This Week in Tennis: Alcaraz, Bencic win first…

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Alcaraz, Bencic win first titles in 2025

Carlos Alcaraz secured the first title of the season and 17th of his career by defeating Alex de Minaur 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 to win the Rotterdam Open on Sunday.

The world No. 3 earned the first indoor title of his career and became the first Spanish player to win in Rotterdam in the 52-year history of the tournament.

de Minaur saw his rank rise to No. 6 for the first time since July 2024 following the finals appearance.

Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic defeated Ashlyn Krueger 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 in the final of the Abu Dhabi Open to win her ninth career title and first since becoming a mother.

The 27-year-old earned her first title in two years, just 10 months after the arrival of her first child and four months after returning to the court.

Bencic first returned to tennis in October with her world ranking at 1,213 after more than a year away. After reaching the fourth round at the Australian Open and her victory in Abu Dhabi, the former Olympic Champion’s singles rank is back in the top 100 at No. 65.

"I was working really hard to even play, coming back. So to also win a title in front of my family, it's really special,” Bencic said post-match. "To my husband and my daughter Bella, I love you so much. It was a big dream for me to come back and play in front of her and to win a tournament."

Shapo takes Dallas

Denis Shapovalov won his first title of the season on Sunday, defeating second-seeded Casper Ruud 7-6 (5), 6-3 to claim the Dallas Open.

It’s the third title of Shapovalov’s career and first ATP 500-level championship.

The 25-year-old took down the top three seeds over the week, earning wins over top seed, and world No. 4, Taylor Fritz in the round of 16, as well as the third seed and world No. 9 Tommy Paul in the semifinal.

Shapovalov’s rank soared 22 spots and he now sits at world No. 32 following the victory.

Two-time Grand Slam Winner Halep retires

Simona Halep called it a career at age 33 after her first-round loss at the Transylvania Open in her home country of Romania. It was the first match of the year for Halep, who struggled to play this season due to knee and shoulder injuries.

“I don’t know if it’s with sadness or joy — I think I’m feeling both — but my soul is at peace with this decision, and I’ve always been realistic with myself. My body can no longer handle as much as it used to, to get me where I probably once was," Halep said, using a microphone to address the crowd in Cluj, Romania.

“It’s very hard to reach that level, and I know what it takes to get there. That’s why I wanted to be here today, in Cluj, to play in front of you and say goodbye on the tennis court, even if my performance wasn’t great.”

The former World No. 1 won two Grand Slam titles in her career, at Wimbledon in 2019, where she beat Serena Williams, and at Roland-Garros in 2018.

“I don’t want to cry — this is something beautiful. I reached world No. 1, I won Grand Slams, it’s everything I ever wanted.”

All winners from last week:

ATP 500 Rotterdam

Men’s Singles: Carlos Alcaraz (1/17)* d. Alex de Minaur
Men’s Doubles: Simone Bolelli/Andrea Vavassori

ATP 500 Dallas

Men’s Singles: Denis Shapovalov (1/3)* d. Casper Ruud
Men’s Doubles: Christian Harrison/Evan King

WTA 500 Abu Dhabi

Women’s Singles: Belinda Bencic (1/9)* d. Ashlyn Krueger
Women’s Doubles: Jelena Ostapenko/Ellen Perez

WTA 250 Transylvania

Women’s Singles: Anastasia Potapova (1/3)* d. Lucia Bronzetti
Women’s Doubles: Anna Siskova/Magali Kempen

WTA 125 Mumbai

Women’s Singles: Jil Teichmann (1/3)* d. Mananchaya Sawangkaew
Women’s Doubles: Elena Pridankina/Amina Anshba

* (Titles in 2025/Career Titles)

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Feature Photo: Abu Dhabi Open