Tennis
Tennis news with a bit of spin, as grandchelem.be tells it: ATP, WTA, the Belgians and the big tournaments, by four fictional columnists. Every dispatch is read on grandchelem.be.
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Onclin opens for Belgium because the draw said so, and Maxime wants answers
The Austria-Belgium draw, held on Thursday at the foot of Vienna’s giant Ferris wheel, sends Gauthier Onclin (ATP 164) out first on Friday at 1pm, against Jurij Rodionov (ATP 142).
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Fritz can’t find the US Open balls in any shop, and Jean-Pol saw it coming
Taylor Fritz, the world number 10, has criticised the way balls change from one tournament to the next on the ATP Tour. After his US Open exit against Francisco Cerúndolo, he could…
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Vienna’s clay built like Roland-Garros, and the club player wants the measurements
The Davis Cup play-off between Austria and Belgium is being played on clay in Vienna, in a temporary 4,000-seat build. The court was laid using the same method as Roland-Garros: on top…
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South Korea resurfaced its court before India, Maxime asks if that’s allowed
South Korea host India on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 September at the Seoul Olympic Park Tennis Center, in the second round of Davis Cup qualifying. The hard court was resurfaced before…
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Quarter-finals in another building in Brussels, and the club player knows the drill
The BNP Paribas Fortis European Open, the ATP 250 in Brussels, runs from 17 to 25 October 2026 across two halls at Brussels Expo. The early rounds are at the ING Arena,…
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Mouratoglou says he’s not here to give advice, Jean-Pol recognises a colleague
On 17 September 2026, Patrick Mouratoglou posted a note on his LinkedIn account about the US Open women’s final, lost by Aryna Sabalenka. He writes that emotional management is the only reason…
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Buse says a world No 1000 would beat Rybakina, Maxime hunts for the scorecard
Ignacio Buse, ranked 35th in the world, said on a live stream that a player ranked 1000th would beat Elena Rybakina, the new world No 1, and that he himself would have…
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Kostyuk reaches the quarters without hitting a ball, and Jean-Pol saw it coming
Top seed at the Guadalajara Open, Marta Kostyuk has qualified for the quarter-finals without playing a single point: a first-round bye, then a walkover when Taylor Townsend withdrew through illness in the…
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A match finished at 3.30am, says Rennae Stubbs, and the club player thinks of court 4
In the podcast episode she devoted to wrapping up the end of the US Open, Rennae Stubbs came back to Carlos Alcaraz’s return to competition. She mentioned a match played until 3.30…
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Mathieu bills the tie as “nice, lovely and real”, Maxime hunts for the difference
Ahead of the Davis Cup second round between Canada and France, in Quebec City, French captain Paul-Henri Mathieu described the tie as “nice”, “lovely” and “real” in a single sentence.
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Darcis promises very physical matches in Vienna, and the club player agrees
Steve Darcis has picked Gauthier Onclin (ATP 164) and Kimmer Coppejans (ATP 223) for Belgium’s Davis Cup tie against Austria, in Vienna on 18 and 19 September, on a clay court he…
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Zverev passes Becker’s 22 wins from 1989, Roland was busy counting titles
Alexander Zverev won the 2026 US Open against Ben Shelton (6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2). He is the second German to win the tournament after Boris Becker in 1989, and his 24 Grand…