WTA - Lyon first round commenced

First round commenced in Lyon.

2020 Open 6ème Sens - Métropole de Lyon - a WTA international tournament, on Hard Greenset, in Lyon, France, 2-8 March 2020.

Defending champion:

This is the first running of the tournament on the WTA Tour calendar.

First round results 

- Qualifier Jaqueline Cristian defeated Priscilla Hon 6-2 6-0

- Caroline Garcia (3) defeated Greet Minnen 6-4 1-6 7-6(5)

- Ysaline Bonaventure defeated qualifier Marta Kostyuk 6-4 6-4

- Alison Van Uytvanck (5) defeated Katarzyna Kawa 6-1 6-3

- Qualifier Irina Bara defeated Timea Babos 6-3 6-7(2) 6-4

- Alizé Cornet (4) defeated qualifier Antonia Lottner 7-5 6-0

- Anna-Lena Friedsam defeated qualifier Anastasiya Komardina 6-2 6-2

WTA - Monterrey

While the men are involved in Davis Cup action, two WTA tournaments are taking place this week, one in Europe, the other in North America.

2020 Abierto GNP Seguros - a WTA international tournament, on Hard Deco-Turf, in Monterrey, Mexico, 2-8 March 2020.

Defending champion:

Garbiñe Muguruza (2) who defeated Victoria Azarenka (5) 6-1 3-1 (retired)

The following players withdrew after entering but before the main draw was published:

 

- Fiona Ferro replaced by Arantxa Rus 

- Zheng Saisai replaced by Sara Sorribes Tormo 

The following players were late withdrawals after the main draw was published:

- 3rd seed Yulia Putintseva, replaced by lucky loser Varvara Flink, due to a change in schedule 

- 4th seed Magda Linette, replaced by lucky loser Caroline Dolehide, due to a thigh injury 

- Kirsten Flipkens, replaced by lucky loser Astra Sharma, due to a thigh injury 

Lauren Davis was instated as 10th seed, and was moved in the draw to the place previously occupied by Putintseva.

Marie Bouzkova was instated as 9th seed, and was moved in the draw to the place previously occupied by Linette.

Elina Svitolina, world number 7, is top seed.

The other 7 seeds, including Davis and Bouzkova, are all in the top 84

There are no byes.

WTA - Lyon

While the men are involved in Davis Cup action, two WTA tournaments are taking place this week, one in Europe, the other in North America.

2020 Open 6ème Sens - Métropole de Lyon - a WTA international tournament, on Hard Greenset, in Lyon, France, 2-8 March 2020.

Defending champion:

This is the first running of the tournament on the WTA Tour calendar.

The following players withdrew after entering but before the main draw was published:

 

- Ekaterina Alexandrova replaced by Anna-Lena Friedsam 

- Margarita Gasparyan replaced by Pauline Parmentier 

- Barbora Krejcikova replaced by Mandy Minella 

- Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova replaced by Viktoriya Tomova 

- Kristyna Pliskova replaced by Tereza Martincova 

Sofia Kenin, world number 5, is top seed.

The other 7 seeds are all in the top 85

There are no byes.

Teenage wildcard triumphs in Santiago

Title decided in Santiago

2020 Chile Dove Men+Care Open  - an ATP 250 tournament, on Red Clay, in Santiago, Chile, 24 February-1 March 2020.

Defending champion:

This tournament was originally held in Santiago in 1993. It shifted location to Viña del Mar for two stretches, 2001-2009 and 2012-2014. It folded after 2014, but 2020 sees its revival and back at Santiago.

Final result

- Wildcard Thiago Seyboth Wild defeated Casper Ruud (2) 7-5 4-6 6-3

Seyboth Wild was victorious in his first ATP final, and is both the youngest Brazilian to capture an ATP tour title, and the lowest ranked from that country to do so, at #182.

He will move up 69 places to a career high of #113 as a result of his win.

Ruud continues a bright start to 2020, having won the chocolates in Buenos Aires just a fortnight ago.

He jumps a couple of spots to #36, just two away from his career high.

Santiago semis

Semi final day in Santiago 

2020 Chile Dove Men+Care Open  - an ATP 250 tournament, on Red Clay, in Santiago, Chile, 24 February-1 March 2020.

Defending champion:

This tournament was originally held in Santiago in 1993. It shifted location to Viña del Mar for two stretches, 2001-2009 and 2012-2014. It folded after 2014, but 2020 sees its revival and back at Santiago.

Semi final results 

- Wildcard Thiago Seyboth Wild defeated qualifier Renzo Olivo 6-1 6-3

- Casper Ruud (2) defeated Albert Ramos-Viñolas (3) 7-6(5) 6-2

and will play Thiago Seyboth Wild in the final. 

19 year old Thiago, the 2018 US Open boys champion, is the youngest Brazilian to make an ATP final since 1990.

Watson, Nadal win in Acapulco

Finals decided in Acapulco.

2020 Abierto Mexicano Telcel - a WTA International tournament, on Hard Solflex, in Acapulco, Mexico, 22-29 February 2020.

Defending champion:

Wang Yafan who defeated Sofia Kenin (5) 2-6 6-3 7-5

Final result

- Heather Watson (7) defeated qualifier Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-7(8) 6-1

This was the fourth title for Watson from five finals in her career. Her last title was four years ago, also in Mexico - the Monterrey Open, the tournament which she will be contesting next week.

Watson moves up 20 spots to #49 in the rankings.

Fernandez is only 17, and for the Canadian this was her first WTA final. She won two rounds of qualifying and four main draw matches, improving her ranking 64 places to a career high of #126 (previous best #185).

2020 Abierto Mexicano Telcel - an ATP 500 tournament, on Hard Solflex, in Acapulco, Mexico, 22-29 February 2020.

Defending champion:

Nick Kyrgios who defeated Alexander Zverev (2) 6-3 6-4

Final result

- Rafael Nadal (1) defeated Taylor Fritz 6-3 6-2

This was career title number 85 for Nadal, another on his favourite clay surface. He remains #2 in the world, he and Djokovic clearing further away from the rest, especially with Federer out for months.

Fritz contested his fifth ATP final, and still has just the one title - Eastbourne on the grass from June last year. Since then he has lost three finals, the last two in Mexico; this one following Los Cabos in August 2019. 

Fritz moves up 11 places to a career high of #24.

Sabalenka and Djokovic win Doha, Dubai

Titles were decided in Doha and Dubai.

2020 Qatar Total Open - a WTA Premier 5 tournament, on Hard, in Doha, Qatar, 23-28 February 2020.

Defending champion:

Elise Mertens who defeated Simona Halep (1) 3-6 6-4 6-3

Final result 

- Aryna Sabalenka (9) defeated Petra Kvitová (8) 6-3 6-3

This was the sixth title from ten finals in the career of Sabalenka, and third in the Premier 5 category. 

She moves up two spots to #11 in the rankings.

Kvitová has now contested 37 finals, and ten times she has finished as runner up. Twice she has reached the finale in Doha, winning in 2018. Despite gaining nearly 600 points, Kvitová drops one spot to #12 in the rankings, overtaken by Sabalenka.

 

2020 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships - an ATP 500 tournament, on Hard Decoturf II, in Dubai, UAE, 24-29 February 2020.

Defending champion:

Roger Federer (2) who defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas (5) 6-4 6-4

Final result 

- Novak Djokovic (1) defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas (2) 6-3 6-4

This was the 79th career title for Djokovic, and his fifth Dubai crown. He retains the world #1 ranking, and he has 3165 points in the 2020 ATP Race, leading now by 1810.

Tsitsipas, in 11 career finals, has now finished runner up on six occasions, twice to Djokovic and twice in Dubai. (Federer last year). He remains world #6.