Marin Cilic produced the opening upset at the Dallas Open, defeating No. 6 seed Learner Tien in straight sets, 7-5, 7-6 (4), in the first round of the ATP 500 indoor event. The result marked a major career milestone for the 2014 US Open champion: his 600th tour-level match win.

That total places Cilic in an exclusive tier of the game. He is the first man born in 1988 or later to reach 600 wins and the second active men’s player to do so, after Novak Djokovic, who was born in 1987. Cilic also becomes the first Croatian man in the Open Era to reach the mark. Goran Ivanisevic, the 2001 Wimbledon champion, finished his career with 599 tour-level victories.

The milestone also has broader historical context: Cilic is the 29th man in the Open Era to win 600 matches and the 10th man born in 1980 or later to achieve that total. The win in Dallas extended a long and consistent career for the 2014 Grand Slam winner, reinforcing his status among the sport’s longstanding competitors.

On the day, Cilic’s victory saw him close out the second set in a tiebreak and avoid a deciding set, moving safely through the opening round while collecting the landmark win. The match combined the immediate significance of an upset at the ATP 500 level with the personal importance of a rare career achievement.

No. 4 seed Coco Gauff acknowledged frustration after a 6-4, 6-2 defeat to Elisabetta Cocciaretto at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, her second straight loss since reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals. The reigning Roland Garros champion said she has been practicing well but has struggled to reproduce that level in competition.

“I just feel like I haven’t showed up with my best level the last few matches,” Gauff said to open her post-match mixed zone. “I’m just looking to find that again.”

Gauff began the 2026 season brightly, including a win over Iga Swiatek at the United Cup in January, but a surprising defeat in Melbourne to Elina Svitolina preceded her recent slide. After a Monday night doubles loss alongside Victoria Mboko and a first-round bye in Doha, Gauff appeared out of sorts against Cocciaretto.

“I just feel like some of the things I’ve been working on in practice aren’t translating to the match court, which is super frustrating,” said Gauff. “I’ve been having good practices, but just not playing well in the matches. I just need to find how it can translate.”

Cocciaretto, who had to come through qualifying, made the most of her second chance in the main draw. The 21-year-old recorded her third career Top 10 victory and produced her first win over Gauff since they met in juniors in 2018.

“I tried to be more aggressive and was hitting more unforced errors,” the American explained. “When I tried to be a little more passive and play with more shape, she was taking the ball early and crushing the ball.

“I think I need to figure out how to play against players like her, who hit super flat and take everything early. I think the last two matches showed I’ve been struggling with that. That’s something I need to work on in practice.”

Gauff found one small positive in Doha: an improved serve. “Today, with only three double faults, that’s positive, and same with the matches I had in Australia,” Gauff said. “I think there weren’t many double faults there, as well. That’s the one positive. Now I need to figure out what I’m doing off the ground to lose these matches.”

She also described a mental hurdle in converting practice into performance. “Physically, I know I can do it and I can do it when there’s not much pressure. I need to figure out how to do it when there’s more pressure.”

Alexandra Eala reached a new national milestone this week, becoming the first woman from the Philippines to break into the Top 40 in WTA rankings history, which dates all the way back to 1975. The 20-year-old rose from No. 45 to No. 40 following her run to the quarterfinals in Abu Dhabi, her first time reaching the quarterfinals of a WTA 500-level event.

That Abu Dhabi result marked Eala’s fifth WTA quarterfinal at any level, and all five have arrived within the last 11 months. Her breakthrough sequence began last year with a run to the semifinals of Miami (WTA 1000), a final appearance at Eastbourne (WTA 250) and a quarterfinal showing in Sao Paulo (WTA 250). This season she added a semifinal in Auckland (WTA 250) and the Abu Dhabi quarterfinal that pushed her into the Top 40.

Eala had already set two other national firsts last year when she became the first woman from the Philippines to enter both the Top 100 and the Top 50, cracking those ranking classes in March and November respectively. Her ascent to the Top 40 continues that trend of steady progress.

A three-tournament week on the WTA tour produced several ranking leaps. Sara Bejlek, the 20-year-old who won her first career WTA title in Abu Dhabi, soared from No. 101 to No. 38, shattering her previous high of No. 75. American Hailey Baptiste, who reached her maiden WTA semifinal in Abu Dhabi, rose from No. 56 to No. 39 to make her Top 40 debut.

In Cluj-Napoca, Emma Raducanu reached her first WTA final since winning the 2021 US Open and moved from No. 30 to No. 25, her highest ranking since 2022. Sorana Cirstea, who won the fourth WTA title of her career and her first on home soil in Romania, climbed from No. 36 to No. 31, her highest ranking since 2024. Ukrainian breakout Oleksandra Oliynykova rose from No. 91 to No. 71, eclipsing her previous high of No. 90 after reaching the first WTA semifinal of her career in Cluj-Napoca. It was only her second WTA main draw, after this year’s Australian Open, where she fell first round to Madison Keys.