Stefanos Tsitsipas begins his Winston-Salem campaign this week as attention spreads across three simultaneous ATP and WTA tournaments. The ATP 250 draw features a mix of seeds, unseeded challengers, qualifiers and a recent wild card winner, while WTA action continues in Monterrey and Cleveland.

On Monday the first two second-round matches were completed, setting up a third-round meeting between Sebastian Korda and Kamil Majchrzak at the ATP 250. Korda returned from a leg injury that sidelined him since Roland Garros and opened his comeback with a straight-sets victory over Vit Kopriva, 6-3, 6-4.

The Winston-Salem field includes No. 16 seed Marcos Giron, unseeded Mackenzie McDonald and Aleksandar Kovacevic, qualifiers Nishesh Basavareddy and Darwin Blanch, and wild card Stefan Dostanic. Seventeen-year-old Blanch recorded the first tour-level win of his career in the opening round by defeating Borna Coric and will now face No. 8 seed Alexandre Muller. Dostanic, 23, also posted his first tour-level victory over Aleksandar Vukic and is scheduled to meet No. 5 seed Lorenzo Sonego.

With the US Open days away, Tsitsipas, a former No. 3 who was ranked in the Top 10 as recently as the clay-court season, arrives in Winston-Salem seeking form. He currently sits at No. 28 after losing seven of his last 11 matches and opens his campaign in the first evening match against China’s Bu Yunchaokete. It is a first-time meeting; Bu compiled three career wins over Top 30 players last fall against Lorenzo Musetti, Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov.

On the WTA side, a 17-year-old who made her Top 100 debut in June after winning a WTA 125K event on grass is a win away from her first WTA quarterfinal. After recording her first career Top 30 victory last week in Cincinnati — a second-round win over No. 23-ranked Linda Noskova — she will face fellow American Ann Li today for a spot in the last eight at the WTA 250 event.

There is also a rematch of the 2024 final in the WTA 500 first round as Noskova meets Lulu Sun; Noskova defeated Sun for the title last year, 7-6 (6), 6-4. One of six first-round matches on the WTA 500 schedule today features Alycia Parks as the lone American, taking on Cristina Bucsa.

Alexander Bublik has extended his remarkable clay-court form with a victory at the Kitzbuhel tournament, securing his third title of the year and second in consecutive weeks. Riding an impressive eight-match winning streak, Bublik defeated Arthur Cazaux in the final, winning 6-4, 6-3. This marked a repeat encounter after their clash just days earlier in Gstaad, where Bublik also emerged victorious.

The top seed’s performance was marked by resilience, saving four of five break points to close out the match. Reflecting on the challenging conditions and schedule, Bublik remarked, “I can’t believe I did it as it was probably one of the toughest weeks in my life because coming from Gstaad, playing here, different conditions and raining. I used the few chances I had and I am happy to have won.”

This season, Bublik has demonstrated consistent excellence, owning a perfect 3-0 record in tour-level finals. Along with back-to-back clay titles in Gstaad and Kitzbuhel, he also claimed the Halle championship in June by defeating Daniil Medvedev. Notably, Bublik reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, which has helped him climb significantly in the rankings—from outside the Top 80 in March to now projected inside the Top 25.

Looking ahead, Bublik is slated to compete next at the Cincinnati Open after withdrawing from the Toronto Masters 1000 event. His recent surge positions him as a player to watch during the North American hard-court season and bolsters his prospects of being seeded at the US Open.

Lukas Klein ended an 18-month title drought by winning the 32nd Internazionali di Tennis San Marino Open, an ATP Challenger 125 event. The 27-year-old Slovak dominated the clay courts, defeating Croatia’s Dino Prizmic 6-3, 6-4 in the final, completing the match in 88 minutes. This victory marked Klein’s fourth Challenger title and his first since late 2023 in Ortisei, Italy.

Klein impressed a crowd that included San Marino’s officials Denise Bronzetti and Italo Righi, with his powerful and steady game. On his path to the trophy, he overcame top-seeded Valentin Royer, seventh seed Lukas Neumayer, and local contender Matteo Gigante. In the final, despite a strong start from 20-year-old Next Gen player Prizmic, Klein quickly regained control with strategic low and fast groundstrokes, winning the opening set 6-3.

In the second set, Klein broke early and maintained his composure even when Prizmic threatened at 3-4. The Slovak closed out the match efficiently. The triumph earned him 125 ATP points and lifted him 40 positions to world No. 147.

Reflecting on the win, Klein said: “It’s been a fantastic week! The atmosphere on court was amazing, thanks to all the fans. This title means a lot. San Marino will always have a place in my heart. I hope I can come back next year!”

Meanwhile, Daniel Mérida claimed his first ATP Challenger title at the Open Ciudad de Pozoblanco Covap in Spain. The 21-year-old Spaniard beat China’s Fajing Sun 6-3, 6-4 in 86 minutes, garnering 75 ATP points and a spot in the US Open qualifying draw. Mérida’s win was the first Spanish success at this Andalusian event since 2012.

Mérida started the match with a break but was tested immediately as the contest featured multiple breaks and intense rallies. He secured the first set with a pivotal backhand winner and held firm in the second to close out the victory with an inside-out forehand.

Other notable Challenger winners last week include Jan Choinski, who claimed the Dutch Open title in Bunschoten, Netherlands, and August Holmgren, who defeated Liam Draxl for the Granby National Bank Championships in Canada. The ATP Challenger Tour continues with several tournaments this week, featuring rising stars and established players across Europe and North America.