Alexander Blockx captured the Workday Canberra International title with a composed straight-sets victory over Rafael Jodar, 6-4, 6-4. The 20-year-old Belgian, ranked world No. 115 at the time, served five aces, won 77 percent of his first-serve points and broke Jodar three times to close out the final in one hour and 23 minutes.

“When I was 1-4 down in the second set, I was preparing myself for the third set,” Blockx said after the match. “I was mentally calm, which helped me to break back. There was one bad game and I smiled about it. I played at a good level throughout the match.” Blockx started his week by defeating 19-year-old Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, 6-2, 6-3, then recorded three battling three-set wins over Roberto Carballes Baena, top seed Vit Kopriva and local wild card James McCabe. He had also beaten Budkov Kjaer during his run to the final of the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah last December.

By lifting his fourth ATP Challenger Tour crown, Blockx earned $33,650 and 125 ATP Ranking points and was projected to enter the Top 100 at world No. 95 on Monday. Rafael Jodar, a 19-year-old who advanced from qualifying and won six matches in Canberra, collected $19,700 and 75 points and was set to reach a career-high world No. 150.

In Bengaluru, top seed Pedro Martinez claimed the title at the Dafa News Bengaluru Open, defeating Timofey Skatov 7-6(5), 6-3. Martinez, the 28-year-old Spaniard, converted key chances in a rain-interrupted final and sealed the win after one hour and 56 minutes. After dropping his opening set of the week, Martinez ran off the next 10 en route to his first Challenger-level title since October 2024 and his first outside of Europe.

“I played here eight years ago, and the tournament has improved a lot since then,” Martinez said. “The end of the last season was pretty tough for me, as I had to deal with some medical issues and I wasn’t able to compete at my best. So, I am very happy to win the title here.” Martinez earned $33,650 and 125 ATP Ranking points after a run that included wins over Eero Vasa, Michael Geerts, Cedrik-Marcel Stebe and Matteo Martineau.

Swiss player Mika Brunold, ranked No. 307 on the ATP list, announced on Saturday that he is gay in an emotional Instagram statement. The 21-year-old, the Swiss No. 6, made the post to address a personal decision and to raise the profile of the subject within sport.

Brunold, a 6-foot-3 right-hander who plays primarily on the ATP Challenger Tour, wrote that he was coming out “to take a step for myself, but also because I think it’s not talked about enough in sports.” He added a broader reflection: “I believe that in an ideal world, we wouldn’t even need to ‘come out’ at all,” and, “I’ve been thinking a lot about how to talk about this. And while it hasn’t always been easy, hiding it and pretending to be someone I’m not was never an option.” The statement also included the line, “Hiding it and pretending to be someone I’m not was never an option,” as he explained his decision.

Brunold reached a career-high ranking of No. 289 in August and has compiled notable results on the Challenger circuit this season, advancing to two semifinals and three additional quarterfinals in Challenger events. He also nearly advanced in qualifying against Reilly Opelka, saving a match in which Brunold had six match points in a qualifying match.

His announcement follows another public coming out by an active male player last year, when Joao Lucas Reis da Silva shared photos of himself and his boyfriend last December, becoming the first active, male tennis pro on the ATP tour to come out.

Brunold’s post drew supportive responses from several fellow professionals, including Viktorija Golubic, Leandro Riedi, Eva Lys and Kim Clijsters. The Swiss tennis federation also left a supportive comment on his post. Brunold said he wanted to take a personal step while contributing to a broader conversation about how sexuality is discussed in sport.

When a quiet, red-haired 17-year-old arrived in Bergamo in February 2019 he left with his first ATP Challenger title and a clear sense that something important had begun. Jannik Sinner came straight from an ITF event in Aktobe, Kazakhstan with a wild card and a single hour of practice on the indoor courts. Over six matches he dispatched Lucas Miedler, No.9 seed Salvatore Caruso, Viktor Galovic, No.4 seed Gianluigi Quinzi and Tristan Lamasine before meeting Roberto Marcora in the final.

The championship match ended 6–3, 6–1 and revealed the hallmarks of the player he would become: explosive forehands, a steady backhand, quick movement for his size and a readiness to finish points at the net. Calm and focused on court, he played with an authority that belied his years. “I got into the match straight away,” Sinner said after lifting the trophy. “I felt good before the final, returned well and paid attention to his ball toss. Everything just went really well.”

More than 2,000 fans filled the PalaAgnelli Arena to witness the youngest Challenger champion of the 2019 season. Yet celebration was not the priority. “I don’t think there will be a celebration. We will drive to Trento tomorrow, where my next tournament is,” he said, already planning the next step.

He shrugged at early labels, including being called the “first Challenger champion of the 2001 generation.” “Of course, you notice a few things, but honestly I don’t think much about those records,” he said, while acknowledging he checked how other young players were performing.

Sinner’s path to tennis was unconventional. Raised in the mountains, he had success in skiing, saying “I was Italian champion in giant slalom in 2008 and vice-champion in 2012,” before switching focus because he found skiing too dangerous. At 14 he moved to the Piatti Tennis Center in Bordighera to work with Riccardo Piatti. “I feel very comfortable there. Riccardo is on court a lot and still trains at every level—with Borna Coric, with me, or with kids. It’s incredible,” he said. In Bergamo he was accompanied by Andrea Volpini.

His title gained him a jump of more than 200 ranking spots to No. 324, but Sinner remained focused on playing and improving. “I used to look at the ranking a lot, but it didn’t help much,” he said. “The goal for the season is to play 70 to 75 matches at this level, with some quarterfinals and semifinals. I’ll try to play more Challenger events because I think the potential is there.” He also cited long-term influences, noting, “We know each other and have trained together sometimes. But Roger remains my number one,” referring to his ultimate idol.