Alexei Popyrin secures his maiden doubles title as Daria Saville and Ajla Tomljanovic reach singles semifinals in Merida and Austin respectively.
Melbourne, 3 March 2025 | Dan Imhoff
Alexei Popyrin’s first ATP doubles trophy has arrived in dramatic fashion after he and India’s Yuki Bhambri fended off four championship points to deny second seeds Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten in Dubai.
The scratch unseeded pairing stunned the reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champions 3-6 7-6(12) 10-8 for the ATP 500 title to cap a run that also included wins over world No.1 duo Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic and Aussie John Peers and Jamie Murray.
“It’s been unbelievable. I’ve been coming to this tournament since I was a kid. I grew up here in Dubai and played a lot of tournaments at the Aviation Club,” Popyrin said. “It’s always special coming back here. To win a title, whether it’s singles or doubles, is always special. I want to thank Yuki for being an unbelievable teacher in doubles, because I don’t play much doubles.”
Matthew Romios and Blake Bayldon with their runners-up trophy at the Bengaluru Challenger. Photo: Matthew Romios Instagram
This week’s most outstanding performers include …
Ajla Tomljanovic: Making the most of a wildcard in Austin, USA, Tomljanovic made a run to her first WTA semifinal since Birmingham last June. The 31-year-old fell to eventual champion Jessica Pegula in three sets and was assured of a top-100 return for her efforts.
Daria Saville: The former world No.20 qualified and landed her first tour-level main draw win since Wimbledon last year over world No.19 Marta Kostyuk at Merida, Mexico before a run to the semifinals. There she fell to Emiliana Arango in three sets in her first semifinal since Hobart last year.
Maya Joint: Building on a season of firsts, the 18-year-old downed world No.20 Donna Vekic for her maiden WTA 500 quarterfinal in Merida. While the qualifier succumbed to Elina Evanesyan she was guaranteed to make her top-100 debut.
Jason Kubler: The 31-year-old’s red-hot form continued in Tasmania where he collected his second straight Australian Pro Tour title in Launceston. Kubler denied Cruz Hewitt his first title at the M25 event, which came on the heels of his Burnie triumph.
Cruz Hewitt: In his first professional final, 16-year-old qualifier Hewitt came up just short against the experienced Kubler. The teenager downed No.7 seed Dane Sweeny and No.2 seed Hsu Yu Hsiou of Chinese Taipei en route to the final.
Lizette Cabrera: The 27-year-old clinched her first title in almost two years when she beat Japan’s Sakura Hosogi in the Launceston W35 final. Cabrera’s seventh ITF title snapped a four-match finals losing streak.
John Peers: The 36-year-old reached the doubles semifinals in Dubai alongside Great Britain’s Jamie Murray, following an upset of third seed Tim Puetz and Kevin Krawietz. It was Peers’ second men’s doubles semifinal alongside Murray this season after Dallas earlier this month.
Ellen Perez: The 29-year-old teamed with Alexandra Panova to reach the semifinals of the WTA 500 event in Merida. It was Perez’s third doubles semifinal of the season after Adelaide and her Abu Dhabi victory.
Elena Micic: Seeded second, the 20-year-old and New Zealand’s Monique Barry picked up their second straight doubles title in Tasmania after Burnie in the Launceston final. Micic/Barry beat Miho Kuramochi and Erika Sema in straight sets for the trophy.
Kody Pearson: The 25-year-old and American Joshua Sheehy reached the final of the Launceston ITF event where they lost to Chinese Taipei’s Hsu and Huang Tsung-Hao. It was Pearson’s second final of the season after Timaru, New Zealand.
Arina Rodionova: In her first ITF final since last May, the 35-year-old fell to South Korea’s Sohyun Park in the W50 event in Ahmedabad. Rodionova was bidding for her 17th ITF title.
Destanee Aiava: The 24-year-old reached her second straight ITF semifinal at the W75 event in Trnava, Slovakia. Aiava improved to 11-4 at all levels for the year on a run that included a win over second seed Chloe Paquet.
James McCabe: A win over the fifth seed, Kyrian Jacquet, was the springboard to a first Challenger semifinal for McCabe in Bengaluru, India. The 21-year-old fell short of a first final against Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki in three sets.
Tristan Schoolkate: The 23-year-old backed up his semifinal in Delhi with his second quarterfinal on Indian soil, at the Bengaluru Challenger where he narrowly succumbed to Billy Harris. It took his singles record to 10-4 since his defeat to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the second round of the Australian Open.
Matthew Romios: Looking for his second doubles Challenger title of the year after Brisbane, the 25-year-old reached his second final in as many weeks in India. Seeded second alongside Blake Bayldon, the pair fell to top seeds Anirudh Chandrasekar and Ray Ho in Bengaluru, a week after their defeat in the Pune Challenger final.
Blake Bayldon: Bidding for his second doubles Challenger title of the season after Noumea, Bayldon lost his second straight final in India alongside Romios in Bengaluru.
Alex Bolt: The 32-year-old reached his second Challenger quarterfinal of the season in San Diego before retiring injured against Kamil Majchrzak. Bolt downed the second seed, Tristan Boyer, in the opening round.
Gabriella da Silva Fick: The 24-year-old made her third straight Australian Pro Tour doubles semifinal after Brisbane and Burnie when she and Kaylah McPhee reached the last four in Launceston. The pair fell to eventual champions Micic/Barry.
Kaylah McPhee: In her first event in tandem with compatriot Da Silva Fick, the 27-year-old reached her second Australian Pro Tour doubles semifinal of the season in Launceston after Brisbane with Astra Sharma.
