WTA / ATP: Swiatek and Sinner lead the way

The 'Sunshine Swing' is fast approaching with the prestigious trips Stateside to Indian Wells and Miami in the calendar next month.

Until then, there are plenty of trophies up for grabs. Here are the key headlines…

Iga strikes three-peat

World No.1 Iga Swiatek reminded her rivals of her supreme capabilities by retaining her WTA 1000 title in Doha.

The Pole snapped a three-match losing streak to Elena Rybakina with a 7-6(8), 6-2 scoreline in Saturday's final.

Swiatek reeled in the world No.4 from a 1-4 double break down in the first set and also saved set point in the tie-break, before clinching a first crown of the season.

In doing so, the 22-year-old is the first player to win a WTA event three consecutive times since Serena Williams ruled in Miami in 2013-15.

"You don't even know how hard it was not to think about it. Coming here and being the double-defending champion wasn't easy," said the reigning Roland-Garros champion.

"I came here and I was just pretty stressed because I felt the expectations. But I wanted to just do everything step by step as I always do and again it worked.

"I'm happy that I kept working and just didn't really think about too many stuff during this week and just focused on the right things, because I think it was the key."

Sinner remains the man to beat

Undefeated in 2024, riding a 15-match winning run, Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner has maintained his momentum from Melbourne.

On Sunday night, he edged world No.9 Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-4 to capture the Rotterdam trophy.

The 22-year-old surrendered just one set all week in the Netherlands, take a bow Gael Monfils, as Sinner launched up to a career-high world No.3 on Monday, the first Italian man to do so.

"My team, we did a really good job a few weeks ago and now we made a very good job here," said Sinner.

"I am really proud with the level that I played throughout this whole week. We have been in tough situations but we handled it the right way. We will always try to improve, it is the most important."

Major winners such Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem and Marin Cilic, alongside Grand Slam finalists Stefanos Tsitsipas and Milos Raonic, have all peaked at No.3. Can Sinner kick on and up? His 12-0 start to 2024, including a maiden major, indicates he certainly can.

Diaz Acosta dreamland, Alcaraz seeking 'best version'

A boy from Buenos Aires has grown up to become champion of his home city.

Heading into the Argentina Open, Facundo Diaz Acosta had only four tour-level victories to his name, but he grabbed his wild card opportunity with both hands.

The 23-year-old defeated Nicolas Jarry 6-3, 6-4 to earn his first ATP title to catapult him 28 spots in the rankings up to world No.59.

"I still can't believe it," said Diaz Acosta. "I have been dreaming about this moment for a long time with my team, working hard to achieve it every day.

 "I think I played a great match, as I did all week, but I still can't figure out how I won the tournament without losing sets."

Jarry soared into the final having dispatched world No.2 and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(2), 6-3. The Spaniard is seeking answers, having gone seven months without a trophy triumph. 

“It's a difficult defeat, it hurt me a lot,” admitted Alcaraz after losing to Jarry. “The positive thing is that I see that I have a lot of things to improve. Learning that I have to read the matches better, to give my best version in the moments of tension.

“It's a shame to see that I haven't improved some things in my concentration since 2023. There's no other way, it's something pending, and my level of play is based on the level of attitude and energy I'm in. The year is still very long, many things can still happen, and we will see how it goes on.”

Delray delay for all-American tussle

Childhood friends Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul are still waiting to complete their title quest in Delray Beach, USA.

The home charges will take to court on Monday due to rain delays in Florida over the weekend with reigning champion Fritz and Paul splitting their previous four encounters.

In their most recent duel, Paul prevailed in the 2023 Acapulco semi-finals in a final-set tie-break.

Can Fritz defend his title? Or will Dallas champion Paul make it two trophy lifts in as many weeks?