Stan Wawrinka opened his Dubai campaign with a straight-sets victory over Benjamin Hassan, a result observed by an unmistakable spectator in the stands. Roger Federer, an eight-time champion at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, was on site throughout the day and watched Wawrinka close out a 7-5, 6-3 win.

The match marked another stop on a season-long farewell tour for Wawrinka, who has announced plans to retire at the end of 2026. The 40-year-old has produced solid results this season, reaching the third round of the Australian Open and recording match wins in Montpellier and Rotterdam earlier in the month.

Federer’s presence in Dubai followed earlier appearances at the Australian Open, where he was in the stands alongside Rod Laver and later took a selfie with WTA world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka after her first-round win over Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah. At the Dubai event, Federer’s attendance added a familiar note to Wawrinka’s return to the court.

Wawrinka has been reflecting on his career as he completes the 2026 season. During an on-court retirement celebration in Melbourne, he offered thanks to supporters and explained what has kept him competing. “The reason why I was still playing was because of you, because of the love of the game and the emotions you can give me,” he said in Melbourne, saluting the fans during an on-court retirement celebration. “I’m sad to leave but it’s been an amazing journey.”

With Federer among the spectators and another win secured, Wawrinka moves deeper into the Dubai draw while continuing to chart the final months of a long professional career.

Carlos Alcaraz adds another milestone to an already prolific run after lifting the Doha trophy, his second title of the year. The 22-year-old Spaniard has now claimed his 10th title in the last 13 months and the 26th of his career.

He begins his 60th career week at ATP No. 1 today, becoming only the 13th player to reach that total since the official rankings began in 1973. At 22, Alcaraz is the second-youngest player to hit 60 weeks at the top, trailing only Lleyton Hewitt, who was 21 when he achieved the mark. The Spaniard reached the milestone younger than other notable names who also passed 60 weeks: Jannik Sinner was 23 when he did it, Roger Federer was 23, Rafael Nadal was 24 and Novak Djokovic was 25.

The milestone in Doha caps a sustained period of dominance for Alcaraz. His recent title there makes it his second of the 2026 season and continues a remarkable stretch across the past year-plus.

On the adjacent leaderboard, Jannik Sinner reaches a distinct career landmark of his own. He kicks off his 100th career week in the Top 2 of the ATP rankings today. Those 100 weeks are consecutive, beginning when he first rose to No. 2 on April 1, 2024, following his victory at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami.

Both milestones highlight contrasting achievements: Alcaraz extending his cumulative time at No. 1, and Sinner maintaining an unbroken presence among the two highest-ranked players for more than a year. Together they underscore the early-season shape of the rankings as the tour moves forward in 2026.

Sebastian Korda reached his first tour-level final since January 2025 with a composed performance at the Delray Beach Open, defeating Flavio Cobolli 7-6 (1), 6-1 in 77 minutes. The 25-year-old advanced to championship Sunday after producing a strong second set and closing out the match in just over an hour and a quarter.

The on-court ceremony produced an unexpected moment when emcee Michelle Yu stumbled over a question about Korda’s head-to-head record versus Cobolli. Yu said, “You’ve played Flavio three times and you’ve had sex—success all three times. Why is it….” Korda smiled and answered the improvised prompt with candor: “He’s a good looking guy, so you know…”

The exchange lightened the atmosphere after a week in which Korda regained form. Ahead of his runner-up finish at an ATP Challenger Tour event in San Diego, he expressed, “I think especially with how many times I’ve been injured, you kind of lose that competitiveness when you’re not really inside of a tournament. I think that’s something that I’m lacking sometimes.”

That awareness appears to have paid dividends this season. Korda has compiled six tour-level wins since the start of his resurgence, building on a Dallas Open quarterfinal showing and adding a pair of Top 20 victories during the Delray Beach run. He ousted Casper Ruud before closing the week with his win over Cobolli.

The result moves Korda back into the spotlight and provides momentum as he seeks to convert his return to form into a title. Off-court levity and on-court progress combined to make Delray Beach a notable stop in his recovery from recurring injury setbacks and a step toward reestablishing the competitiveness he described.