenka, who got her 24th pro title, said before the match she was happy Gauff had found her best tennis in her home tournament, at which she had never gotten past the fourth round.

Andreeva threw her racket after losing the second set tiebreaker before smashing it, resulting in a code violation.

She threw her racket again following match point and then, after shaking hands at the net with Siniakova, left the court gesturing and shouting at the crowd.

“I’m not really proud of how I managed it. I’m not really proud of how I handled it in the end,” Andreeva said in a news conference, according to The Athletic.“Those are the things that I really need to work on soon. I don’t know. Not in the future but whenever I get the chance.”

The No. 2-ranked Italian beat Medvedev for the ninth time in their last 10 matches to claim his first title at the California desert tournament. Medvedev handed top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz his first loss of the year in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open.

Sinner congratulated fellow Italian Kimi Antonelli, who won Formula One’s Chinese Grand Prix earlier Sunday.

“It hasn’t anything to do with tennis, but it has been a special day for Italy,” Sinner said. “Because I’m a huge Formula One fan and having a very, very young Italian, Kimi, bringing Italy back home at the top, it’s amazing. So, thanks, Kimi, thanks Formula One, and see you next year.”

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka beat Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) in the women’s final Sunday for her first Indian Wells title. Sabalenka, a runner-up in 2023 and ’25, finished off the win with a big serve that Rybakina hit long.

It was a sweltering afternoon on the court as the temperatures soared into the 90s. The 27-year-old Sabalenka had a chance to close out the third set but was broken at 5-4. Rybakina found herself with a championship point in the tiebreaker, only to have Sabalenka hit a backhand winner.

“I think the whole idea going into this match was to be mentally strong, to stay strong, no matter what, to show with the body language that I’m here, I’m fighting,” Sabalenka said in a post-match interview on the Tennis Channel. “You have to get a win with incredible tennis and that was the whole idea going into this one. I’m happy that it really worked.”

It’s been quite a stretch for Sabalenka. First, a puppy and then an engagement ring from Brazilian businessman Georgios Frangulis.

Now, a title in the desert.

“I’ll remember it for the rest of my life,” she said.

This marked the 16th time the two players have met, with Sabalenka now holding a 9-7 advantage. Rybakina of Kazakhstan beat Sabalenka at the 2025 WTA Finals championship and the Australian Open two months ago. She also edged Sabalenka in the finals at Indian Wells in 2023.

“It was a very difficult match,” Rybakina said after the match as she congratulated Sabalenka.

There’s not much time to celebrate for Sabalenka, who was set to leave Sunday night for the Miami Open, where she’s the defending champion.

“Probably will have a couple drinks on the plane and that’s it,” Sabalenka said. “I’m defending champion there, so I have to bring my best tennis there. But with these vibes that I’m taking from here, I think I’ll be able to be there and to fight and to do my very best to defend that beautiful trophy.”

Griekspoor hurt his left hamstring on Friday against Andrey Rublev and won their two-sets semifinal but couldn’t recover in time for the final.

“I have been better that’s for sure,” the Dutchman said at the trophy ceremony. “I went to the hospital this morning and had a couple of scans, which showed something serious. It kept me from coming on court tonight and will keep me from the court in the coming weeks.”

Medvedev won his second title of the year after Brisbane in January. It was also his second Dubai title after victory in 2023. Its the first time he’s won the same event twice.

“That’s what is crazy about it,” Medvedev said. “I never did it in any city in the world and the first time I do it, it’s (via) a walkover.”

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Mboko, the No. 10 seed from Burlington, Ont., defeated Russian Anastasia Zakharova 6-1, 7-5 on Saturday. On Friday, Mboko, who won the National Bank Open in Montreal last year, needed only 59 minutes to register 6-2, 6-0 victory over Russia’s Anna Blinkova.

On Saturday, Mboko had four aces with five double-faults. However, she converted on three-of-six break opportunities.

In a first-round match, Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., the 26th seed, defeated Oksana Selekhmeteva of Russia 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-1.

And in men’s action, Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, the seventh seed, dispatched Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics 7-6 (3), 7-5. The Canadian, who had a first-round bye, fired six aces while committing just one double fault while Fucsovics had six to go with four aces.

Gabriel Diallo of Montreal was bounced by France’s Ugo Humbert 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night.

Humbert, the 31st seed, had three aces, 21 winners and one double fault in the 69-minute match, while the Canadian had four aces, 12 winners, two double faults and 22 unforced errors.

The 45-year-old Williams, who has dropped her last eight WTA singles matches, received a wild card into the singles and doubles draws for the tournament in the Southern California desert. It came 30 years after she made her Indian Wells debut in 1996, when she was 15.

After Williams rallied in the second set to tie it, the 23-year-old Parry, ranked 111th in the world, took control and cruised in the third.

It was Williams’ 10th career appearance in the tournament and first since 2024, when she also lost in the first round as a wild card. The seven-time major winner was given a wild card last year, but didn’t accept it.

“I’m so excited to be heading back to Indian Wells and can’t wait to return home to play in California,” Williams said last month.

Parry will face 15th-ranked American Madison Keys in the second round Saturday.

Williams entered the BNP Paribas Open having lost her last seven matches, with the only win in her comeback to the tour coming in her return at Washington last year.

She competed in the Australian Open in January and lost in the first round in both singles and doubles. Williams was the oldest woman to compete in an Australian Open singles main draw, surpassing the mark set by Japan’s Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she lost in the first round in 2015.

Williams most recently participated in the ATX Open in Austin, Texas, last month as a wild-card entry and lost in the first round of singles to Ajla Tomljanovic.

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The 22-year-old Spanish star extended his winning streak to 12 matches in 2026, 20 days after he became the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam at the Australian Open — that’s winning all four of the tennis majors.

“It’s been a really strong start to the year,” Alcaraz said.

Winning the title in Doha brought his tally to 26 tour-level titles.

Dabrowski and Stefani, seeded fifth, defeated the unseeded duo of Germany’s Laura Siegemund and Russia’s Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 6-3 in Saturday’s final at the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

The match lasted one hour and 13 minutes, with Dabrowski and Stefani winning 59.3 per cent of the total points. 

They converted their lone break-point chance and saved both they faced.

The title is their second WTA 1000 trophy together and first in four years. They also won the National Bank Open in Montreal in 2021, along with a WTA 250 event in Chennai, India, in 2022.

The pair first teamed in 2020 before Stefani suffered a serious knee injury at the 2021 U.S. Open.

They reunited this season after Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe ended a 2 1/2-year partnership in November that produced multiple titles, including two U.S. Open women’s doubles crowns.

Dubai marks the sixth WTA 1000 doubles title of Dabrowski’s career and fourth for Stefani. 

The result will move the 33-year-old Dabrowski to a career-high world No. 2 in the WTA Rankings on Monday, behind Belgium’s Elise Mertens.

“Rankings, they come, they go — I’m more interested in just having a great partnership, and just going deep in tournaments consistently,” said Dabrowski. “That’s always been my goal. So I’m really happy to have achieved that. But a ranking doesn’t occur on its own; it’s about all the people who help you make it happen … so I couldn’t have achieved that number without them.”

The final lacked the drama of the earlier rounds.

Dabrowski and Stefani needed match tiebreaks in three of their four matches en route to the final and saved three match points in a 6-2, 4-6,14-12 quarterfinal win over Giuliana Olmos and Jessica Pegula. 

They then defeated Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic 4-6, 6-2, 10-6 in the semifinals after losing to that pair in Doha earlier this month.

“I’m really happy to get our first title here in Dubai,” said Stefani. “A WTA 1000 is not something you do every week, so I’m really happy with this win, and proud of our team.”

Dabrowski, who revealed in 2024 that she had been treated for breast cancer, dedicated the victory to the father of a close friend who is battling cancer.

The 10th-seeded Mboko advances to the women’s singles quarterfinals where she’ll face the top-seeded Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who beat Naomi Osaka 6-2, 6-4.

It’s a rematch of an Australian Open round-of-16 match, won by Sabalenka in straight sets.

“I feel really excited if anything,” Mboko said. “I know she’s winning everything. So it’s a good challenge and it’s a privilege to play her. I’m just sure it’s going to be really fun.”

Mboko finished her match with Anisimova with five aces and four double faults. She won all eight of her service games and four of nine return games. She won four of four break points.

“I knew she can strike a pretty clean and good ball,” Mboko said. “I feel like I had to really raise my level today and try to stay in there as much as I could with her. I’m glad to have got it done.”

Anisimova finished with four aces and two double faults. She won five of nine service games and lost all eight return games. She won no break points.

Meanwhile, Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime was eliminated from men’s singles play after dropping a 6-3, 7-6 (9) decision to France’s Arthur Fils in fourth-round action Tuesday.

The 21-year-old Fils, seeded 30th at the 1000-level event, won 83 per cent of his service points and didn’t face a break point in the first set.

Montreal’s Auger-Aliassime, seeded ninth, put more pressure on Fils’s serve in the second set but only converted one of four break points.

Fils pounded his chest in triumph as Auger-Aliassime hit wide on match point.

Fils will next face the winner of a match between fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany and 21st-seeded American Frances Tiafoe.

In men’s doubles play, Auger-Aliassime and American Sebastian Korda lost to Russians Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev in the men’s round of 16 on Tuesday night.

Khachanov and Rublev won 7-6 (3), 4-6, 10-5 in one hour, 42 minutes to advance to the quarterfinals.

The Russians finished with seven aces and one double fault. They won eight of 11 service games and two of 11 return games. They saved one of four break points and won two of eight break points.

Auger-Aliassime and Korda had six aces and two double faults. They won nine of 11 service games and three of 11 return games. They saved six of eight break points and win three of four break points.

Meanwhile, Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski and Brazil’s Luisa Stefani lost 7-6 (3), 3-6 (10-8) to Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the U.S. and Spain’s Cristina Bucsa in the women’s doubles quarterfinals.

The Canadian reached the top 10 of the WTA rankings for the first time on Monday, slotting in right at 10th.

The Burlington, Ont., native becomes the seventh Canadian to achieve that feat on either the men’s or women’s side, joining Milos Raonic, Denis Shapovalov, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Bianca Andreescu, Genie Bouchard and Carling Bassett-Seguso.

Mboko clinched the top-10 ranking after she reached the Qatar Open final, beating the likes of Mirra Andreeva and Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina along the way.

She fell in the championship match to Czechia’s Karolina Muchova.

With the 19-year-old Mboko at No. 10 and the 18-year-old Andreeva ranked seventh, it marks the first time in 17 years that two teenagers are in the top 10 in the WTA.

However, Mboko could lose her grip quickly after she withdrew from the Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday due to a right-elbow injury.

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The 23-year-old from Laval, Que., fired six aces but also six double faults and won just 39 per cent of her second-serve points. Tjen converted four of nine break-point chances to secure the straight-set victory.

Fernandez, unseeded in the WTA 1000 event, is ranked 29th in the world after dropping two spots last week. Tjen is ranked No. 46.

Meanwhile, Toronto’s Victoria Mboko pulled out of the Dubai event Monday, citing a right-elbow injury.

The 19-year-old entered the week ranked in the top 10 after finishing runner-up in Doha.

She is the seventh player to exit the tournament, which has also lost world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 2 Iga Swiatek.

The Montreal native won the Open Occitanie with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over France’s Adrian Mannarino on Sunday in Montpellier.

It marked his ninth career ATP Tour championship, breaking a tie with Milos Raonic for most singles titles by a Canadian.

Daniel Nestor won 91 doubles titles in his career.

Auger-Aliassime scored five straight points to take the third set tiebreak and go up 5-4 before winning the next two points on return. He topped Mannarino on the strength of his serve, firing 13 aces to just one double fault.

The 25-year-old also won 87 per cent of points on first serve and didn’t face a single break point through two sets.

Overall, Auger-Aliassime won 68 points to Mannarino’s 53 in the victory.

Mannarino reached a career-high ranking of No. 17 early in 2024 before a slump in form saw him drop out of the top 100. He was ranked 70th heading into this tournament.

The top seed in the tournament, Auger-Aliassime defeated France’s Titouan Droguet 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1 in the semifinals on Saturday.

— with files from The Canadian Press

Draxl, of Newmarket, Ont., defeated Gustavo Heide 6-3, 6-4 in one hour, 29 minutes to give a Canada a 3-2 victory over Brazil in a first-round, best-of-five Davis Cup qualifier on Saturday.

Gabriel Diallo of Montreal forced the winner-take-all final with a nail-biting 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4) win over Mattheus Pucinelli de Almedia. The match took two hours, 27 minutes to play.

In the seventh game of the opening set of the final — while holding a 4-2 lead — Draxl stumbled in the back court and fell on his hands and knees. He limped off the court to have his right ankle taped.

The injury didn’t appear to hamper Draxl’s movement as he came back to win the set.

“It’s probably the biggest match of my career, the most pressure I’ve had,” said Draxl. “It means so much to me. To play for your flag, your country, and to book all the boys a spot in September, I’m just super happy.”

Draxl admitted he was “a little nervous” when he first rolled the ankle.

“I was hurting for about 30 seconds,” he said. “When the doctor and physios were doing the ankle tests I was feeling no pain. So then I kind of realized that I was probably going to be all right.”

In a long rally in the second game of the second set, Draxl moved from side to side returning Heide’s shots. He took the point when Heide sent a ball wide.

After winning the final game with an ace, Draxl dropped his racket, pumped his arms, and was mobbed by teammates.

Canada advances to the second round of Davis Cup qualifiers in September, at home, against either France or Slovakia. The host Canadian city has yet to be determined. Brazil will compete in the World Cup Group I in September.

Last year Canada lost to Hungary in the first round of qualifiers at IGA Stadium in Montreal.

The day began with Draxl and Calgary’s Cleeve Harper putting up a great fight before bowing to the experience and composure of Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos in a men’s doubles match. After dropping the first match 3-6, the Brazilians won 6-4, 7-5.

The doubles victory gave Brazil a 2-1 lead in the tie, putting the pressure on Diallo to win his match.

Heide, ranked 253rd in the world, had upset the 39th-ranked Diallo 7-6 (4), 3-6, 7-6 (3) on Friday night. In the other opening night match Draxl, ranked 145th, defeated the 207th-ranked Lucas Reis da Silva 6-3, 6-3.

Reis da Silva was originally scheduled to play Diallo on Saturday, but Brazilian captain Jaime Oncins decided to replace him with Pucinelli de Almedia.

After losing the opening set 6-3, Diallo went to work in the second. He used his booming serve and rocket returns to easily win the second set.

In the third set, Diallo needed five deuces before winning the fourth game. As the match progressed, he had Pucinelli de Almedia chasing his shots around the court.

“Yesterday (Friday), I knew the things that I did well and I carried that over to today,” said Diallo. “I wanted to play the important moments with a little more conviction.

“I tried to impose myself and not let my opponent dictate.”

In the opening doubles match, Harper and Draxl were not intimidated by a Brazilian pair that had lost in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

“We obviously would have liked to come out on top,” said Harper. “Doubles, it’s tough sometimes. There are thin margins and it comes down to one or two points here and there.

“I really felt for most of the match Liam and I were the better team. We had a lot of chances early in the second set. Maybe we didn’t convert.”

Luz said the bond he shares with Matos off the court makes a difference.

“That counts for tough moments like today,” he said. “The first set they played very well (and) we couldn’t do much. To turn around these types of matches, this connection, it’s very necessary.”

Canadian captain Frank Dancevic said his team showed character all weekend.

“It’s not easy coming back after tough losses,” he said. “Gabriel losing, then having to come back today, it’s a lot of pressure. Credit him. He just decided to go for it and didn’t back down.”

Dancevic also credited Draxl for shining in the deciding match just a couple hours after losing in doubles.

“For him to come out and play the way he did, it was just incredible,” he said. “He went out there with no doubt in his mind he was going to win the match.”

Canada came into the tie ranked No. 9 while Brazil is No. 18.

“The fans got a true taste of Davis Cup coming down to the wire. It’s just an incredible weekend for us. We have an incredible team,” added Dancevic. “We’ve done miraculous things in the past, and we’re just going to see how far we can go this year.”

Also on Saturday, a ceremony was held to honour Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, B.C., the tennis veteran who recently announced his retirement.

The top-ranked Alcaraz dropped the first set of the Australian Open final in 33 minutes Sunday as Novak Djokovic went out hard in pursuit of an unprecedented 25th major title, but the young Spaniard dug deep to win 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.

“Means the world to me,” Alcaraz said. “It is a dream come true for me.”

Djokovic had won all 10 of his previous finals at Melbourne Park and, despite being 38, gave himself every chance of extending that streak to 11 when he needed only two sets to win.

Alcaraz rose to the challenge.

“Tennis can change on just one point. One point, one feeling, one shot can change the whole match completely,” he said. “I played well the first set, but you know, in front of me I had a great and inspired Novak, who was playing great, great shots.”

A couple of unforced errors from Djokovic early in the second set gave Alcaraz the confidence.

He scrambled to retrieve shots that usually would be winners for Djokovic, and he kept up intense pressure on the most decorated player in men’s tennis history. There were extended rallies where each player hit enough brilliant shots to usually win a game.

Djokovic has made an art form of rallying from precarious positions. Despite trailing two sets to one, he went within the width of a ball in the fourth set’s ninth game of turning this final around.

After fending off six break points in the set, he exhorted the crowd when he got to 30-30. The crowd responded with chants of “Nole, Nole, Nole!”

When Djokovic earned a breakpoint chance — his first since the second set — he whipped up his supporters again. But when Djokovic sent a forehand long on the next point, Alcaraz took it as a reprieve.

A short forehand winner, a mis-hit from Alcaraz, clipped the net and landed inside the line to give him game point. Then Djokovic hit another forehand long.

Alcaraz responded with a roar, and sealed victory by taking two of the next three games.

As he was leaving the court, Alcaraz signed the lens of the TV camera with a recognition: “Job finished. 4/4 Complete.”

Teamwork

After paying tribute at the trophy ceremony to Djokovic for being an inspiration, Alcaraz turned to his support team. He parted ways with longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero at the end of last season and Samuel Lopez stepped up to head the team.

“Nobody knows how hard I’ve been working to get this trophy. I just chased this moment so much,” Alcaraz said. “The pre-season was a bit of a rollercoaster emotionally.

“You were pushing me every day to do all the right things,” he added. “I’m just really grateful for everyone I have in my corner right now.”

Djokovic’s praise

Djokovic joked about this showdown setting up a rivalry over the next 10 years with Alcaraz, but then said it was only right to hand the floor over to the new, 16 years his junior, champion.

“What you’ve been doing, the best word to describe is historic, legendary,” he said. “So congratulations.”

Both players were coming off gruelling five-set semifinal wins — Alcaraz held off No. 3 Alexander Zverev on Friday; Djokovic’s win over two-time defending Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner ended after 1:30 a.m. Saturday — yet showed phenomenal fitness, athleticism and stamina for just over three hours in pursuit of their own historic achievements.

Djokovic won the last of his 24 Grand Slam singles titles at the 2023 U.S. Open, his push for an unprecedented 25th has now been blocked by Alcaraz or Sinner for nine majors.

Rafa in the house

Djokovic and Rafael Nadal played some epic matches, including the longest match ever at the Australian Open that lasted almost six hours in 2012.

Nadal was in the stands Sunday, and both players addressed the 22-time major winner.

“He’s my idol, my role model,” Alcaraz said. To complete the career Slam “in front of him, it made even more special.”

Djokovic, addressing Nadal directly as the “legendary Rafa,” joked that there were “too many Spanish legends” in Rod Laver.

“It felt like it was two against one tonight,” he said.

One for the ages

At 22 years and 272 days, Alcaraz is the youngest man to complete a set of all four major singles titles. He broke the mark set by Don Budge in the 1938 French championships, when he was 22 years and 363 days.

He’s the ninth man to achieve the career Grand Slam, a list that also includes Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer.

Alcaraz now has seven major titles — his first in Australia along with two each at Wimbledon and the French and U.S. Opens.

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“Even maybe (my) face didn’t show, but inside it was a lot of emotions,” Rybakina recalled of that ace, coolly and matter-of-factly served, that gave top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka no chance of extending the contest.

The 26-year-old Rybakina clearly isn’t one for euphoric, jubilant celebrations, as tennis rivals and observers noted in her run to the Wimbledon title in 2022.

After ending any lingering doubts that she’d ever be able to add another major title with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win Saturday over the world No. 1, her reserved and understated reaction was again a defining feature.

Expect to see more of it — the winning part, not demonstrative celebrations. It’s her secret to success.

Within three months, she has won the WTA Finals, beating Sabalenka to collect a record $5.2 million in prize money, and, more importantly in tennis terms, added another of the sport’s four most treasured trophies.

The No. 5 seed has shrugged off any doubt that she’s a top contender for the biggest titles with a run that included second-week victories over No. 1 Sabalenka, a four-time major winner and four-time runner-up, No. 2 Iga Świątek, a six-time major winner, and No. 6-ranked Jessica Pegula.

“Of course, they’re tough opponents, and they have great results, and for so long they are at the top and its stable,” she said. “Yeah, it’s a lot of tough matches I had here — I’m glad that the opportunities which I was getting during the match, I managed to take it.”

She’ll return to No. 3 in the rankings next week.

The recent rise

Rybakina’s resurgence is coming off a 2025 season that was interrupted by the monthslong suspension of her coach by the WTA and up-and-down form.

Rybakina has been working with Stefano Vukov since 2019. Most recently, she said, clear communication has been the key in preparation and competition.

Her support team give her the information — there’s an almost unending stream of technical and tactical advice from the coach’s box during her matches — and she processes it in real time and works it out on court.

Her first real interactions with anyone other than Sabalenka after the victory were with her support team in the courtside seating.

First she hugged Vukov. Then, one-by-one, she hugged the other three.

The comeback

After winning Wimbledon in 2022 and losing the 2023 Australian Open final to Sabalenka, Rybakina’s form went hot and cold.

While Sabalenka and Świątek were able to win majors and stay at the top, some wondered whether Rybakina would ever return to being a real threat for the majors.

“I always believed that I can come back to the level I was,” she said. “Of course, we all have ups and downs. Like I think everyone. I thought maybe I will never be again in the final or even get a trophy, but it’s all about the work.

“I think we’ve been putting a lot of work in with the team, and they were also very supportive — in the moments when I was maybe not that positive, they would be helping out on the side.”

She has now won 20 of her last 21 matches. In her most recent matches against Top 10 players, she’s 10-0.

“Of course, when you getting after some wins, big wins against top players,” she said. “Then you start to believe more, you get more confident.”

And then, there’s timing.

“I’m just very proud of the work we did with the team, and actually that I found my kind of best form here at the Grand Slam,” said Rybakina, who was born in Moscow but plays for Kazakhstan. “It’s a win for all the team, all the people who support me.”

What’s next

Her run to the 2022 Wimbledon title was memorable for its understatedness in the home of lawn tennis, where she was eventually able to shed some tears in the champion’s news conference. “You wanted some emotion!” she said back then.

On Saturday night, she raised a glass when the tournament director proposed a toast at her official champion’s news conference. She smiled and took a small sip.

On Sunday morning, dressed in a stylish long red dress and her hair out, she held the trophy again and smiled for the cameras on a grassy bank of the Yarra River. Then she prepared for her next flight.

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His inspiration, and his idol.

Alcaraz had visions of this as a kid — not entirely long ago, in the scheme of things — so there was no better time to show them what he’d learned from watching the two all-time greats, or borrowed from their aura.

He had a comeback, four-set win over Djokovic and walked away from the Australian Open final Sunday as the youngest man ever to complete a career Grand Slam — that’s winning all four of the tennis majors.

At 22 and 272 days of age, he’s considerably younger than Nadal (24) and Djokovic (29) were when they achieved that milestone, lowering a mark that Don Budge set in 1938 when he was a couple of days shy of his 23rd birthday.

No sooner had he completed the career Slam — adding his first victory in Australia to his two each at Wimbledon, Roland Garros and the U.S. Open — than the question was posed about a run at the calendar Grand Slam. That’s all four major titles in one season, something no man has achieved since Rod Laver in 1969.

“Those are big words, to be honest,” said Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion at Roland Garros. “You know, I just want it to be one at a time. Right now next one is French Open. I have great memories in that tournament. I feel really special every time that I go there.

“I don’t want to put myself in a really pressure position to have to do it, but you know, it’s going to be great. Right now I will try to be ready … to play a good tournament in the next Grand Slam.”

A set down after Djokovic’s opening salvo, Alcaraz channeled the legends and changed up his game to upset the rhythm. It worked. He’s now the only man to capture seven major titles before his 23rd birthday.

Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have dominated the majors since Djokovic won the last of his 24 Grand Slam titles at the 2023 U.S. Open, with one or the other winning the last nine.

Sinner was aiming for a third consecutive title in Australia, but lost in five sets to 10-time Australian champion Djokovic in the semifinals.

There were many who questioned the decision when Alcaraz and long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero parted ways after the young Spaniard won the last U.S. Open, and who doubted his chances of being ready to win a first title in Australia.

Samuel Lopez stepped up to head the team, and Alcaraz admitted the pre-season had been “a roller coaster for me emotionally.”

“A lot of people were having doubts about my level in this tournament,” he said. “Every year that I came here to Australia I was thinking about getting the trophy (but) couldn’t go further than quarterfinals.”

In 2026, he said he arrived at Melbourne Park “hungry for more, ambitious for getting the trophy, and being strong mentally enough, not hearing anything or any words” from critics.

“And then just playing good tennis in this tournament means a lot, means the world to me,” he said, “and it is a dream come true for me.”

With his latest bid for an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam singles title stymied, Djokovic could at least joke about the 16-year age gap between himself and Alcaraz.

“Well, first time I played him, he was, what, 11 or 12 years old?” he said, smiling. “No, he was, I think, 18 or 19. You could already see that he’s destined for great things.

“He has improved physically, mentally, game-wise. I mean, he’s constantly looking to innovate himself and his game, which is exactly the kind of mentality that needs to be nurtured for a champion.”

Asked about the potential for Alcaraz to be ranked among the greats of the sport, Djokovic said the career Grand Slam is “a testament to his already stellar career.”

“Of course, already a legendary tennis player that made already a huge mark in the history books of tennis,” he added. “Everything is possible in his case, no question about it.”

Mboko and Gauff dropped a marathon 4-6, 6-4, 11-9 decision to Spain’s Cristina Bucsa and American Nicole Melichar-Martinez, the seventh seeds. 

Mboko and Gauff won just 42 per cent of their second-serve points, compared to 64 per cent for Bucsa and Melichar-Martinez, though both teams registered four breaks across the match.

It was a better outcome for Canada’s Leylah Fernandez and French partner Kristina Mladenovic, who earned a 7-5, 7-6 (2) victory over China’s Xinyu Wang and Saisai Zeng.

Fernandez and Mladenovic won despite registering fewer aces (0-4) and more double faults (5-2) than their opponents.

Fernandez and Mladenovic face a stiff test Tuesday when they’re scheduled to face the fourth-seeded pair of Serbian Aleksandra Krunic and Anna Danilinu, a Russian-born Kazakhstani, in the round of 16.

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In an Australian Open final where both men were chasing history, 22-year-old Carlos Alcaraz came back to beat Djokovic in four sets on Sunday night.

“You’re speaking to me 10 minutes after I lost the final, so of course I’m going to be a little bit bitter about losing,” Djokovic said in his official post-final news conference. “But, again, I lost to a No. 1 in the world and already a legendary player.”

It was the first time Djokovic has ever lost a final at Melbourne Park, where he’s won 10 of his 24 Grand Slam singles titles. That’s already a record in men’s tennis and in the Open era. It’s something he’s still determined to improve on.

He ended a sequence of four semifinal losses at the Slams with a semifinal win over two-time defending Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner, one of the two men who’ve been blocking his path to that 25th championship for two years.

He took a set off the other one — Alcaraz — but couldn’t complete the job, not quite recovering from the epic semifinal that didn’t finish until after 1:30 a.m. on Saturday.

1 out of 2

“I knew that I’d probably have to beat two of them on the way to the title,” Djokovic said. “I beat one, which is great, so it’s a step more further than I have gone in Grand Slams than last year. Very nice, encouraging.

“But, you know, not enough for me. I’m going to keep pushing and see if I get another chance.”

The 38-year-old Djokovic said he’d lowered his expectations when he openly conceded that Alcaraz and Sinner were playing on a higher level than anyone else in tennis, and it took some pressure off. But he hasn’t lost faith he can still beat anyone on his day.

A few breaks helped Djokovic on his way to a 38th Grand Slam final, including a walkover in the fourth round and a lucky reprieve when he was down two sets in the quarterfinals before Lorenzo Musetti retired in the third set because of injury.

That primed him up for the five-setter against Sinner, and meant he’d been on court for four hours fewer than Alcaraz ahead of the final.

But a 16-year age gap is huge when there’s less than 48 hours between massive showdowns.

“It’s great that I was able to beat Jannik in five and really battle Carlos in four close sets,” he said. “Yeah, I remain disappointed with the way I felt in second and third after an incredible start, and I felt great about myself and then, yeah, things changed.

“But of course, when you draw a line and you make assessment of what happened last couple of weeks, it’s incredible achievement for me to be able to play finals, be couple of sets away maybe to win a championship.”

Aura

Alcaraz said it was like a master class every time he faced Djokovic, and “Every time that I’m able to feel that aura from him on the other side of the net, for me it’s a privilege.”

It was also inspiring, he said, the way Djokovic defied the critics who said he was too old to break up the Alcaraz-Sinner duopoly or reach another major final.

“It’s unbelievable what he’s doing,” Alcaraz said. “If he maintains this level of tennis during the whole season, he’s going to, you know, win great things.

“It depends how physically he is or how demanding physically is the tournament for him, but I think he’s ready to keep winning the big tournaments.”

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While Alcaraz maintained his No. 1 ranking on the ATP tour ahead of Jannik Sinner, Djokovic, who beat Sinner in the semifinals at Melbourne Park, moved up one place to No. 3. It is the first time the 38-year-old Djokovic has been inside the top three since August 2024.

On the WTA Tour, Aryna Sabalenka maintained her top ranking despite her loss in the final to Elena Rybakina. Rybakina moved up two places to third in the rankings, with Iga Swiatek in between at No. 2.

Three Americans followed in the WTA rankings — No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, Coco Gauff and Australian Open semifinalist Jessica Pegula. Elina Svitolina moved up two places to No. 10 after her semifinal loss to Sabalenka at Melbourne Park.

American Learner Tien was one of the biggest improvers on either tour by moving up five places on the ATP Tour to No. 24, a career high. The 20-year-old Tien, who lost to now No. 4-ranked Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals, became the youngest American man to reach the final eight of a major since 2002.

Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime remained at No. 8, while Denis Shapovalov slipped to No. 25. On the women’s side, Victoria Mboko is up three spots to No. 13 after falling to Sabalenka in the fourth round, while Leylah Fernandez dropped two spots to No. 25.

–with files from Sportsnet

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Back together after four years apart as a team, Mertens and Zhang trailed 3-0 and 4-1 in the first set but rallied to beat Anna Danilina of Kazakhstan and Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic 7-6 (4), 6-4. Mertens and Zhang led the final set 5-0 before withstanding a comeback attempt when Danilina and Krunic won four straight games.

Currently ranked No. 6 in doubles, Mertens, who won the Wimbledon doubles title last year with Veronika Kudermetova, will return to the No. 1 ranking after the Australian Open.

That will mark the Belgian player’s 40th cumulative week as No. 1 in doubles and was guaranteed regardless of the outcome of the Melbourne Park final Saturday.

The win Saturday was Mertens’ sixth Grand Slam doubles title, including 2021 and 2024 at Melbourne Park. Zhang now has three, including the 2019 Australian Open and the 2021 U.S. Open.

It was their first Grand Slam trophy as a team, having lost the 2022 Wimbledon final in their last appearance together.

“This is like cherry on the cake,” Mertens said. “We paired up as a team very last-minute . . . this was our first tournament back together. In the second round we saved three match points, so that kind of took us to another level. An unbelievable two weeks.”

Mertens reached the fourth round of women’s singles at Melbourne Park this year before being beaten by eventual finalist Elena Rybakina.

Zhang says she and Mertens adapt well.

“We know how to play finals, we know how to win finals,” Zhang said. “We are both very calm. If something doesn’t work . . . we always adjust.”

In the later men’s doubles final, American Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski of Britain were scheduled to play the Australian pair of Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans. Kubler has a 14-3 doubles record at his home major.

Harrison and Skupski, who both competed at last year’s ATP Finals with different partners, joined as a team for the first time in Adelaide earlier this month, where they reached the semifinals.

The mixed doubles final was played on Friday, when Australians Olivia Gadecki and John Peers became the first team to win consecutive titles since 1989 after beating the French pair of Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard 4-6, 6-3, 10-8.

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“Cheers everybody!” the 40-year-old Wawrinka said after Saturday’s 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 third-round loss to No. 9 Fritz. “And thank you so much.”

Wawrinka won the first of his three Grand Slam titles in Australia in 2014.

With a 4 1/2-hour, five-set win over 21-year-old French qualifier Arthur Gea in the second round, Wawrinka became the first man 40 or older to reach the third round of a Grand Slam since Ken Rosewall at the 1978 Australian Open. His 49th five-set match at a major was also a record.

“I’m not sure it’s the best statistic to have,” he said of 40-plus milestone, “but I will take it.”

Wawrinka said before the start of the 2026 season that this would be his last on the professional circuit, but he added that it wasn’t just a farewell tour. He’s still putting on the work and still getting results.

After Wawrinka’s last match at Melbourne Park, Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley joined him on court for a ceremony and a small tribute on the stadium screen at John Cain Arena.

After the formalities, Wawrinka wanted a few final words.

“Normally we talk on court after a final. Today is not a final, so I won’t make it too long,” he said. “Thank you for the wildcard invitation … to have one last chance to say goodbye to the people in Melbourne.

“It was my last time as a tennis player here, unfortunately. I had so many emotions here the last 20 years. I’m sad to leave, but it’s been an amazing journey.”

Then he added, more ab-lib, “Now I can enjoy. If you don’t mind, I’d like to share a beer with Craig.”

Fritz advanced to a round of 16 match against No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti, who held off Tomas Machac 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 in a 4 1/2-hour marathon earlier Saturday on John Cain Arena. That match was stopped for about 10 minutes in the fifth set to close the roof when the stadium’s extreme heat policy was invoked.

Fritz, the 2024 U.S. Open runner-up, enjoyed the indoor conditions, firing 30 aces and just one double-fault in four sets against Wawrinka.

“It’s a really, really tough match obviously, the environment as well,” Fritz said of Wawrinka’s Australian finale. “I can’t blame anyone in the crowd for cheering for Stan here. It’s amazing what he’s out here doing.

“I have so much respect for the passion and the drive that it takes to be doing what he’s doing this week.”

The 38-year-old Novak Djokovic later Saturday became the first person ever to win 400 Grand Slam singles matches, and took time to pay tribute to a longtime friendly rival.

“Proud to call him a friend and a rival and someone that definitely has inspired me,” Djokovic said of Wawrinka. “I mean, no doubt with his longevity, with commitment to the game. He’s so passionate about it.

“He’s a great champion on and off the court. Very likable guy. He did everything the right way, and he deserved every applause he had this tournament.”

The 29-year-old Fett, who is ranked No. 189 in the world, provided a testing sample while competing in the Billie Jean King Cup playoffs in Croatia in November.

“Players have the right to appeal the imposition of their provisional suspension before an independent tribunal chair. To date, Fett has not appealed,” the ITIA said in a statement.

Fett, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 97 in late October 2017, has not addressed the allegation on her social media channels.

The ITIA said the banned substances were ostarine, which can stimulate muscle growth; LGD-4033, which increases lean muscle mass and has anabolic effects; and GW501516, also called GW1516, which was discontinued in 2007 after it was linked to the rapid development of cancer in trials on mice.

A management agency that has represented Fett in the past did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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His results in Grand Slam events in 2025 — losing in the first round at the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open after a second-round exit in Australia, after smashing a tiny camera attached to the net while avoiding a monumental upset in the first — were his worst since his debut season in 2017.

He lost his cool in New York and was fined $42,500 by the U.S. Open — more than a third of his $110,000 tournament prize money — for his meltdown during a first-round loss after a photographer wandered onto the court during the match.

He won a single title in 2025 — at Almaty, Kazakhstan in October — from 24 tournaments contested, and only reached one other final. He has 22 career titles.

Nothing much was working for the three-time Australian Open runner-up.

So after he dropped the first set Wednesday against French qualifier Quentin Halys in the second round, he had to mentally set it aside and start all over again.

“Performance could be better, I think, but a win is a win,” he said. “Last year on Slams, when people played good against me, I was struggling.

“So I’m happy that I managed to win it, turning it around and … looking forward for next rounds.”

He reached three finals in four years at the Australian Open but lost them all, including the 2024 championship to Jannik Sinner.

The 29-year-old Russian opened this year with a title in Brisbane, and now he’s on a seven-match winning streak in Australia. He has put 2025 behind him. The difference, he said, comes down to mentality.

When he was regularly in the top five and going deep at the majors, he expected to win all the time. Now he’s learned to compartmentalize, and can put losing — games, sets or matches — behind him.

“I managed to fight. I was losing with a break in the second — I mean, you saw the match. Why am I telling you?” Medvedev said in his on-court interview Wednesday. “His forehand was on fire. He didn’t miss much. He made some unbelievable ones.

“Very tough match mentally but I’m happy (I could) dig deep and managed to win it.”

He’s looking forward to his next match against Fabian Marozsan of Hungary, and won’t think any further than that for now.

“I need to rebuild my confidence step by step,” he said. “Always, always keep the faith!”

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