Matteo Berrettini tops Andy Murray to claim second Stuttgart title; Beatriz Haddad Maia raises first WTA singles trophy in Nottingham
Elsewhere, Ekaterina Alexandrova sprinted to the finish line in Den Bosch to defeat Aryna Sabalenka for the crown.
CHAMPIONSHIP POINT: Haddad Maia seals the deal
A rundown of Sunday's singles champions across the tour-level events on grass:
Berrettini Is Back
Playing his first tournament since March after undergoing a right hand operation, Matteo Berrettini promptly returned to the winner’s circle on a surface that has been kind to him in the past.
On Sunday, the top seed at the BOSS Open denied Andy Murray a perfect Stuttgart debut when he edged the Brit, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, to capture the crown at the ATP 250 event for the second time (2019). Berrettini has now won 15 of his past 16 contests on grass, with his only defeat coming at the hands of Novak Djokovic in last year’s Wimbledon final.
Seizing The Spotlight
Earlier, a pair of first-time winners on tour emerged: Beatriz Haddad Maia and Tim van Rijthoven. Haddad Maia overcame grass-court enthusiast Alison Riske, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, in Nottingham to achieve her biggest singles success to date. The 26-year-old is the first Brazilian to take home a WTA singles title since 2015, when Teliana Pereira won her second crown of that year at Florianópolis.
The winning didn't stop there for Haddad Maia, as she tacked on the doubles trophy with Zhang Shuai. The two eased past Caroline Dolehide and Monica Niculescu, 7-6 (2), 6-3.
Van Rijthoven stunned world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, 6-4, 6-1, to wow the local crowd in 's-Hertogenbosch. More on his stellar week here.
Prior to the Dutchman’s victory, Ekaterina Alexandrova celebrated her second singles triumph when she blew past Aryna Sabalenka, 7-5, 6-0, at the Libema Open. Alexandrova initially trailed 2-4 before taking control against the No. 1 seed. Both players will be absent from Wimbledon due to the event’s banning of Russian and Belarusian competitors.
