The players who wielded the most dominant service weapons in the history of the game can be broken down by what made them so lethal.

The Gold Standards (Placement & Disguise)

These players didn’t just rely on raw power; they mastered the art of biomechanics, consistency, and psychological pressure.

Serena Williams

Widely considered the single greatest serve in the history of women’s tennis—and arguably the most mechanically perfect serve ever. Serena didn’t need to be 6’10” to dominate; her excellence came from an identical ball toss for every single type of serve (slice, kick, or flat), making it entirely impossible for opponents to read. At Wimbledon in 2012, she blasted a staggering 102 aces across the tournament on her way to the title.

Pete Sampras

“Pistol Pete” possessed a fluid, deceptive service motion that defined 1990s tennis. Like Serena, his motion was seamlessly disguised. What made Sampras legendary was his second serve—he routinely hit his second delivery over 110 mph with heavy spin, hitting aces on break points when under maximum pressure.

Roger Federer

Federer is rarely on the leaderboard for maximum speed, but his serve is universally respected by peers as one of the hardest to return. He utilized an incredibly smooth, low-effort motion with immaculate spot-serving, routinely hitting the precise corners of the service box with millimeter accuracy.

The “Unattainable Height” Category

For these players, physical stature created an uncopiable downward trajectory, making their serves bounce absurdly high and fast.

John Isner

Standing 6’10”, Isner holds the official ATP record for the most career aces (over 14,400) and clocked an official 155 mph (249.4 km/h) bomb in 2016. Because of his height, the angle he created made his kick serve launch clean over opponents’ heads on hard courts.

Ivo Karlović

The 6’11” Croatian “Dr. Ivo” built an entire top-15 career almost exclusively on the back of his serve. He holds the highest percentage of service games won in ATP history (roughly 92%) and routinely made elite returners look entirely helpless.

The Raw Power Specialists

These players focused on sheer kinetic violence to blow the racket right out of their opponent’s hand.

Andy Roddick

Equipped with an explosive, abbreviated backswing, Roddick popularized the modern “power serve” in the early 2000s. He held the world record for years with a 155 mph thunderbolt thrown down during a 2004 Davis Cup match.

Sabine Lisicki & Venus Williams

On the women’s side, Sabine Lisicki holds the official WTA record for the fastest tracked serve in a main-draw match, unleashing a 131 mph (210.8 km/h) rocket at Stanford in 2014. Venus Williams closely follows her, having dominated the late 90s and 2000s with a regular 129 mph delivery that revolutionized power in the women’s game.

The All-Time Leaderboards

Men’s Fastest Recorded Serves (Official ATP/Davis Cup)

Note: Australian Sam Groth hit a 163.7 mph (263.4 km/h) serve at a Challenger event in 2012, but the ATP does not officially recognize it as a world record due to variances in radar equipment at that tier of tournament.

Women’s Fastest Recorded Serves (Official WTA)

Help us settle the debate and leave a comment on who we are missing!

The post Greatest Tennis Serves in History appeared first on Tennis Grandstand.

It was a boisterous crowd of approximately 375 cheering on the 16-year-old Johnson, ranked among the top junior players in the world. The electric atmosphere seemed to increase as the match went on as Johnson overcame an 0-5 deficit in the first set to keep the fans on the edge of their seats and rooting for more. 

Watch his post-match interview with Randy Walker here Kaylan Bigun Talks After Winning Jack Kramer Club USTA SoCal Pro Circuit Event https://youtu.be/tjY57x-wpdo?si=YmGftq6Z9KOaoNV1 via @YouTube

Bigun said his dad told him after the match that the Kramer Club was the site of his first tournament title growing up on the Westside of Los Angeles as a young junior. “I didn’t really remember it, but it’s all starting to come back now,” said Bigun, who is entered into the Week 4 of the USTA Southern California Pro Circuit $15,000 event that begins Monday at the Racquet Club of Irvine. “You’ve seen Southern California guys go through these tournaments in the past and do well and build some momentum.”

Although he wasn’t named, Bigun may have been speaking specifically of another talented SoCal lefty who is also 20 years old in Irvine’s Learner Tien. Two summers ago, Tien used the SoCal Pro Series as a springboard to greater things winning four of the events and then two M75 Challengers and is now among the top 20 players in the world rankings. 

Bigun, who won the Roland Garros junior title in 2024 and was the No. 1-ranked junior in the world at the end of that year, jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead against the No. 5 seeded Johnson, who was backed by the loud Kramer Club crowd. It was the first meeting for the two in an official match, but they practice together a lot at the USTA Training Center in Carson.

“To be honest, I like playing in front of crowds so it didn’t bother me,” said Bigun, who served for the match at 5-4 in the second set only to see Johnson play three great points to hold his serve and extend the match.

During the trophy presentation, Kramer Club General Manager and tournament director Peter Smith congratulated Bigun. “You not only faced a tough player in Andy, but also all of the Kramer Club members,” Smith said. “You are a great player and you showed a lot of class out there today.”

Besides the club members, Johnson’s friend and family members cheered him on. Also there was his coach since he was 4 years old Vasile Beches, a Bucharest, Romanian native who teaches out of the South End Racquet Club in Torrance.

“It definitely helped me,” said Johnson, who will next play Roehampton J300 on grass before heading to Wimbledon. “They kept pushing me and I wanted to keep the match going because they were being so great and supportive.”

In the women’s singles final, it was a battle of two qualifiers who were each playing their sixth match in as many days as Russia’s Alina Shcherbinina edged out South Carolina senior Kaitlyn Carnicella, 6-0, 6-7(4), 7-5. Shcherbinina, 22, played at Baylor before finishing at Oklahoma and had never been past a quarterfinals in an ITF event, falling three times in the round of eight.

In 2022 during the first year of the SoCal Pro Series, Shcherbinina played in five of the tournaments losing in the quarterfinals at the Kramer Club event to 14-year-old Iva Jovic from Torrance, a wild card who went on to make the final in her pro debut.

“I remember she was 14 and I knew nothing about her,” said Shcherbinina, who lost the match 6-1, 6-1. “She played so well and you knew she was going to be a regular on the tour.”

In the men’s doubles final New Zealand’s Reece Falck and Billy Suarez (Tulane) beat the top seeds Christopher Papa (Pepperdine/San Diego Christina) and Lambert Ruland from Germany, 7-5, 6-4. In the women’s doubles final, it was a battle of No. 1 vs. No.2 as the American pairing of Capucine Jauffret and Kristina Penickova eked past top-seeded Salma Ewing (USC) and Alexandra Vagramov (UCLA), 4-6, 6-2, 10-8.

To learn more about the SoCal Pro Series, go to socalproseries.com.
Follow along on Instagram at instagram.com/socalproseries.
Like the Facebook page at facebook.com/socalproseries.

The post Kaylan Bigun Wins Jack Kramer Club USTA SoCal Pro Series Title appeared first on Tennis Grandstand.

For professional tennis players, no change in the sport is more abrupt or challenging than the transition from the red clay of Roland Garros to the green grass courts that lead into Wimbledon.

One day, players are sliding several feet behind the baseline on the slowest surface in tennis. Just days later, they are trying to stop on a slick grass court where the ball stays low, skids through the court, and rewards first-strike tennis.

The contrast is so dramatic that many consider the move from clay to grass the most difficult adjustment in all of professional sports.

Clay court tennis is a game of patience. The slower surface gives players more time to react, encourages longer rallies, and rewards physical endurance and strategic point construction.

At Roland Garros, players often engage in rallies of 15, 20, or even 30 shots. Heavy topspin becomes a major weapon as the ball jumps high off the clay, pushing opponents deep behind the baseline.

The surface is faster, the bounce is lower, and points are often decided in just a few shots. Players have less time to prepare, making serving, returning, and net play significantly more important.

A forehand that jumps shoulder-high on clay may barely rise above knee level on grass.

What makes the transition especially difficult is the lack of preparation time.

Roland Garros concludes in early June, while Wimbledon begins just three weeks later. During that brief period, players must completely recalibrate their games.

The ATP and WTA Tours schedule a handful of grass-court tournaments immediately after Roland Garros, including events in Stuttgart, Halle, Queen’s Club, Eastbourne, Nottingham, Berlin, and Bad Homburg.

These tournaments serve as laboratories where players experiment with movement patterns, court positioning, and tactical adjustments before arriving at the All England Club.

For many players, simply learning how to move efficiently on grass is the biggest challenge.

Clay-court movement revolves around controlled sliding. Players often slide into shots and use the clay’s loose surface to recover quickly.

Players must take smaller adjustment steps and maintain balance on a surface that can become slippery, especially during the first week of Wimbledon when the grass is at its freshest.

Many players describe grass-court movement as feeling unnatural after spending two months competing on clay.

A single mistimed step can lead to a fall—or worse, an injury.

The strategy changes just as dramatically as the movement.

On clay, players often stand far behind the baseline to return serve and build points patiently.

On grass, successful players frequently move forward, take the ball earlier, and look to shorten points.

The serve becomes a bigger weapon. Slice serves stay low. Flat serves skid through the court. Aggressive returns become essential because opportunities can disappear quickly.

Net play also gains importance. While modern baseline tennis dominates every surface, grass still rewards players who are comfortable finishing points at the net.

Historically, some of the greatest grass-court players have embraced these differences.

Roger Federer built an extraordinary Wimbledon legacy by combining precision serving, aggressive court positioning, and exceptional movement.

Pete Sampras used a powerful serve-and-volley game to dominate the surface throughout the 1990s.

In the modern era, players such as Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz have demonstrated that elite all-court skills can translate successfully from clay to grass despite the dramatically different conditions.

The ability to adapt quickly has become one of the defining traits of great champions.

The journey from Roland Garros to Wimbledon remains one of the sport’s most fascinating annual storylines.

For fans, the grass-court season may seem brief. For players, it represents a sprint filled with adjustments, experimentation, and opportunity.

The athletes who can quickly transform their games from grinding clay-court specialists into aggressive grass-court competitors often find themselves lifting trophies in June and July.

As Wimbledon approaches each year, the question isn’t simply who is playing the best tennis.

It’s who can adapt the fastest.

The post From Red Clay to Green Grass: Tennis’ Most Dramatic Surface Transition appeared first on Tennis Grandstand.

Cobolli and Mensik join World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz and World No. 3 Alexander Zverev on Captain Yannick Noah’s Team Europe. Andre Agassi’s Team World already features World No. 5 Ben Shelton, World No. 6 Alex de Minaur and World No. 9 Taylor Fritz, with Bublik adding further firepower to the team.

Italian Cobolli is enjoying a breakthrough season, having climbed to a career-high ranking of World No.10 after reaching the Roland Garros final in Paris, where he was defeated by Team Europe teammate Zverev. After serving as Team Europe’s alternate in Berlin in 2024, Cobolli made his Laver Cup debut in San Francisco last year and will return as a member of Noah’s six-man squad.

“The Laver Cup is one of the most exciting events in our sport,” said Cobolli. “It was incredible to be part of it last year, and it was my goal to play again this year. To be named to the team and compete for Team Europe is a huge honor. I cannot wait.”

Also joining Team Europe is 20-year-old Mensik, one of the most powerful young players on the ATP Tour. The World No. 16 enjoyed an incredible run at Roland Garros this year, reaching the semifinals before losing to Zverev. In doing so, he became the youngest Czech man in history to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam. Mensik will make his second Laver Cup appearance after debuting for Team Europe in San Francisco last year.

“The Laver Cup has always been special to me,” said Mensik. “I was there with my family at the very first Laver Cup in Prague in 2017 as a young fan, so to now be part of Team Europe for a second time is hard to believe. Playing alongside some of the best players in the world is an incredible feeling and something I never take for granted. We were disappointed with the result last year, but we’ll do everything we can to bring the Laver Cup back to Team Europe in London.”

Noah welcomed back two key members of last year’s Team Europe squad.

“Flavio and Jakub are having fantastic seasons and have earned their places on the team,” said Noah. “They were both part of Team Europe last year and understand what makes the Laver Cup so special. It’s great to have them back alongside Carlos and Sascha, giving us a strong core of returning players who know each other and understand what it takes to compete as a team. I’m really looking forward to bringing everyone together again in London.”

Bublik will make his Laver Cup debut after establishing himself as one of the most talented and entertaining players in the game. The 28-year-old reached a career-high ranking of World No. 10 earlier this year following his title run in Hong Kong and currently sits at World No. 11. Last season he captured titles in Halle, Gstaad, Kitzbühel and Hangzhou, becoming just the third player this decade, alongside Novak Djokovic and Alcaraz, to win ATP titles on clay, grass and hard courts in the same season.

“It’s amazing. I’ve always admired and adored the Laver Cup and watched it every year,” said Bublik. “It has created so many great memories in our sport and it’s an honor to be selected. I’m proud to represent Team World and I’m looking forward to playing in the Laver Cup in London for the first time.”

Agassi said Bublik’s talent and versatility would make him a valuable addition to Team World.

“Alexander is one of the most gifted and unpredictable players in tennis,” said Agassi. “He’s capable of producing shots that very few players would even attempt and can change the momentum of a match in an instant. He’s enjoyed success across all surfaces, which speaks to the quality and versatility of his game. I think he’ll be a great addition to Team World and I’m excited to have him with us in London.”

The remaining two places on Team Europe and Team World will be announced in the coming weeks.

The 2026 edition marks the Laver Cup’s return to London and The O2, the venue for one of the most iconic moments in tennis history, when Roger Federer played the final match of his career alongside his great rival Rafael Nadal and fellow “Big Four” members Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in 2022.

With Team World having claimed three of the last four Laver Cup titles, the rivalry between Europe and the World is set to be as intense as ever, with another fiercely contested showdown anticipated in London. Fans can expect world-class matchups, never-before-seen doubles pairings and the unique spectacle of rivals becoming teammates on the Laver Cup’s signature black court.

Tickets, hospitality packages and premium experiences are available now via AXS, the official ticketing partner of The O2.

For further player announcements, event news and ticket information, fans are encouraged to register as a ‘Laver Cup Insider’ at lavercup.com.

The Laver Cup is a joint initiative between TEAM8, Tennis Australia, the USTA and Jorge Paulo Lemann and is an official part of the ATP Tour calendar, with results recorded on official player records.

The Laver Cup is supported by Founding Partner Rolex and Global Partners UBS, Mercedes-Benz and Alipay+.

The post Roland Garros Stars Flavio Cobolli and Jakub Mensik Added To Team Europe Laver Cup Squad appeared first on Tennis Grandstand.

@TennisPublisher

One of the craziest tennis matches in the history of the sport happened in March of 1987 that people have talked about for years. It is the type of tennis encounter that made Davis Cup the charm (or nightmare!) that it is. The match was between Jimmy Arias of the United States and little known at that time (and little-known since!) Hugo Chapacu of Paraguay. The details are spelled out in this excerpt from my book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.www.newChapterMedia.com, which presents the events that unfolded over the two-day period.

March 15, 1987 – In one of the strangest Davis Cup matches in the history of the event, No. 285th-ranked Hugo Chapacu of Paraguay defeats American Jimmy Arias 6-4, 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 9-7 in 5 hours, 5 minutes to square the United States vs. Paraguay Davis Cup first round series at 2-2 in Asuncion, Paraguay. Chapacu is unable to convert a match point at 5-4 in the third set, but comes back from a 1-5 fifth-set deficit and saves three match points to win a force a fifth and decisive match in the series. Writes the Associated Press of the post-match scene, “Jubilant Paraguayans, beating drums and banging tambourines, invaded the center court at the Paraguay Yacht and Golf Club after Chapacu’s victory, carrying the 24-year-old off the court on their shoulders. Arias, a 22-year-old from New York, was knocked to the ground in the melee, but later got up, apparently unhurt, and congratulated Chapacu.”

March 16, 1987 – In a match completed at 2:35 am, Victor Pecci defeats Aaron Krickstein 6-2, 8-6, 9-7 to give Paraguay a startling 3-2 upset of the United States in the Davis Cup first round in Asuncion, Paraguay. Pecci’s win comes after 285th-ranked Hugo Chapacu upsets Jimmy Arias 6-4, 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 9-7 – saving three match points – in 5 hours, 5 minutes to pull Paraguay even with the United States at 2-2. Pecci’s win creates a melee on court as fans envelop the court following match point and carry Pecci – along with teammates Chapacu and Francisco Gonzalez – around the court. Says U.S. Davis Cup Captain Tom Gorman, “I think the world of tennis must recognize that Paraguay is tough to beat playing in Asuncion. I don’t know what we could have done more than we did. Naturally, I have a tremendous feeling of disappointment.”

For Arias, the match has not exactly been a topic high on his preferred tennis discussion list, much like Krickstein is not thrilled to re-live his infamous five-set loss to Jimmy Connors in the fourth round of the 1991 US Open. In a quirky, modern-day twist to the story, in a Facebook photo post of Ariasby former USTA Eastern Section Communications Director Nancy Gill McShea this week, Arias wrote “Want to know the rest of the story? Chapacu friended me on Facebook last week…and I accepted!”

The post USA vs. Paraguay’s Most Famous Sporting Confrontation – 1987 Davis Cup appeared first on Tennis Grandstand.

Two of the Palos Verdes Peninsula’s top teenage talents scored big first-round wins on Wednesday at their hometown Kramer Club USTA SoCal Pro Series tournament as Andy Johnson and Tia Messerli moved into the second-round wins.

On a night where the Palos Verdes Peninsula area was honored by the USTA Southern California with its quarterly Tennis Towns Award presented to tournament director and Kramer Club General Manager Peter Smith by USTA Southern California Executive Director Trevor Kronemann, Johnson, ranked No. 867 in the world and the No. 5 seed, beat a tough Timofey Stepanov from Switzerland, 6-4 6-4, while Messerli came back to edge out Sacramento’s Klara Kosan, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Johnson is coached by the five-time NCAA champion Smith and in February the high school junior won his first ITF pro title, a $15,000 event in Sunrise, Fla., becoming the youngest player since Carlos Alcaraz in 2019 and the youngest American since 2007 to do so.

Johnson said he could remember being a ball kid for early professional events at Kramer Club watching SoCal pro Sam Querrey and said he looked up to Brandon Holt, the son of Hall of Famer Tracy Austin, when his family joined the Kramer Club when he was just 6 years old.

“It’s crazy to think about 10 years ago,” Johnson said. “It’s like a big family and a lot of familiar faces. It’s been amazing to have them here and cheering me on. It’s really awesome.”

A recent Palos Verdes High graduate, Messerli is the 17-year-old daughter of former Grand Slam winner Kimberly Po (Wimbledon mixed doubles in 2000) and Peninsula Racquet Club Director of Tennis Oliver Messerli. She took advantage of her USTA SoCal wild card to win her first WTA point in the States having spent six weeks recently traveling and playing pro events in South Africa where her father is originally from.

“I did feel like she had more weapons than me, but sometimes all you need to do is just stay in the point long enough and they end up missing,” Messerli said of Kosan, who she had never played. “It’s nice to be here and surrounded by family after my six weeks in South Africa. Even though I was with family there, it’s just different sleeping in your own bed and having the comforts of home.”

Messerli had a degree of success during her six events in April and May qualifying for the first five of six tournaments and advancing to the second round four times.

Her final two tournaments were in Gaborone, the capital and largest city of Botswana in South Africa, which borders Zambia and Zimbabwe. “You have to learn to be patient,” Messerli said. “There’s no sense of urgency. Everything is late and it’s tough finding food. It’s just learning to adjust to things like cracks on the court and the balls bouncing everywhere. That’s the big part of being an athlete, learning to adjust.”

Messerli said because her mom was a touring pro and her dad traveled the tour as her hitting partner, they have passed on a lot of advice recently. “They’ve taught me a lot,” she said. “They give me a lot of head’s up.”

Messerli is happy to be healthy having missed a year because of a back injury suffered in December of 2024. She re-injured it one year ago at the Kramer Club event and finally made her return to the courts this past December. She will use this as a gap year and see how she does on tour before deciding on turning pro or going to college.

To learn more about the SoCal Pro Series, go to socalproseries.com.
Follow along on Instagram at instagram.com/socalproseries.

Like the Facebook page at facebook.com/socalproseries.

Tia Messerli (Credit Jon Mulvey / USTA Southern California)

The post California Teenagers Andy Johnson and Tia Messerli In The Spotlight At USTA SoCal Pro Series at Jack Kramer Club appeared first on Tennis Grandstand.

Federer last competed at the US Open in 2019 after famously captivating New York by becoming the only man or woman to win five consecutive US Open singles championships (2004-08). He’ll make his return to Arthur Ashe Stadium this year by playing in an exhibition event alongside 2003 US Open champion and longtime rival Andy Roddick, as well as fellow tennis icons and US Open champions Andre Agassi and John McEnroe. Further celebrity appearances and iconic surprises will treat fans throughout the evening, which will begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, August 25.

“The US Open has always been one of the most special tournaments for me,” Federer said. “So many unforgettable moments of my career happened in New York, and Arthur Ashe Stadium is a place that means a great deal to me. I’ve missed being part of that atmosphere and feeling the incredible energy that the fans bring every year. To return to Arthur Ashe and share the evening with Andy, Andre and John makes it even more meaningful. I’m looking forward to celebrating those memories, seeing the fans again, and enjoying a very special night together.”

Read daily Federer anecdotes and anniversaries in the book On This Day In Roger Federer History here https://a.co/d/08AIRyYZ via @Amazon

“It goes without saying that Roger Federer is one of the greatest champions to ever step onto a tennis court, and his legacy at the US Open will carry on for generations,” said Brian Vahaly, Chairman of the Board, President and Interim Co-CEO, USTA. “We’re thrilled to welcome him back for this unique and special event, giving fans an opportunity to celebrate Roger’s legacy and thank him for all he has meant to our sport.”

Tickets for ‘Roger Federer – An Icon Returns to New York’ go on sale via presale on Wednesday, June 10, to US Open subscribers at 9 a.m. ET and Insiders at noon, via Ticketmaster and USOpen.org. Tickets go on sale to the public on Thursday, June 11, at 9 a.m.

The post Roger Federer To Return To The U.S. Open appeared first on Tennis Grandstand.

The No. 2 seeded Crossley, from Tokyo, Japan, beat two-time junior Grand Slam champion Kristina Penickova, the No. 8 seed 16-year-old from Campbell, California, 6-4, 6-3, for her second career ITF $15,000 pro singles title in the USTA Southern California hosted event played at the Lakewood Tennis Center.

“I definitely remember playing Mirra and was so impressed by how she played,” said Crossley, of the 2022 second-round meeting at the J300 ITF junior tourney in College Park, Md., which Andreeva won, 6-4, 6-1. “I had no idea who she was.”

Crossley, who was 1-3 in ITF pro finals before Sunday having won her first W15 in Orlando 13 months ago, said seeing her junior rivals like Andreeva and Torrance 18-year-old Iva Jovic, who is ranked No. 17 in the world, do so well in the Grand Slams gives her confidence she too might be able to achieve the same success.

“It’s really inspiring me a lot,” said Crossley, a former top 10 junior in the world. “Especially seeing what Iva has done. We all grew up together so it’s great to see them be successful and doing so good.”

With her last final exam in economics at UCLA on Tuesday looming, Crossley kept her focus long enough to beat Penickova, who was playing in her first tournament since a wrist injury sidelined her since last November.

“I am a little bit stressed out about my final,” Crossley admitted. “I had a pretty rough last week (losing in the semifinals), and I felt like I wasn’t playing well. I had more confidence this week and was happy with the way I played.”

Crossley plans to return to Japan after her final and after a few weeks off will head to her training base at Evert Academy in Florida before returning to Westwood for her sophomore season at the end of September.

Penickova, who finished 2025 as the No. 1 ITF junior in the world and won both the Australian Open and Wimbledon junior titles, said she was “super excited to be playing again” and will stay in SoCal and play Week 3 on the SoCal Pro Series at the Kramer Club in Rolling Hills.

Two Olivers, both former ITF top 10 juniors and who now play for powerhouse Texas colleges, battled it out in the men’s singles final as 18-year-old unseeded Oliver Bonding (Texas Christian University) from London outlasted qualifier Oliver Ojakaar (Texas), 7-5, 7-6 (1) in a rematch of an important dual match just three weeks ago. In that match, Ojakaar beat Bonding, 6-1, 6-3 at the No. 4 line leading the Longhorns into the NCAA Championships where they lost to Virginia, 4-3.

Sunday’s match was the 12^th in the past 14 days in Lakewood for Ojakaar (pronounced OH-juh-car), who also had to qualify last week. “I haven’t had too much time off since January,” said Ojakaar, who clawed back from down 1-5 to equal the match before running out of gas in the tiebreaker. “I had known him from the juniors so I knew I had a chance and our level is 50-50.”

Estonia, formerly part of the Soviet Union, is a Baltic nation with a population of around 1.2 million, roughly the size of Ventura County. Two women’s players have put Estonia on the map the past few years – Anett Kontaveit,a former world No. 2,and Kaia Kanepi achieving a career-high ranking of No. 15 in 2012.

Both finalists have experience in the Grand Slams with Ojakaar winning the 2023 U.S. Open juniors doubles title and Bonding making it to the Wimbledon doubles final and the semis at the Aussie and French Open all with SoCal’s Jagger Leach, who originally committed to be a college teammate at TCU with Bonding before changing his mind and deciding to go to Stanford.

Not that Leach needed a tour guide with his mother Lindsay Davenport having won the 1999 singles and doubles titles at the All-England Club, but Bonding did offer as he grew up attending the King’s College School in the village of Wimbledon.

“It was great running around the grounds and trying to find courts to play on as a kid and getting to play on Court 1 in that Wimbledon final,” said Bonding, who will also play Kramer Club next week. “I was lucky enough to be at the 2019 final where [Novak] Djokovic saved two match points to beat [Roger] Federer.

Bonding won his first professional singles title at age 17, capturing the M15 in Lannion title in France in February of 2025.

In the doubles final both the men and women went the distance as the Canadian team of Mikael Arsenault and Volodymyr Gurenko edged out New Zealand’s Reece Falck (UNC-Wilmington) and Matthew Shearer (Nebraska), 6-3, 5-7, 10-8. In the women’s final, top-seeded Ava Hrastar and Victoria Mulville beat Kailey Evans (University of San Diego) and Lily Taylor, 6-3, 2-6, 11-9.

To learn more about the SoCal Pro Series, go to socalproseries.com.
Follow along on Instagram at instagram.com/socalproseries.
Like the Facebook page at facebook.com/socalproseries.

The post Mirra Andreeva Inspires UCLA Tennis Player To USTA SoCal Pro Series Title appeared first on Tennis Grandstand.

When Flavio Cobolli’s overhead sailed wide and long into the Parisian afternoon, Alexander Zverev collapsed to the clay of Court Philippe-Chatrier. Not in defeat — as he had done so many times in finals before — but in the overwhelming, tearful release of a dream finally realised. At 29 years old, after four Grand Slam final appearances laced with heartbreak, the German had done it. He is a Major champion. He is the 2026 French Open champion.

Zverev defeated Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1 in a match that swung wildly between dominance and anxiety, between the brilliance Zverev has always been capable of and the kind of white-knuckle drama that made this final utterly unforgettable. It lasted well over three hours. It felt like a lifetime.
A Dominant Opening, Then Cobolli Bites Back

The first set was a statement of pure Zverev. From the very first game, the German broke Cobolli’s serve after the Italian misfired on a forehand following a deep, piercing return. What followed was a masterclass in controlled aggression: big serving, punishing groundstrokes, and a misfiring Cobolli given no time or space to breathe. The first set was over in a blink — 6-1 — and for a moment it seemed the final might be a one-sided procession.

But Cobolli, the 24-year-old Roman who had lit up this tournament with electric shotmaking and remarkable composure, refused to wilt. He emerged in the second set with far greater intent and clarity, abandoning the tentative play of the first and going for his shots. Zverev, perhaps sensing the title within reach, tightened slightly. The Italian rallied superbly, claimed the second set 6-4, and suddenly the Philippe-Chatrier crowd — always a neutral party with an eye for drama — stirred to life.

“I have dreamed of this moment my whole career. To do it here, in Paris, after everything — I cannot find the words right now.”

The Twist: A Fourth Set Stolen in a Tie-Break
Zverev regrouped and took back control in the third set, breaking Cobolli twice and serving out with authority to lead two sets to one. For the third time on this Sunday, it seemed the German was in command. Then came the fourth set — the set that will be replayed and dissected for years.

Zverev squandered chances to serve it out, Cobolli converting clutch moments with drop shots and explosive forehands that made the packed stands roar. Cobolli levelled it at 6-6, forcing a tie-break. In the shoot-out, Zverev led before Cobolli clawed back, eventually stealing it 7-5 to level the match at two sets apiece. The Italian had forced a fifth set in a Grand Slam final. The dream was still alive.

Zverev Ends It — This Time, He Does Not Let Go
In every previous major final, the question had been whether Zverev could close. Against Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open, he led by two sets and lost. Against Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 French Open, he came agonisingly close. Those memories sat heavy on his shoulders as the fifth set began.

But on this warm Sunday in Paris, the fifth set belonged entirely to the German. An emotional rollercoaster saw Cobolli fall two breaks behind as Zverev — more composed, more lethal than he had ever been in a Grand Slam decider — pounced on every wavering service game with clean, beautiful backhands and ferocious first strikes. Cobolli, visibly tiring, managed to hold once to avoid the bagel. But there was no coming back. Zverev served for the title, and on his third championship point — gifted by a Cobolli double fault — it was done.

He sank to the clay, both hands over his face, and wept. The ovation from the Chatrier crowd was immediate and enormous.
What This Means for Zverev — and for Tennis

For years, the conversation around Alexander Zverev has been coloured by a single word: potential. A prodigious talent who rose to world No. 1, who won the ATP Finals twice, who claimed an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo — and yet who had never won a Grand Slam. That narrative ends now. Zverev joins the pantheon of Major champions, and at Roland Garros of all places: the clay court that suits his game most beautifully.

As for Cobolli, the Italian’s run here has been nothing short of extraordinary. Playing in his first ever Grand Slam final, the 24-year-old from Rome showed the world he belongs at the very top. He is guaranteed to climb inside the ATP top 10 for the first time, and with this kind of fight and ability on clay, his first Major title will surely come. Italy will be proud.

But today, Paris belongs to Zverev. The long wait is finally, magnificently over.

The post Alexander Zverev Finally Gets His Major Title With Roland Garros Victory appeared first on Tennis Grandstand.

BY JAMES BECK

Maja Chwalinska had lost only one set in six main draw matches. She was just a 24-year-old qualifier.

This time, she couldn’t win a set.

The wind blew Maja’s shots everywhere, and Mirra Andreeva was there to watch them sail away in the wind or she would crush them with her powerful strokes.

Saturday was Mirra’s day to become just the ninth different teenager to win the French Open women’s title in tennis’ Open Era.  She won nine straight games in the middle of the match, then hit a sizzling  backhand winner while her aggressive right foot was on the service line as she finished off a 6-3, 6-2 victory. The 19-year-old then scrambled to her knees.

TIME TO CELEBRATE

It was time for Andreeva to celebrate with her family and team, even with her Bernedoodle Grassy pup.

Chwalinska had a big day, too, coming away with a check for about $1.5 million.

Not a bad day for a qualifier.

Of course, Andreeva had a really big day, about $3.27 million.

As she was from start to finish, Andreeva was terrific while most of the big stars of the women’s game, as well as men’s, took the remainder of the two weeks off while losing in the heat of Paris. But Andreeva didn’t blink an eye as she easily moved up the top tier of the women’s game.

THE WIND APPEARED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Hardly anything troubled Andreeva, definitely not after the first five games. Chwalinka’s left-handed floaters hardly tested Andreeva’s athletic ability and powerful hitting.

Chwalinska often lost the ball in the strong wind as she tried to hit with the popular Andreeva. Her play was well below that of the semifinals of her close match against another Russian, Diana Shnaider.

Between the hard-hitting Andreeva and Shnaider, the Russians gave Chwalinska a half test.

And this time the wind helped make it an easy day for Andreeva.

—

James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award  for print media. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.

The post Stiff Winds Helped Make It A Mirra Andreeva Day At Roland Garros appeared first on Tennis Grandstand.