Alexander Blockx has emerged as a compelling presence on tour this spring. The 21-year-old from Belgium reached the semifinals in Madrid last week and now sits at No. 36 in the rankings. That rise has not been enough to earn a seed in Rome, though he should make the cut at the Slams. In Rome he faces a different sort of challenge: a younger opponent. Cina, a 19-year-old from Palermo who reached as high as No. 4 in the juniors, will have local support. As a pro, however, Cina has not been ranked higher than No. 183. Blockx’s profile fits the modern top-level ATP player: a 6’4 frame, a strong serve, a heavy topspin forehand and a two-handed backhand. Winner: Blockx

Karolina Pliskova’s return to the later rounds of a WTA 1000 event was unexpected at the start of the year. The 34-year-old finished 2025 ranked outside the Top 1000 and had not advanced past the second round at a major since 2023. Last week in Madrid she looked more like the player who once held No. 1 in the world, making the quarters and coming within a set of the semifinals. Now at No. 130, Pliskova has momentum and tournament history on her side: she won this event in 2019 and reached the final in 2020 and 2021. She opens against Bouzas Maneiro, a fiery 23-year-old from Spain ranked 50th. They have never played each other. Winner: Pliskova

Dino Prizmic is another name that surfaced during Madrid. The 20-year-old from Croatia, listed at 6’2, plays with noticeable grit and physicality. He recorded eye-opening wins over Matteo Berrettini and Ben Shelton last week in Madrid, moves to a career-high No. 79 and is now a player to watch as the clay season progresses. His rise this spring has been rapid and memorable.

Three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka will bring his farewell season to a close on home soil in October, the Swiss Indoors Basel has indicated.

The tournament announced plans for a special evening on Monday, October 26 at 6 p.m., with a pre-sale launching Wednesday. “An emotional evening full of memories, surprises and magical moments from the career of the Vaud-born superstar awaits spectators,” organizers teased. The statement also made clear the end point of his farewell season: “He would have liked to keep playing forever. But Basel marks the end of the line for Stan Wawrinka as he says goodbye to the game,” the tournament wrote.

Wawrinka began his final season with encouraging signs, competing at the United Cup and reaching the third round of the Australian Open. The 41-year-old returned to the Top 100 in February and March before falling back in the rankings and missing the initial Roland Garros main-draw entry cutoff. He remains due to be recognized following his last French Open match.

Preparations for Paris suffered a setback when Wawrinka withdrew from his second-round qualifying match in Rome. According to the entry, back pain prevented him from taking on Pablo Carreño Busta, forcing an early end to his bid in the Italian event.

The Basel tribute is presented as a final, formal farewell on the site where Wawrinka will end his professional career. Organizers promise an evening that reflects on the highlights of his time on tour and affords fans a chance to celebrate the Vaud-born star before he departs the tour.

“Feliz cumpleaños, Carlitos!”

Carlos Alcaraz turns 23 with a résumé few players achieve over an entire career. The following numbers, drawn from his first 23 years, outline how quickly he has climbed the sport.

1. No. 1 — he first reached the top ranking as a 19-year-old in 2022, the first and still only teenager to do so since the rankings began in 1973.
2. Two year-end No. 1 finishes, in 2022 and 2025.
3. Three match points saved in the Roland Garros final last year; he recovered from 3-5, 0-40 in the fourth set to beat Jannik Sinner, 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2), becoming the first man in the Open Era to save three match points to win a major final.
4. $64,997,598 in career prize money, the fourth-most in ATP history behind Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
5. Five — he won his first five Grand Slam finals in a row, second in the Open Era only to Federer.
6. A 6-2 career record against reigning world No. 1s (1-1 vs Djokovic at No. 1, 5-1 vs Sinner at No. 1).
7. Seven Grand Slam titles: Australian Open (2026), Roland Garros (2024, 2025), Wimbledon (2023, 2024) and US Open (2022, 2025). He is the youngest man to reach seven majors.
8. Eight Masters 1000 titles, the second-youngest man to reach that total after Nadal.
9. Nine ATP 500 titles and a 16-match winning streak at ATP 500 events, with Queen’s Club and Tokyo last year and Doha this year.
10. He ended Djokovic’s 10-year, 45-match winning streak on Centre Court by winning the 2023 Wimbledon final, 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.
11. Eleven hard-court and 11 clay-court titles, plus four grass-court titles including two Wimbledons.
12. A 12-match winning streak in five-setters; he is 15-1 in five-set matches, the lone loss to Matteo Berrettini at the 2022 Australian Open.
13. Surpassed 13,000 ranking points for the first time after the Australian Open this year, reaching a career-high 13,650.
14. Titles in 14 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Croatia, France, Italy, Japan, Monaco, Netherlands, Qatar, Spain, UK and USA.
15. Fifteen career big titles (seven majors, eight Masters 1000s); runner-up at the 2024 Olympics and the 2025 ATP Finals.
16. Made a winning ATP Tour debut at 16, beating Albert Ramos-Vinolas in Rio de Janeiro in 2020, 7-6 (2), 4-6, 7-6 (2).
17. Seventeen Top-10 wins in 2025 (17-4 vs Top 10 that year).
18. Broke into the Top 10 at 18 on April 25, 2022.
19. First Grand Slam title at 19 at the 2022 US Open.
20. A perfect 20-0 record in Grand Slam first-round matches.
21. $21,354,778 earned in 2025, the second-highest single-season prize money total in ATP history behind Djokovic’s $21,646,145 in 2015.
22. Completed the Career Grand Slam at 22 with the Australian Open this year, the youngest man ever to do so.