This Week in Tennis: Week of 02/17/2025

We are in something of a transitional week on the tennis calendar, with the Sunshine Double beginning next week at Indian Wells.

Last week, the women played the second of their back-to-back 1000-level tournaments in the Middle East on the hard courts of Dubai, UAE while the men continued with the Golden Swing on the South American clay of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and followed the women’s tournament in Doha, Qatar.

A few days ago, we posted a video combining data and video analysis to break down how Dubai finalist Clara Tauson has had a breakout first two months of the year. We will be posting more videos like that one throughout the season, so follow us on TikTok @dweck_sports for those.

Last Week’s Champions (02/17-02/23)

WTA Dubai: Mirra Andreeva def. Clara Tauson, 7-6(1) 6-1

At 17 years old, Andreeva becomes the youngest 1000-level champion in WTA history

ATP Doha: Andrey Rublev def. Jack Draper, 7-5 5-7 6-1

With his 17th career title, Rublev finally becomes a 2-time champion at a single ATP tournament

ATP Rio de Janeiro: Sebastian Baez def. Alexandre Muller, 6-2 6-3

After a Brazilian wins in Argentina, Argentina’s Baez returns the favor, defending his title in Brazil

Matches of the Week

Women’s Match of the Week: Dubai Round of 16: Elena Rybakina def. Paula Badosa, 4-6 7-6(8) 7-6(2) (Excitement Index: 91.94, Excitement Average: 0.36)

Men’s Match of the Week: Rio de Janeiro First Round: Francisco Comesana def. Gustavo Heide, 7-6(2) 6-7(7) 6-3 (Excitement Index: 77.48, Excitement Average: 0.32)

Notable Rankings Changes

WTA

#6 Jasmine Paolini, DOWN from #4

#9 Mirra Andreeva, UP from #14

#23 Clara Tauson, UP from #38

#34 Anna Kalinskaya, DOWN from #19

#46 Marketa Vondrousova, DOWN from #39

#47 Sofia Kenin, UP from #56

#61 Alycia Parks, UP from #74

#71 Elisabetta Cocciaretto, DOWN from #57

#77 Eva Lys, UP from #87

#120 Sorana Cirstea, DOWN from #89

ATP

#12 Jack Draper, UP from #16

#30 Matteo Berrettini, UP from #35

#37 Jordan Thompson, DOWN from #29

#41 Alexandre Muller, UP from #60

#54 Jakub Mensik, DOWN from #45

#64 Mariano Navone, DOWN from #46

#67 Francisco Comesana, UP from #86

#69 Camilo Ugo Carabaelli, UP from #91

#74 Cam Norrie, DOWN from #59

#87 Jaime Faria, UP from #107

#99 Chun Hsin Tseng, UP from #125

#100 Dusan Lajovic, DOWN from #83

#111 Otto Virtanen, DOWN from #92

One Incredible Moment

This has been a very difficult week for the women of the WTA Tour, headlined by an incident involving Emma Raducanu and an obsessive fan and more details coming out about the relationship between Elena Rybakina and her coach, Stefano Vukov.

Over the last few years, Rybakina’s physical fitness and level have fluctuated. But this week in Dubai, as everything seemed to be crumbling around her, Rybakina went on a deep run. She strung together 4 wins to reach the semifinals, going 3-for-3 in tiebreakers along the way, including 2 in a top-10 battle in our Match of the Week. Rybakina’s incredible run is a tribute to her mental fortitude.

The Week Ahead

The ATP Tour finishes its Middle East and Golden swings with tournaments in Santiago, Chile, Dubai, UAE, and Acapulco, Mexico. The WTA Tour comes to North America, with tournaments in Austin, Texas and Merida, Mexico.

Our Australian Open champion, Madison Keys, is in an interesting position entering the Sunshine Double. She intended to make her return in Austin this week, but when she won the Australian Open, she entered the top 10 in the rankings (Keys reaches a career-high #5 this week). As a 250-level tournament, Austin is only allowed one top-10 player, and they already had #4 Jessica Pegula. Since the entry list for Austin was finalized after the Austrralian Open, Keys could not enter the event, leaving her with 0 matches in February and concerns with rust and a potential lack of match fitness heading into Indian Wells.

Follow along with us and enjoy the tennis!

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