Alexander Zverev says the guidance he received from Rafael Nadal during his recent training block at the Spaniard’s academy has already made a difference as he begins his North American hard-court swing.

It has been a defining 2026 campaign for the German, whose biggest breakthrough came at the French Open, where he captured his first Grand Slam title. Zverev beat Flavio Cobolli in five sets to finally end a difficult sequence of three straight defeats in major finals.

A few weeks later, he carried that momentum onto the grass at Wimbledon and looked transformed. Having never previously gone beyond the last eight at the event, he reached the final after dropping only two sets and produced tennis built on a sharp blend of aggression and accuracy. Although Jannik Sinner beat him in four sets, the result was enough to lift Zverev past Carlos Alcaraz and into world No 2 for the first time since March 2025.

His next major target is the season’s final Grand Slam, the US Open, scheduled for August 30 to September 13. Before that, Zverev spent time resting and then travelled to Mallorca to train at the Rafa Nadal Academy, where Toni Nadal and Nadal himself were both closely involved.

Speaking in a video on the academy’s social media, the world No 2 said: “It has been a good year. Of course, the year is not over, and we’re going to the North American Swing and two Masters and a Grand Slam coming up, which is very important,”

“Of course, I’m here [at the Rafael Nadal Academy] to prepare for that, and hopefully I’ll show my best there as well.

“I love Mallorca in general, so it’s just a great island to be in, I think, in the summer, especially with great preparation.

“You have a lot of heat here, which you will need in America as well. And the facilities are incredible. I think it’s quite obviously one of the best academies in the world.

“But you can also have privacy here, which is very nice for me and I enjoy coming back here.

“It’s great. Uncle Toni is on the court quite a lot with us. Rafa also came twice.

“It’s great to hear what their opinion is about my game. I think I’ve been playing against Rafa for 10 years, so it’s nice to hear from him from a competitive standpoint, but also what he thinks I can improve in my game, and I still want to improve every single day.

“I think it was a great help to have him on the court.”

Zverev’s record at the US Open has been strong in recent years, with quarter-final finishes or better in four of his last five appearances. He also came within a set and a break of the title in 2020 before Dominic Thiem edged him in a fifth-set tiebreak. Last year, though, he suffered his earliest exit there in seven years when Felix Auger-Aliassime beat him in the third round.

His schedule before New York includes the National Bank Open in Canada from August 2 to 13 and the Cincinnati Open from August 13 to 23, both Masters 1000 events.

Alex Eala’s strong week at the Washington DC Open continued with a straight-sets victory over second seed Elina Svitolina, a result that also pushed the 21-year-old to a new career peak in the rankings.

Eala opened her tournament by coming from behind against 2024 Australian Open runner-up Zheng Qinwen, then backed that up with a two-set win over defending champion and seventh seed Leylah Fernandez. Against Svitolina, the outcome mirrored their quarter-final meeting at the Berlin Open earlier this year, when the Filipina won 6-3, 6-4 on grass. This time, the hard courts produced the same scoreline.

The opening set was tightly contested, featuring five straight breaks. Eala edged ahead 3-2 before closing it out with a fourth break in the ninth game. The second set began poorly for the world No 28, who was broken to love in the opening game. She recovered on serve in game six and then finished the match in game 10, converting her third match point with a second break.

The victory gave Eala her sixth top-10 win of 2026 and moved her into a third semi-final of the season.

Her ranking rise has been just as notable. After reaching the last 16 at Wimbledon in July, Eala climbed to a career-high No 28. Her run in Washington has now added 135 points to her total, lifting her three places to No 25 in the Live Rankings, with the chance of climbing one more spot if she wins again.

Standing in her way next is former world No 1 Naomi Osaka, who defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto in three sets. It will be their first career meeting.

“I’m super excited. I hope it lives up to the expectations,” Eala said. “I’m definitely going to do everything I can and leave it all on court, like always. Of course, Naomi is an amazing player, so it’s going to be a tough match for me.”

Felix Auger-Aliassime will have little room for comfort as he begins his bid for an ATP Masters 1000 title in Montreal, where he is playing in front of home support as the No 2 seed.

With No 1 Jannik Sinner, No 3 Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic all absent, the Canadian would ordinarily have looked well placed to challenge for the trophy. Instead, the draw has given him a demanding route, with Brandon Nakashima, Arthur Rinderknech, Marin Cilic and Frances Tiafoe all sitting in his quarter.

Top seed Alexander Zverev enters as the leading contender after a strong run that has already brought him his first Grand Slam title at the French Open and his first Wimbledon final. Zverev will begin against Lorenzo Sonego or Tallon Griekspoor, and Taylor Fritz could be waiting in the quarter-finals if both progress as expected.

Pressure will also rest on Ben Shelton, who must defend both his title and the 1,000 ranking points he earned with the biggest win of his career last year. Shelton may meet Jenson Brooksby in the second round, while Joao Fonseca is also in his section.

The absence of Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic has again prompted debate over whether the leading players should be required to appear at Masters 1000 events. Tournament director Valerie Tetreault acknowledged the disappointment, saying: “We are obviously very disappointed that Jannik and Novak won’t be joining us in Montreal this year, especially after they also withdrew from last year’s tournament in Toronto,”

She added: “We respect their decisions and understand that, with such a demanding schedule, players’ health must remain the priority.

“That said, we believe the frequency of these last-minute withdrawals in the last few years raises a broader issue for our sport.

“Masters 1000 events are among the flagship tournaments on the tour, and fans rightfully expect to see the world’s best compete.

“We are already in discussions with the ATP to ensure this matter receives serious consideration.”

Possible quarter-final line-up in Montreal:

Alexander Zverev (GER) vs Taylor Fritz (USA)

Daniil Medvedev vs Ben Shelton (USA)

Alex de Minaur (AUS) vs Jiri Lehecka (CZE)

Félix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) vs Flavio Cobolli (ITA)