Taylor Fritz came through a tense Washington Open final against Rafael Jodar, sealing the title with a straight-sets win in the United States capital.

The final was delayed until Monday after a storm hit Washington on Sunday, but the match still delivered plenty of drama. Fritz edged the contest 7-6, 6-4 to capture his first ATP title of the season and the 11th trophy of his career.

There was, however, a contentious moment late in the second set when Jodar called for a medical timeout at 7-6, 5-4, just as Fritz was preparing to serve for the match. Fritz was visibly frustrated by the decision, while his coach, Michael Russell, was seen mouthing ‘absolute bulls***’ in response.

Jodar did appear to be dealing with a genuine wrist problem after falling on it during the match, and the injury could affect his immediate schedule. Even so, the timing raised wider questions about whether a medical timeout should be allowed when an opponent is serving for the match. It was also not the first interruption of the day, with Jodar having earlier paused to deal with his shoelaces after Fritz had broken him in the second set.

The Spaniard pushed the issue as far as deuce in the final game and saved several match points before Fritz finally closed it out. The victory ended Fritz’s run of four consecutive ATP Tour final defeats, after losses in Tokyo, Dallas, Stuttgart, and Halle.

It was also his first ATP 500 title since 2022, when he won the Japan Open. Since then, Fritz has added six ATP 250 titles, but his record at the 500 level had been comparatively quiet.

Fritz remains world No 8, though Alex de Minaur, Daniil Medvedev, and Novak Djokovic are positioned just ahead of him and could be overtaken with a strong showing at the Canadian Open. Jodar, meanwhile, has reached a new career high of world No 15.

Jessica Pegula’s bid for a second Washington Open crown and the 12th title of her career was derailed by a long weather delay and an even stranger twist online. The final at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center was interrupted by thunderstorms, pushing the start back by several hours on Sunday afternoon.

When the match finally got underway, Pegula, the favourite, took the opening set 6-4 after breaking in game nine. The second set was only part-way through, with Eala leading 2-1, when rain returned. With lightning and rain still present, officials stopped play for the night at 6-4, 1-2.

That was the point at which search results created confusion. Anyone looking up “Pegula vs Eala” on Sunday evening or Monday morning was informed by Google AI that Pegula had won, even supplying a completed scoreline and a fabricated match report. The headline it produced read: “Jessica Pegula won the 2026 Mubadala DC Open singles titles, defeating Alexander Eala 6-4, 6-3 in the final.”

The AI also described a second set that never happened, claiming: “After play resumed following the lightning and rain delays, Pegula took total control. She broke Eala to charge ahead 4-2 and ultimately served out the match at 5-3, converting her first championship point with a cross-court forehand winner.”

The reality on Monday was the opposite. Eala seized control after the restart, broke in game 10 of the second set and forced a deciding set. She then won eight of the last 10 games, broke Pegula three times in the third set, and sealed the match on her second championship point for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory.

The 21-year-old made history as the first Filipina to win a WTA Tour singles title. Afterward, she addressed the crowd and made clear the result was genuine: “I feel so ​much love. My first chance at a title knowing it won’t be the last and ​already having achieved this milestone for my career,” Eala said on court. “I knew whatever happened after this match would have been already been a win for me.”

She also credited Pegula directly: “irst of all, of course, first and foremost congratulations Jessie for an amazing week and you’ve had an amazing season. It’s always a pleasure to share the court with you, I definitely learn so, so much,” Eala said.

“Especially from your forehand line and your backhand crosses. I’m really looking forward to hopefully many more finals with you.”

Carlos Alcaraz is nearing his return to competition at the Cincinnati Open, and the ATP Tour has handed him a useful advantage before he even plays a match.

The Spaniard has been out since suffering a wrist injury at the Barcelona Open in April. That setback forced him to miss Roland Garros, Wimbledon and three Masters events. He has since entered both the Cincinnati Open and the US Open, and recent social media footage has shown him hitting balls with real power as his comeback draws closer.

Alcaraz had slipped to world No 3 after Alexander Zverev’s victory at Roland Garros and Alcaraz’s own final appearance at Wimbledon. Even so, he has now climbed back to world No 2 without competing in recent days.

The reason is a scheduling change. The Canadian Open has been moved up by a week, which means Zverev has lost the 360 points he collected from the 2025 event. Alcaraz did not play the Canadian Open last year, so he has not had any points to defend there and has risen in the rankings without stepping onto court.

At the moment, Jannik Sinner leads the ATP Tour top three on 13,450 points, with Alcaraz on 8160 and Zverev on 8090. The gap between Alcaraz and Zverev is only 70 points, and Zverev is likely to make up some of that during the Canadian Open. But it will not come in time to change the Cincinnati seedings.

That is the key detail for Alcaraz. Because the Cincinnati cut-off comes before the Canadian Open finishes, he will remain the second seed in Cincinnati. That should place him on the opposite side of the draw from Sinner and keep the world No 1 out of his path until the final, at the earliest.

It is a significant lift for Alcaraz as he prepares for his first tournament in five months. He is also defending the full 1000 points from his 2025 Cincinnati title, so a strong run will be essential if he wants to stay at world No 2.