This week’s action returns to clay with three ATP tournaments and one WTA event being played on the surface. There is also a hard-court tournament, with the WTA staging the Athens Open, the first WTA event in the Greek capital after 35 years.
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The 2026 Swedish Open in Bastad will see 2023 champion Andrey Rublev and defending champion Luciano Darderi take the top two seeds. The two are expected to go deep, and it would not be a surprise if they meet in the final.
Rublev, who endured a disappointing grass swing and suffered a shock first-round exit at Wimbledon, is coming off a solid clay season. The Russian finished runner-up in Barcelona, reached the quarterfinals in Rome and advanced to the fourth round of the French Open.
His projected path includes a potential second-round meeting with Andrea Pellegrino, a possible quarterfinal against eighth seed Sebastian Baez and a likely semifinal against third seed Alejandro Tabilo or seventh seed Thiago Agustin Tirante. Tabilo has beaten Tirante twice this year, giving him a slight edge if the two meet in the last eight.
In the bottom half, Darderi’s projected route includes Daniel Altmaier in the second round, 2024 champion Nuno Borges in the quarterfinals and fourth seed Mariano Navone in the semifinals. We are picking Borges over Grigor Dimitrov to reach the last eight. Dimitrov is 0-5 on clay this year. While he found some rhythm during the grass season, Borges should still have the edge if the two meet in the second round.
Darderi, the defending champion, is 17-10 on clay this year. The Italian won the Santiago title, finished runner-up in Buenos Aires and also reached a pair of semifinals on the surface. That consistency makes him our pick to reach another Bastad final against the experienced Rublev.
Projected Quarterfinals
Rublev vs. Baez
Tabilo vs. Tirante
Navone vs. Van de Zandschulp
Darderi vs. Borges
Projected Semifinals
Rublev vs. Tabilo
Navone vs. Darderi
Projected Final
Rublev vs. Darderi
Alexander Bublik has yet to find his best form on clay this season, compiling a 5-6 record on the surface. While the Kazakh has shown flashes of good tennis throughout the year, consistency has been lacking. However, Bublik won the Gstaad title last year before backing it up with another trophy in Kitzbuhel, so he will return to Switzerland with plenty of confidence as the top seed.
That said, second seed Casper Ruud has been the more convincing clay-court player this season. The Norwegian finished runner-up in Rome, reached the semifinals in Geneva and consistently advanced to at least the round of 16 in his other clay events.
We expect Ruud to reach a third Gstaad final, having already lifted the title here in 2021 and 2022. His projected path includes Jaime Faria in the second round and Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the quarterfinals.
Cerundolo, who defeated Jannik Sinner at the French Open, could pose a stiff challenge, but Ruud’s consistency and experience give him the edge. In the semifinals, Ruud could face Raphael Collignon.
We are picking the seventh seed Belgian over third seed Valentin Vacherot, who is returning from the injury that forced him to retire during the second round of the French Open.
Bublik’s projected route includes qualifier Federico Cina in the second round, Jaume Munar in the quarterfinals and fifth seed Ignacio Buse in the semifinals. We are backing Buse over fourth seed Arthur Rinderknech based on current clay-court form.
Projected Quarterfinals
Bublik vs. Munar
Buse vs. Rinderknech
Vacherot vs. Collignon
Ruud vs. Juan Manuel Cerundolo
Projected Semifinals
Bublik vs. Buse
Ruud vs. Collignon
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French Open runner-up Flavio Cobolli enters the Umag Open as the top seed and the favorite to lift the title. Ranked No. 9 in the world, the Italian also reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals, and that form should give him plenty of confidence heading into the Croatian clay-court event.
His projected path includes Houston finalist Roman Andres Burruchaga in the second round, Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the quarterfinals and a tricky semifinal against Alexander Blockx, who defeated him in Monte Carlo earlier this year.
Although Blockx is only the fifth seed, we are picking him over third seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry to reach the semifinals. The Belgian has compiled a 13-4 clay-court record this season and reached the semifinals in Madrid.
One player to watch in the top half is Pablo Carreno Busta. The former world No. 10 could upset Ugo Carabelli in the second round and make the quarterfinals.
The bottom half looks far more open. Marrakech runner-up Marco Trungelliti and eighth seed Vit Kopriva could both trouble second seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who played well on grass but owns a modest 4-4 clay record this season. Trungelliti could test the Spaniard in the second round, while Kopriva may prove an even bigger obstacle in the quarterfinals. The Czech is 14-12 on clay this year and has the game to pull off the upset.
Projected Quarterfinals
Cobolli vs. Carreno Busta
Etcheverry vs. Blockx
Arnaldi vs. Marozsan
Davidovich Fokina vs. Kopriva
Projected Semifinals
Cobolli vs. Blockx
Arnaldi vs. Kopriva
Projected Final
Cobolli vs. Arnaldi/Kopriva
Three of the four previous editions of the Iasi Open have been won by Romanian players, so it is no surprise that once again a Romanian tops the draw.
World No. 36 Jaqueline Cristian is the top seed. Her 5-6 clay-court record this season is not particularly inspiring, but she reached the semifinals in Strasbourg and will also be buoyed by her semifinal run in Iasi last year.
Cristian opens against Leolia Jeanjean before a projected second-round clash with Alina Charaeva and a possible quarterfinal against fellow Romanian Elena Gabriela Ruse. Ruse did not enjoy the best clay season but found form on grass, reaching the semifinals in Bad Homburg.
Cristian’s projected semifinal opponent is Yulia Putintseva, who reached the semifinals of the WTA 125 event in Bastad last week. We are picking the experienced Kazakh to come through ahead of third seed Oleksandra Oliynykova.
In the bottom half, Rabat champion Petra Marcinko is the second seed. The world No. 45 is expected to reach the quarterfinals, where she could fall to the experienced Anna Bondar. That could set up a semifinal between Bondar and fourth seed Anhelina Kalinina, who owns an impressive 30-7 clay-court record across all levels this year.
Projected Quarterfinals
Cristian vs. Ruse
Oliynykova vs. Putintseva
Kalinina vs. Udvardy
Marcinko vs. Bondar
Projected Semifinals
Cristian vs. Putintseva
Kalinina vs. Marcinko/Bondar
Top seed Clara Tauson is 10-15 at tour level this season, including an 8-8 record on hard courts. Second seed Ann Li has not fared much better. The American is 5-8 on hard courts and 16-17 overall in 2026.
That makes this tournament particularly interesting, as the top two seeds may not go all the way to the title.
So who are the challengers?
Abu Dhabi champion and fifth seed Sara Bejlek is certainly one player to watch. Home favorite Maria Sakkari, the fourth seed, could also make a deep run, while third seed Barbora Krejcikova arrives with plenty of confidence after reaching the final in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and the fourth round at Wimbledon.
We are picking Krejcikova to carry that momentum into Athens and reach the semifinals, where she could face fellow Czech Bejlek.
In the bottom half, Sakkari could meet Magda Linette in the quarterfinals, while Li is projected to take on Tereza Valentova. We are backing Valentova to upset the second seed. While Li has struggled for consistency throughout the season, the Czech has displayed stronger form and looks capable of making a deep run. That could set up a semifinal between Sakkari, backed by the home crowd, and Valentova.
Projected Quarterfinals
Tauson vs. Bejlek
Krejcikova vs. Qinwen Zheng/Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
Sakkari vs. Linette
Li vs. Valentova
Projected Semifinals
Bejlek vs. Krejcikova
Sakkari/Linette vs. Valentova
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