
(Photo: European Open)
–
With three ATP events and lots of opportunities to earn points (plus a bunch of Challengers), there were plenty of moves this past week on the ATP Tour.
Notably with Félix Auger-Aliassime, who moved up last week with his title in Florence, and made another move with his second consecutive trophy, this one in Antwerp, Belgium.
Holger Rune won in Stockholm. And Lorenzo Musetti took the title over higher-ranked compatriot Matteo Berrettini in Napoli.
Rune, however, did not budge from his last week’s ranking of No. 27 with the title.
There are lot of points dropping off the next two weeks from events in Moscow and St. Petersburg that are not being held this year.
Of all those affected by that, the captain has to be Marin Cilic.
For the complete, updated ATP Tour rankings, click here.
ON THE UPSWING

Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN): No. 10 ========> No. 9 (After moving up from No. 13 back into the top 10 with his title in Florence a week ago, the Canadian adds one more spot – one short of his career high of No. 8 – by backing it up with another title in Antwerp. He’s the No. 3 seed in Basel this week, with Swiss player Marc-Andrea Huesler in the first round and in the same half as Carlos Alcaraz).
Matteo Berrettini (ITA): No. 16 ========> No. 14 (Even though he lost in the final to younger countryman Lorenzo Musetti, Berrettini still moves up two spots).

Lorenzo Musetti (ITA): No. 24 ========> No. 23 (For awhile, it seemed Musetti, just 20, was sort of stuck in the netherworld around the No. 50 mark. But he has taken it up a notch and a title last week in Naples gave him one more spot and another career high, as he had second-round points from Antwerp falling off. He could be a quarterfinal opponent for Auger-Aliassime in Basel).
Sebastian Korda (USA): No. 36 ========> No. 33 (Korda made it to the final in Antwerp after a terrific week. He wasn’t a match for FAA in the final, but moves up three. He was a late withdrawal from Basel, allowing Aslan Karatsev to get in as a lucky loser).

Emil Ruusuvuori (FIN): No. 52 ========> No. 43 (Underrated, the Finn moves up after making the semifinals in Stockholm. He’s just one spot off his career high ranking reached back in July).
Mackenzie McDonald (USA): No. 74 ========> No. 65 (The 27-year-old American made the semis in Naples).
Richard Gasquet (FRA): No. 82 ========> No. 74 (At 36, Gasquet still has moments of brilliance. And he had them against Auger-Aliassime in the Antwerp semis. It just wasn’t quite enough. Still, he moves up).
Kamil Majchrzak (POL): No. 104========> No. 82 (The 26-year-old from Poland won the Busan Challenger last week – a big Challenger where the title is worth 125 points. It’ll be worth more, too, because he should be straight into the Australian Open with space to spare. His career high of No. 75 came in February).

Zhizhen Zhang (CHN: No. 109 ========> No. 97 (It’s taken awhile for the 26-year-old to make his move into the top 100 – a wasteland for Chinese players on the men’s side. But he’s there, after a quarterfinal effort in Naples. We’re thinking the new look – the longer hair and headband – is a huge difference-maker. Since early July, when he was ranked … 281 (!!), Zhang is 32-9 including qualifying and Davis Cup, and is into the top 100 for the first time).
Facundo Bagnis (ARG): No. 114 ========> No. 99 (The 32-year-old wins the Ambato Challenger, and moves back into the top 100).
Dominic Thiem (AUT): No. 132 ========> No. 113 (The way Thiem played last week, finally bowing out to Sebastian Korda in the Antwerp semis in a marathon, he won’t be needing wild cards and his protected ranking for too much longer. He’s only 50 points out of the top 100, which has to be a short-term goal. He gets Tommy Paul, who didn’t have a great week in Stockholm last week in his title defence, and pulled out of the doubles, in the first round).

Juan Manuel Cerundolo (ARG): No. 156========> No. 136 (Oft-injured since his shocker of a title in Cordoba in 2021, the younger Cerundolo is on his way back up, with a title at the Coquimbo Challenger).
Mattia Bellucci (ITA): No. 186 ========> No. 156 (Oh, hey, ANOTHER young Italian, this one 21 and a lefty, wins the Vilnius Challenger and hits a career high).

Alexander Ritschard (SUI): No. 216 ========> No. 166 (Things have been going well for Ritschard since he decided to opt for Swiss citizenship over American. He wins the Challenger in Hamburg and moves to a career high).
Robin Haase (NED): No. 291 ========> No. 257 (Haase, who has been playing more doubles lately, appears to not be done with singles. The 35-year-old made the semis at the Hamburg Challenger).

Cem Ilkel (TUR): No. 316========> No. 216 (An even 100 spots in the rankings, and likely a trip to the AO qualies, after the 27-year-old from Turkey made the final at the Vilnius Challenger).
ON THE DOWNSWING
Marin Cilic (CRO): No. 13 ========> No. 16 (Cilic is back in action this week in Basel, where he’s in the bottom half and doesn’t have a terrible draw. But he drops points from making the finals of the tournament in Moscow (not being held) a year ago. And this coming week, he drops another 250 from winning the St. Petersburg event last year).
Jenson Brooksby (USA): No. 41 ========> No. 50 (Brooksby’s 2022 season has been a bit of a roller-coaster. But he hasn’t played a ton lately, either. He gets Ugo Humbert in the first round in Basael, and then either Alex de Minaur or Holger Rune).

Aslan Karatsev (RUS): No. 45 ========> No. 60 (Speaking of roller-coasters, it seems the 29-year-old Russian has sort of become mortal again in 2023, after blowing people away last year. He lost in the second round in Stockholm, while he was defending points from winning the ATP in Moscow a year ago. But he did get into Basel this week as a lucky loser, so perhaps he can make some gains although he faces Alexander Bublik in the first round).
Marton Fucsovics (HUN): No. 91 ========> No. 104 (The former No. 31, now 30, dropped out of the top 100 after losing to Zhang in the first round in Naples. He was defending quarterfinalist points from Antwerp a year ago).

Marco Cecchinato (ITA): No. 98 ========> No. 109 (The Italian drops out of the top 100 after making the quarters at the Coquimbo Challenger. Last year, he made the final of the Losinj Challenger during the same week .. He’ll have to hustle to make the main draw in Melbourne. But of course there are a few Challengers to be played to make that happen).
Carlos Taberner (ESP): No. 137 ========> No. 160 (The Spaniard won the Losinj Challenger last year over Cecchinato in the final. And so those points drop).
Ricardas Berankis (LTU): No. 131 ========> No. 161 (After losing in the second round of the Challenger in Vilnius, in his home country, Berankis drops down because he was defending semifinalists points from Moscow a year ago).
Gilles Simon (FRA): No. 169 ========> No. 195 (Simon’s goodbye tour is not about the rankings. But after being idle last week he drops his points from making the quarterfinals in Moscow a year ago. He’s playing the Challenger in Brest this week).
THE CANADIANS

THE ROAD TO TURIN

THE ROAD TO MILAN


More Stories
Canucks This Week – Week ending March 17, 2025 (Tuesday results)
Indian Wells flashback: the 2014 edition (pics)
ATP Tour – Saturday, March 8, 2025 final results