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STARS

Belinda Bencic beat Petra Kvitova 6-3 1-6 6-2 to win the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Laslo Djere beat Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3 7-5 to win the Rio Open presented by Claro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Mikhail Kukushkin 7-5 7-6 (5) to win the Open 13 Provence in Marseille, France

Radu Albot beat Dan Evans 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7) to win the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com in Delray Beach, Florida, USA

Alison Van Uytvanck beat Marketa Vondrousova 1-6 7-5 6-2 to win the Hungarian Ladies Open in Budapest, Hungary

SAYINGS

“It’s unbelievable. It’s incredible. I mean, I still cannot believe it.” – Belinda Bencic, after beating Petra Kvitova to win the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

“I think I played better in Melbourne.” – Petra Kvitova, who beat Bencic at the Australian Open.

“Winning titles is the thing that I am working for … It is the biggest satisfaction and the biggest joy in tennis.” – Stefanos Tsitsipas, after winning the Open 13 Provence.

“It’s been the week of my dreams.” – Laslo Djere, after winning his first ATP Tour title in Rio de Janeiro.

“Our expectations … have been a little bit lower than they have in the past. We’ve just been trying to have fun and enjoy our time together, and it’s actually resulted in some really good play.” – Bob Bryan, who teamed with his brother Mike to win their fifth Delray Beach doubles title and the 117^th of their career.

“Maybe sometimes I don’t look like that I’m really enjoying being on the court and play tennis, but inside I’m really enjoying it.” – Petra Kvitova, who is still recovering physically and mentally after being stabbed by a home intruder in December 2016.

“The doctors say I need time if I want to be 100 percent, but I don’t want to be home watching the tournaments on TV. I’ve done that before and it was really bad for me.” – Juan Martin del Potro, following his loss to Mackenzie McDonald in Delray Beach.

“It’s tennis. You get through those matches, you get another chance the next day, and I don’t know about fate, but funny things do happen when you scrape through the first round.” – Daniel Evans, a qualifier who reached the Delray Beach final after upsetting defending champion Frances Tiafoe in the first round.

“Every day you wake up with a dream. If I did not have a goal, I would not keep playing tennis. … But men’s tennis is very complicated. (Novak) Djokovic is back like a few years ago, (Rafael) Nadal is still playing, (Roger) Federer … You will soon have a generational switch, but I hope to take my chances on the right day and in the right moment.” – Fabio Fognini, on his chances of duplicating his wife, Flavia Pennetta, and winning a Grand Slam tournament.

“I’m now the Naomi Osaka of Africa. It’s inspiring to see how players can inspire a country or a continent.” – Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, the first Arab woman to win a junior Grand Slam title at the 2011 French Open and at 56^th in the world the highest-ranking woman player from Africa.

“My greatest achievement might be that being number one in the world and number two at home. That’s not an easy thing to do.” – Andre Agassi, an eight-time Grand Slam tournament champion, talking about his wife, Stephanie Graf, who won 22 major titles.

“I really just say a couple of words to myself to help me put everything in perspective. I tell myself to do things the right way and to treat people with respect. And I remind myself that tennis doesn’t define me.” – Steve Johnson, on what he says before every match when he walks to the back of the court and squats down for a moment or two.

“Everyone has his broken point, mental or physical, and at some point you cannot do it anymore. But it should be (Roger) Federer to choose when to retire.” – Andre Agassi, when asked to comment on Roger Federer’s future retirement.

SWISS SURPRISE

Fighting from behind the entire week, 21-year-old Belinda Bencic won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, beating Petra Kvitova in the final. “So many times I was close from defeat,” the Swiss champion said. “It’s unbelievable that I ended up winning this.” En route to the final Bencic saved six points against Aryna Sabalenka, came from a set down to oust Simona Halep and trailed 5-3 in the decider against Elina Svitolina. Then came Kvitova, a former champion and finalist at last month’s Australian Open. “Of course, they are very high-quality players, all of them,” Bencic said. “I’m so happy about the consistency that I could back up my wins. After playing a tough match, I could mentally win another one. “It’s very difficult.” Bencic’s third WTA title was her first since Toronto in 2015. Injuries had dropped her from the top 300 in 2017. She proved she’s back when, after Kvitova pulled level by dominating the second set 6-1, Bencic broke in the third game of the decider and raced out to a 5-2 lead. Serving for the title, the Swiss fended off two break points and closed out the win by forcing a Kvitova error. “I have huge respect from Petra because she’s amazing player,” Bencic said. “She’s such a champion. I really didn’t believe all the match that I can beat her. Really, that was my mentality. I was just trying to get from point to point, getting closer, getting closer. I was not thinking too far ahead. After when I won it, it was incredible.”

STRESS STOPPER

Stefanos Tsitsipas got past the stress and Mikhail Kukushkin to win in Marseille for his second ATP Tour title. “There was a lot of stress this week because I knew I had to face some good opponents,” Tsitsipas said. “When you care a lot, you tend to be more stressed than usual. I am happy that I got through that stress and played the game that I was supposed to play.” The Greek star didn’t drop a set during the week and in the final against Kukushkin fired 14 aces. “I lost the spark (after the Australian Open, where he reached the semifinals) and I was frustrated because it felt like I couldn’t find it again,” Tsitsipas said. “This week I can say I am really happy because I felt this hunger back again … I really hope it stays the same because there are many good players out there that play for the same prize.” Tsitsipas broke Kukushkin in the 12^th game to take the opening set. Kukushkin played with depth and varying the pace on his groundstrokes to reach the second-set tiebreak. Tsitsipas began moving more into the court, forcing play and extracting errors to close out the victory. The 31-year-old Kukushkin was seeking his second title and first since 2010.

SUPER SERB

In a battle of players seeking their first ATP tour title, it was Laslo Djere who came out on top. The 23-year-old Serb stopped Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Rio Open with a commanding performance. “So many things have been achieved here,” Djere said. “I’m really happy, excited and emotional now. I’m happy I could push through this match because it was very tough mentally and physically.” Djere, who had not won a match on clay all season, began the week by upsetting eighth-ranked Dominic Thiem in the first round. He finished the week without losing a set and broke Auger-Aliassime six times in the title match. The 18-year-old Canadian saved four match points become succumbing to his unseeded foe. He made history by becoming the y6oungest man to reach an ATP 500 final and was the fourth teenager to reach the final of an ATP 500 event – the 13 tournaments ranked just below the Masters series – since the level was created in 2009. Auger-Aliassime is the first competitor born in 2000 to reach an ATP final. He entered the main draw with a wild card and defeated Fabio Fognini, Christian Garin, Jaume Munar and Pablo Cuevas to reach the title match.

SNARES FIRST TITLE

Radu Albot saved three match points in a third-set tiebreaker to become the first player from Moldova to win an ATP Tour title. The 29-year-old Albot, in his first tour-level final, took two hours, 51 minutes plus a rain delay to outlast Britain’s Daniel Evans in the Delray Beach Open. Play was halted by rain for 56 minutes with Albot leading 2-1 in the third set. Evans had three chances to win before Albot closed out the victory on his first match point when Evans double-faulted. The first Moldovan to be ranked in the top 100, Albot will move up to the low 50s in the rankings.

SIBLING RIVALRY

Brothers Bob and Mike Bryan teamed up to defeat another pair of brothers, Ken and Neal Skupski, and win their fifth Delray Beach Open title. It was their first title together since last April at the Monte-Carlo Masters. “We’re very, very, very pleased with how this week’s gone,” Bob Bryan said. “We didn’t lose a set this week. We’re taking care of our serve and just weathering the tough times during matches.” The American twins were playing their first tour-level final since last May when Bob injured his right hip and missed the rest of the 2018 season. While Bob was sidelined, Mike Bryan partnered countryman Jack Sock to three titles – Wimbledon, US Open and the Nitto ATP Finals – and became the oldest player at 40 years, 78 days to be ranked number one in the ATP Doubles Rankings.

SECOND BUDAPEST TITLE

OK, so it wasn’t a dominating performance. But Alison Van Uytvanck came away with her second straight Hungarian Ladies Open title, coming from a set down to beat eighth-seeded Marketa Vondrousova in the final. The Belgian had saved five match points in her semifinal win over fifth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova and lost the opening set in her last three matches. Still, it was her third career trophy in as many finals. Vondrousova’s combination of power and finesse let her win 15 of 16 points as she raced through the opening set. With a big forehand, Van Uytvanck took the net away from her opponent, then won points with drop shots. A rash of double faults, two coming when a crying baby briefly interrupted play in the third game of the second set, contributed to Vondrousova’s downfall. She ended up with seven double-faults in the match. Van Uytvanck lost just six points as she built a 4-0 lead in the decisive set, then served out the victory.

SENT PACKING

Top-seeded Juan Martin del Potro, playing in his first tournament after missing four months because of a knee injury, was bounced from the Delray Beach Open quarterfinals by American Mackenzie McDonald 6-4 3-6 7-6 (5). The win boosted the 84^th-ranked McDonald to his first ATP Tour semifinal. Del Potro played with his knee heavily strapped and his movement was visibly affected. “I wanted to do a big effort tonight,” the Argentine said. “I fought until the last ball and had many opportunities, but it’s hard to win matches when you can’t move at 100 percent. … I know how good I can be when I’m ready, but I’m not in the physical condition to play at this level yet.” It was the biggest win of his career for McDonald, who lost in the semifinals to Moldovan Radu Albot 3-6 6-0 6-0.

SICK BAY

A viral illness forced former world number one Caroline Wozniacki to withdraw from the WTA event in Dubai. It was the second straight tournament she has missed because of the problem. “It sucks,” Wozniacki said. “I’ve gotten ready to play these two weeks (Doha and Dubai) where I usually play well. If I can’t play at a reasonable level, there’s no reason for me to go out there and just play one set. I want to go out there and I want to win.” The 2011 Dubai champion, Wozniacki said she began having problems around Christmas and it lingered with her through the Australian Open, where she lost to Maria Sharapova in the third round.

SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR

Not surprisingly, Novak Djokovic’s dynamic return to tennis after surgery was recognized by the Serbian being given the Laureus Sportsman of the Year award. Since his return, Djokovic won three consecutive Grand Slam tournaments – Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open – and returned to number one in the rankings. “I did think about leaving tennis,” Djokovic said. “I did not find myself in a good balance. It took me several months to find that purpose and meaning again. This award reflects and symbolizes this journey.” Japan’s Naomi Osaka, who won the US Open last year and the Australian Open last month, won the breakthrough of the year award. American gymnast Simone Biles won the Sportswoman of the Year prize, while Tiger Woods was given the Comeback of the Year Award.

SITE SELECTED

The ATP Tour is heading to yet another city in China. The Zhuhai Open will be held September 23-29 at the custom-designed, state-of-the-art Hengqin Tennis Center. The USD $1 million 250-level event will be played the week before the China Open in Beijing. Zhuhai has held an ATP Challenger Tour event in March for the past three years.

SWITCH IN COACHES

Simona Halep is on her own again. The Romanian star confirmed she has ended her brief collaboration with Belgian coach Thierry Van Cleemput. The two had linked up just before Romania beat the Czech Republic in the Fed Cup. Van Cleemput also worked with Halep at the Qatar Open, where she lost in the final to Elise Mertens. “So, we tried for one week and it’s finished,” Halep said. “We decided to stop because we are not a good fit together. He’s a good person, a very nice person, but on court the chemistry is not there.” Halep split with her former coach, Darren Cahill, before this season began, the Australian saying he wanted to spend more time with his family. Halep said she is in no rush to get a new coach. “I have my team, I have my hitting partner with me,” the 27-year-old said. “I feel good like this and I will take my time.”

Daria Kasatkina has ended her partnership with coach Philippe Dehaes. The 21-year-old Russian won her first WTA Tour match of the year, beating Magdalena Frech in Dubai, before losing to Sofia Kenin. “It is with sadness that I am announcing that myself and Philippe Dehaes are parting ways after a very successful partnership,” Kasatkina posted on Instagram. “I owe Philippe a huge amount for the success I’ve had over the past two years since we started working together, but after deciding I need to take control and responsibility for my own tennis, I felt I needed to do this alone …”

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Budapest: Ekaterina Alexandrova and Vera Zvonareva beat Fanny Stollar and Heather Watson 6-4 4-6 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Delray Beach: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski 7-6 (5) 6-4

Dubai: Hsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strycova beat Lucie Hradecka and Ekaterina Makarova 6-4 6-4

Marseille: Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin beat Ben McLachlan and Matwe Middelkoop 6-3 6-7 (4) 10-3 (match tiebreak)

Rio de Janeiro: Maximo Gonzalez and Nicolas Jarry beat Thomaz Bellucci and Rogerio Dutra Silva 6-7 (5) 6-3 10-7 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Dubai: https://dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com/

Acapulco: http://abiertomexicanodetenis.com/en/

Sao Paulo: http://www.brasilopen.com.br/

Indian Wells: https://oraclechallengerseries.com/

Indian Wells: https://bnpparibasopen.com