
Griekspoor triumphs in Mallorca with Wimbledon looming
SANTA PONSA, Spain :Tallon Griekspoor won his third career title on Saturday, defeating Corentin Moutet 7-5 7-6(3) in the final of the ATP 250 Mallorca Championships.
The 28-year-old Dutchman needed nearly two hours to prevail on the grass courts in warm weather at Santa Ponsa, near Palma, the capital of the Balearic Islands.
Frenchman Moutet carved out several break chances and managed to capitalise on key moments in the opening set, but it still was not enough to shift the momentum his way as Griekspoor held his nerve and good volley game to seal the win.
For 26-year-old Moutet, the frustration was visible as he fell short in a second career final, having also lost against Andrey Rublev in Doha back in 2020.
Griekspoor, making his return from an injury that had forced him to withdraw from his fourth-round clash with Alexander Zverev at the French Open, made a strong statement ahead of Wimbledon, showcasing his form on grass.
The Wimbledon tournament starts on Monday and will run to July 13.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Swiatek slams 'intense' calendar as players feel the grind to protect rankings
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Bad Homburg Open - Bad Homburg Tennis Club, Bad Homburg, Germany - June 28, 2025 Poland's Iga Swiatek looks dejected after losing her women's singles final against Jessica Pegula of the U.S. REUTERS/Heiko Becker/File Photo Iga Swiatek criticised the relentless tennis calendar on Sunday, with the former world number one saying that players should not be forced to compete in more than 20 tournaments a year to maintain their rankings. Now ranked fourth in the world, Swiatek described being trapped in a system where she had to choose between representing her country and focusing on herself after she reluctantly skipped Poland's Billie Jean King Cup qualifier in April. The 11-month grind has been one of the cornerstones of the lawsuit filed by the Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA) against the sport's governing bodies in March after the union described it as 'unsustainable'. "The scheduling is super intense, it's too intense. There's no point for us to play over 20 tournaments in a year," Swiatek told reporters when asked about the biggest challenge to players in terms of mental health. "Sometimes we need to sacrifice playing for your country because we need to keep up with playing these WTA 500s, for example, because we're going to get a zero in the ranking. "I think these kind of obligations and the rules about mandatory tournaments just put pressure on us... I think people would still watch tennis, maybe even more, if we played less tournaments. The quality would be better." Swiatek is the eighth seed at Wimbledon this year and she faces Polina Kudermetova in the first round on Tuesday. The claycourt specialist with four French Open crowns fell in the semi-finals at Roland Garros this year and she quickly switched her focus to grass which has historically been her weakest surface. She reached her first grasscourt final on Saturday at the Bad Homburg Open where she was left in tears after losing to top seed Jessica Pegula, but Swiatek is happy with her improvement on grass as she comes to grips with the faster surface. "It's not like a huge change. It's not like 180 degrees change. I wouldn't say now suddenly everything is perfect, because it's still a difficult surface. It's still tricky," Swiatek said. "Every year it feels like it's a little bit easier to get used to the surface and then you have more time to just develop as a player." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.


CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Swiatek slams 'intense' calendar as players feel the grind to protect rankings
Iga Swiatek criticised the relentless tennis calendar on Sunday, with the former world number one saying that players should not be forced to compete in more than 20 tournaments a year to maintain their rankings. Now ranked fourth in the world, Swiatek described being trapped in a system where she had to choose between representing her country and focusing on herself after she reluctantly skipped Poland's Billie Jean King Cup qualifier in April. The 11-month grind has been one of the cornerstones of the lawsuit filed by the Professional Tennis Players' Association (PTPA) against the sport's governing bodies in March after the union described it as 'unsustainable'. "The scheduling is super intense, it's too intense. There's no point for us to play over 20 tournaments in a year," Swiatek told reporters when asked about the biggest challenge to players in terms of mental health. "Sometimes we need to sacrifice playing for your country because we need to keep up with playing these WTA 500s, for example, because we're going to get a zero in the ranking. "I think these kind of obligations and the rules about mandatory tournaments just put pressure on us... I think people would still watch tennis, maybe even more, if we played less tournaments. The quality would be better." Swiatek is the eighth seed at Wimbledon this year and she faces Polina Kudermetova in the first round on Tuesday. The claycourt specialist with four French Open crowns fell in the semi-finals at Roland Garros this year and she quickly switched her focus to grass which has historically been her weakest surface. She reached her first grasscourt final on Saturday at the Bad Homburg Open where she was left in tears after losing to top seed Jessica Pegula, but Swiatek is happy with her improvement on grass as she comes to grips with the faster surface. "It's not like a huge change. It's not like 180 degrees change. I wouldn't say now suddenly everything is perfect, because it's still a difficult surface. It's still tricky," Swiatek said.

Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Raducanu back at Wimbledon as British number one but tempers expectations
LONDON - The first round of Wimbledon begins on Monday with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz seeking a hat-trick of titles at the All England Club while women's top seed Aryna Sabalenka resumes her quest for a first major this year after two runner-up finishes. TOP WOMEN'S MATCH: EMMA RADUCANU V MINGGE XU Emma Raducanu strides onto the grasscourts of Wimbledon on Monday as the British number one, a world away from the wide-eyed teenager who burst onto the scene at the All England Club four years ago. "It does feel like a long time ago. A lot has happened in the last four years," Raducanu told reporters, reflecting on her meteoric rise from obscurity to the fourth round in 2021, a run that preceded her astonishing U.S. Open triumph later that year. Raducanu faces 17-year-old British wildcard Mingge Xu, who will be making her own Grand Slam debut this year. "It's good to see a new generation, it keeps us on our toes. It keeps us hungry to improve. It's just healthy competition between all of us," Raducanu added. The intervening years have been more of a cautionary tale, as injuries and the constant changing of coaches prevented the 22-year-old from building on that early success. A recent back injury also forced her to withdraw from the Berlin Open and Raducanu arrives at Wimbledon with a question mark over her physical condition, saying her back is not yet at 100%. Once the darling of British expectations, Raducanu now seeks to manage them carefully, speaking with the hard-earned wisdom of someone who has experienced both the summit and the struggle of professional tennis. "Truthfully I don't expect much from myself this year," she said. "I know I've just been dealing with certain things. I just want to go out there and embrace the moment, embrace the occasion." TOP MEN'S MATCH: TAYLOR FRITZ V GIOVANNI MPETSHI PERRICARD While most top seeds fine-tuned their game on Wimbledon's pristine practice courts this week, Taylor Fritz was busy collecting silverware on England's south coast, a strategy the American hopes could finally unlock his Grand Slam potential. The ninth seed arrives at the All England Club as the in-form player on grass having claimed two titles, beating Alexander Zverev on his home turf to lift the Stuttgart Open before he defended his Eastbourne Open title on Saturday. "One more title and I might have to buy a house here," quipped Fritz after clinching his fourth Eastbourne crown in six editions on Saturday. Fritz's unconventional preparation, playing competitively right up to the start of Wimbledon while rivals opt for closed practice sessions, represents a calculated gamble for a player whose Grand Slam performances have failed to match his seeding. Despite enjoying fourth-seed status at both the Australian Open and the French Open this year, the 27-year-old American failed to reach the second week at both majors. But where some players might see risks related to fatigue with such a tight turnaround, Fritz sees a competitive advantage. "It is what it is, having to play at Wimbledon on Monday," Fritz said. "I'd rather go into a tournament with a lot of confidence than being there for the whole week just practising." WIMBLEDON ORDER OF PLAY ON MONDAY (prefix number denotes seeding) CENTRE COURT (play begins at 1230 GMT) Fabio Fognini (Italy) v 2-Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) 9-Paula Badosa (Spain) v Katie Boulter (Britain) Arthur Rinderknech (France) v 3-Alexander Zverev (Germany) COURT NUMBER ONE (play begins at 1200 GMT) 1-Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) v Carson Branstine (Canada) Jacob Fearnley (Britain) v Joao Fonseca (Brazil) Emma Raducanu (Britain) v Mingge Xu (Britain) COURT NUMBER TWO (play begins at 1200 GMT) Benjamin Bonzi (France) v 9-Daniil Medvedev (Russia) Elena-Gabriela Ruse (Romania) v 6-Madison Keys (U.S.) 4-Jasmine Paolini (Italy) v Anastasija Sevastova (Latvia) 5-Taylor Fritz (U.S.) v Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (France) REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.