Two ATP 500 titles and one at the 250 level were awarded on Sunday. Ben Shelton, Alex de Minaur, and Francisco Cerundolo emerged as champions in Dallas, Rotterdam, and Buenos Aires, respectively.
Dallas Open: (2) Ben Shelton d. (1) Taylor Fritz 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
Shelton saved three match points while serving at 4-5 in the third set before getting a crucial break in the next game. At 6-5, the ninth-ranked American missed his first two points but survived a 40-30 rally to reach the finish line in dramatic fashion. Although it was an exciting back-and-forth, it lasted one hour and 51 minutes after the first two sets were lightning fast.
“It feels amazing,” Shelton confirmed. “I thank God, because I needed something supernatural to finally win this tournament with all the holes I was in. I feel grateful to play five games with this crowd. The energy was amazing.”
ABN AMRO Open: (1) Alex de Minaur vs. (2) Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-2
Playing in the final in Rotterdam for the third time in a row, De Minaur took his first title at the event with a routine win over Auger-Aliassime. It helps when you’re not facing Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz, who De Minaur has finished second to in the past two seasons. It also helps when your opponent is less than 100 percent, which was the case with Auger-Aliassime – who struggled with an apparent leg injury. De Minaur sailed in one hour and 18 minutes.
“I’m third time lucky,” said the eighth-ranked Australian. “I’m very happy; I’m very happy. It ended up being a good week here in Rotterdam. It’s a place where I always feel very happy. I’ve been missing a step for years, so it’s nice to finally be able to lift [trophy].”
Argentina Open: (1) Francisco Cerundolo d. (2) Luciano Darderi
Third time was the charm for Cerundolo, who was playing in his third Buenos Aires final after finishing second in 2021 (Diego Schwartzman) and 2025 (Joao Fonseca). With a huge Argentinean crowd behind him, Cerundolo broke the record four times while clocking one hour and 36 minutes. Darderi had been on a 17-game winning streak on clay since last summer.
“(It’s) probably the best moment of my career so far,” commented the world No. 19. “I really wanted to win here in my city, in my country, with my friends and family and all the people here in Argentina. This feeling is amazing. I really fought all these years and tried to win. I couldn’t do it, and today I played one of the best matches of probably my career.”
