Champions of the Week · Madrid Open
🏅 First in History
Madrid Open ATP 1000
Jannik Sinner
Defeated Zverev 6:1, 6:2 in the final
🇮🇹 World No. 1 · 15th big title of the 2026 season
First player in history to win 5 consecutive Masters titles
On a 23-match winning streak at Masters level
First player in history to win 5 consecutive Masters titles
On a 23-match winning streak at Masters level
🎖 Maiden WTA 1000 Title
Madrid Open WTA 1000
Marta Kostyuk
Defeated Andreeva 6:3, 7:5 in the final
🇺🇦 12-0 on clay this season
Third career title · Rises to a career-high No. 15
Celebrated the title with a spectacular backflip on the clay
Third career title · Rises to a career-high No. 15
Celebrated the title with a spectacular backflip on the clay
Feature Story
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Major Injury News · Roland Garros Title Defense Over
Alcaraz Withdraws From Rome and Roland Garros, Ending Bid for Third Straight French Open Title
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz (world No. 2) confirmed this week that he will miss both the Italian Open in Rome and Roland Garros, effectively ending his entire top-tier clay-court campaign for 2026. The cause: tendon inflammation combined with cartilage damage in his right wrist, sustained during the Barcelona Open. After consulting specialists, his team has opted for conservative treatment.
Alcaraz won back-to-back French Open men's singles titles in 2024 and 2025 and had been on course to become the first man to complete a three-peat at Roland Garros. Following his early withdrawal in Madrid, this absence means he will leave the entire European clay swing empty-handed. In his own words: "Once the test results came back, we decided the most prudent course was to rest, monitor how the injury evolves, and then decide when to return."
2
Injury sites in right wrist
2 in a row
Defending Roland Garros champion
0
Clay-court points this season
With Alcaraz sidelined, Sinner will enter Rome and Roland Garros as the overwhelming top seed. In the ATP rankings, the gap between the two will widen significantly by the end of the clay season, putting Sinner on track to hold the year-end No. 1 spot comfortably.
This Week's Headlines
Sinner Makes History With Five Straight Masters Titles, Surpassing Federer, Nadal and Djokovic
After sweeping Alexander Zverev 6:1, 6:2 in Madrid, Jannik Sinner became the first player ever to win five consecutive ATP Masters titles since the format was established in 1990. Novak Djokovic previously won four in a row (skipping Madrid in 2015), while Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal each managed three straight. Sinner's five came in order at the Paris Masters, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid. The final took less than 66 minutes, with flawless forehand passing shots and net play showcasing the most complete dominance in the game today.
Kostyuk Caps Perfect Clay Season, Backflip Celebration Brings Down the House
Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk (up from WTA No. 26 to No. 15) defeated ninth seed Mirra Andreeva 6:3, 7:5 to capture her maiden WTA 1000 title. She is now a perfect 12-0 on clay this season, including a Billie Jean King Cup win. The moment she clinched the title, she landed a full backflip on the clay to thunderous applause. In the second set she saved match-point pressure with back-to-back aces before surging ahead to close out the match — the most moving moment of the week.
Sabalenka Falls in Semifinals as Hailey Baptiste Emerges as Biggest Surprise
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka was upset in the Madrid semifinals by American wildcard Hailey Baptiste, missing out on the final. Baptiste had also knocked out Elena Rybakina — champion just a week earlier — in the previous round, making her the tournament's biggest dark horse and lifting her ranking from No. 32 to No. 25. Sabalenka, who lost her title-defense points from last year's Madrid crown, saw her lead narrow; her No. 1 spot remains secure, but her Roland Garros outlook just got more complicated.
Italian Open Begins May 5, Draw Officially Released Today
The Italian Open (ATP 1000 + WTA 1000) held its draw ceremony in Rome's piazza on Monday. Main-draw play begins May 5, with the men's final set for May 17 and the women's final on May 16. With Alcaraz absent, Sinner, Zverev, Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti headline the ATP field. On the WTA side, Sabalenka, Rybakina, Iga Swiatek and Qinwen Zheng have all confirmed entry — Zheng arrived on site to begin training as early as May 2.
Team China
⚡ Five Into Roland Garros Main Draw · Qinwen Zheng in Full Rome Prep Mode
Qinwen Zheng
WTA ~No. 37 · Direct entry into Rome
W
Xinyu Wang
WTA ~No. 32 · Direct entry into Rome
Z
Zhizhen Zhang
ATP ~No. 51
W
Yibing Wu
ATP ~No. 70
🎾 Qinwen Zheng fell 1:2 to second seed Rybakina in the Madrid third round last week (admitting afterward that she served too many double faults and needs to enjoy the game more), then flew straight to Rome to regroup. On May 2 she practiced with Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko, working on serve and return, baseline forehand-backhand exchanges and touch around the net — looking steady and upbeat.
🌟 The 2026 Roland Garros main-draw entry list was published in April, with five Chinese players earning direct entry: Qinwen Zheng, Xinyu Wang and Shuai Zhang in the women's singles, and Zhizhen Zhang and Yibing Wu in the men's — the strongest Chinese contingent at Roland Garros in recent years.
⚠️ Worth noting: Zheng retired from the 2025 Australian Open through injury and is still working her way back this season — Rome will be the key test of how her clay-court preparations are progressing.
🌟 The 2026 Roland Garros main-draw entry list was published in April, with five Chinese players earning direct entry: Qinwen Zheng, Xinyu Wang and Shuai Zhang in the women's singles, and Zhizhen Zhang and Yibing Wu in the men's — the strongest Chinese contingent at Roland Garros in recent years.
⚠️ Worth noting: Zheng retired from the 2025 Australian Open through injury and is still working her way back this season — Rome will be the key test of how her clay-court preparations are progressing.
Rankings Snapshot (Post-Madrid)
🎾 ATP Men's Singles TOP 5
| 1 | 🇮🇹Sinner | 13,350 | ↑ |
| 2 | 🇪🇸Alcaraz | 12,960 | — |
| 3 | 🇩🇪Zverev | 5,255 | ↑ |
| 4 | 🇷🇸Djokovic | 4,710 | — |
| 5 | 🇨🇦Auger-Aliassime | 4,100 | ↑ |
🎾 WTA Women's Singles TOP 5
| 1 | 🇧🇾Sabalenka | 10,110 | ↓ |
| 2 | 🇰🇿Rybakina | 8,555 | ↑ |
| 3 | 🇵🇱Swiatek | 6,948 | ↑ |
| 4 | 🇺🇸Gauff | 6,749 | ↓ |
| 5 | 🇷🇺Andreeva | ~5,800 | ↑ |
※ Rankings updated after Madrid; ~ denotes estimated values
What to Watch Next Week
⚡ Clay Season Reaches Fever Pitch · Three Weeks to Roland Garros
Italian Open (Rome Masters) Main Draw Begins
Qinwen Zheng · Rome Debut
Can Sinner Keep the Streak Alive? Sixth Straight Title Bid in Djokovic Territory
French Open · Countdown to Roland-Garros