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Alexis Galarneau lifted his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title last week on home soil in Granby, Canada. While fans may see the 24-year-old strike a fuzzy yellow ball, they may not know his off-court routine that includes daily meditation and speaking to a sports psychologist.

A former North Carolina State University standout, Galarneau departed Raleigh with an all-time school singles record (65-36) and a Bachelor’s Degree in finance. The two-time ITA All-American then transitioned to the pros and made a commitment to work with a sports psychologist. Galarneau has continued those meetings on a near-weekly basis for two-and-a-half years.

“I thought coming out of college, it would be a great opportunity to talk to someone,” Galarneau told ATPTour.com. “When you're on the road, it can be lonely sometimes, and keeping track of things that you're doing well, things that you're not doing as well.

“It's important to really take your mental health [seriously] and also prepare yourself for your best performances. I think everyone should use it.”

Stan Wawrinka held his nerve to break his 2023 semi-final duck on Friday at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag, where the former World No. 3 reached the last four by downing Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4, 7-5.

In the pair’s second Lexus ATP Head2Head clash in the space of 11 days, Wawrinka improved to 2-0 against Carballes Baena by prevailing in a tense quarter-final clash of narrow margins. A late break of serve in each set ultimately proved decisive for the sixth-seeded Swiss, who wrapped a one-hour, 44-minute win to reach his first tour-level semi-final since Metz in September 2022.

“He’s a really tough player, I expected a tough match,” said Wawrinka in his on-court interview. “I think tonight I was playing well. It’s slow conditions so it’s not easy to get through, to be aggressive, but my game is there and I’m enjoying my time here. I’m happy to be in the semi-finals tomorrow.”

STAN. THE. MAN. ? @stanwawrinka is semi-final bound in Umag after getting past Carballes Baena 6-4 7-5.@CroatiaOpenUmag | #ATPUmag pic.twitter.com/7q7OfLh7tt

Wawrinka has impressed so far this week on his first appearance in Umag since 2007. He has now won all six sets he has played at the clay-court ATP 250 as he looks to clinch his first tour-level title since Geneva in 2017. His next opponent in Croatia will be Lorenzo Sonego, who earlier defeated Jaume Munar 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Top seed Taylor Fritz produced high-quality first-strike tennis Friday to down former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori and reach his seventh tour-level semi-final of the season at the Atlanta Open.

The 25-year-old defeated the Japanese star 6-4, 6-2 after dropping just four points behind his first delivery (25/29). Fritz looked to step around any ball left in the middle of the court before crushing a forehand winner, closing the match in one hour, 13 minutes.

"I'm super happy how I played today, getting better and better each day I feel like," Fritz said in his on-court interview. "A lot of positives I can take into the next match. Kei has been around since I first started. He's an incredible player and a great guy. I'm just happy to see him back playing again, having good results and hitting the ball well after being injured for so long." 

[ATP APP]

Through the first five games, neither player dropped a point behind their serve. Fritz later took advantage of his lone break point, which doubled as a set point in the 10th game of the opening set. As the match wore on, Nishikori did not seem at his physical best, using a medical timeout before the second set started for a problem with his left knee. 

Frances Tiafoe on Thursday alongside the USTA Foundation announced the launch of The Frances Tiafoe Fund. The American, who revealed the eponymous fund at his home tennis centre, the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland, hopes it will help serve as a source of positive social change.

“I’m so excited for this opportunity to work with the USTA Foundation and inspire kids who come from my hometown and beyond,” Tiafoe said in a statement. “One of my priorities has always been to show kids that dreams can come true and that success is in everyone – and this fund is just one step further toward that goal.”

Tiafoe led a clinic to interact with local youth at the facility where his father was a maintenance worker. The Frances Tiafoe Fund will help support National Junior Tennis and Learning chapters, like the JTCC, throughout the country.

Three years ago, Tiafoe received the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award in the ATP Awards. In a letter he wrote at the time, the American explained why it is important for him to give back to the next generations.

“It’s about more than just setting up my family for life. What about those kids?” Tiafoe asked. “I want to help them write their stories right the first time. If there are kids out there who do not think they can achieve their dreams, I want to change that. I really believe success is in everyone. I want to paint a picture for them that they did not know was possible. I want to help them make that a reality.”

Arthur Fils has long made his mark on the 2023 ATP Tour season. Yet his Hamburg European Open quarter-final win against Casper Ruud on Friday felt like a further significant leap for the #NextGenATP Frenchman.

Fils delivered a stunning display for a 6-0, 6-4 victory against the World No. 4 Ruud at the clay-court ATP 500, his first win against a Top 20 opponent. The 19-year-old Fils was in particularly devastating form on his forehand in Germany, striking with the sort of power and accuracy off that wing that Ruud himself has become renowned for.

“I’m really happy about it. Of course, it was a tough match,” said Fils in his on-court interview. “I had good tactics with my coach before the match. We talked before the match, that I have to believe I can win. Of course, I’m coming on court, I want to win, so I tried to play my game and I played my best today, so I’m happy about it.”

Fils made a lightning-fast start to his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with the Norwegian, unloading on his forehand at every opportunity and converting three of his six break points to charge to the opening set. Ruud settled into his groove in a closely fought second set, but Fils crushed four huge forehand winners to break to love in the 10th game and seal a famous 78-minute triumph in which he outhit Ruud by 35 winners (including 25 off his forehand) to six.

“I knew that he has a really good forehand, and when he uses his forehand during the point, it’s tough," said Fils. "He makes you run a lot. My goal was to play a lot of forehands and play a lot on his backhand, and I did it really well today.”

Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe arrive at the Mubadala Citi DC Open as Top 10 stars carrying the torch for American men's tennis. The 25-year-olds are the top two seeds, respectively, at the ATP 500 event and could face early tests in the nation’s capital.

World No. 9 Fritz, who is making his fourth appearance in Washington, D.C, is seeded to meet three-time major champion Andy Murray in the third round. The Scot Murray was a finalist at the hard-court tournament in 2006. Fourth seed Hubert Hurkacz and sixth seed Alexander Bublik are also featured in Fritz's half.

In a loaded part of the draw, Wimbledon quarter-finalist Christopher Eubanks could clash against top seed Fritz in the last eight. Eubanks must first get through his section that features seventh seed Adrian Mannarino, former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori and two-time major finalist Kevin Anderson. Should Nishikori beat Lloyd Harris, he will then meet Eubanks in the second round. 

Home hope Tiafoe may meet 14th seed and #NextGenATP star Ben Shelton in the third round, which would mark their first Lexus ATPHead2Head contest.

Making his seventh appearance at the ATP 500 event and looking to improve on his quarter-final result last year, Tiafoe is in the same half as third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and fifth seed Grigor Dimitrov. The Canadian Auger-Aliassime will open against Wu Yibing or Yosuke Watanuki.

Take notice: Former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori is playing at a high level in his first ATP Tour tournament in 21 months.

The 33-year-old defeated Chinese teen Shang Juncheng 6-4, 7-6(3) on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals of the Atlanta Open. The Japanese star Nishikori displayed vintage all-court coverage and absorbed the 18-year-old's firepower to advance. At 5/3 in the second-set tie-break, Nishikori won an exciting 21-shot rally to set up match point before sealing a spot in the last eight with an ace.

"It was a tough battle, but I was very excited on the court," Nishikori said in his on-court interview. "I felt pretty good, especially playing under [the lights]. I felt very good on the court today."

Nishikori will next look to extend his 3-0 Lexus ATPHead2Head series record against top seed Taylor Fritz.

The 12-time tour-level titlist Nishikori is competing in his first tour-level tournament since the BNP Paribas Open in October 2021. Nishikori underwent arthroscopic left hip surgery in 2022 and returned to the ATP Challenger Tour last month, immediately winning a title in Puerto Rico. Friday will be his first tour-level quarter-final since August 2021, when he made it to the last four of the ATP 500 event in Washington, D.C.

Taylor Fritz jumped out to an early lead Thursday against Wu Yibing and never looked back to reach the quarter-finals of the Atlanta Open.

The top seed relied on his hefty service delivery in key moments to defeat Wu 6-4, 7-6(5) after one hour, 30 minutes. Fritz started fast, gaining a 4-0 lead to kick off the evening session in Atlantic Station and won 81 per cent of his first-serve points to advance.

"Just a couple points here and there. I had some break chances, he had some break chances," Fritz said in his on-court interview. "It could have gone either way, I kind of just barely got out of the points I needed to win."

In the second set, the California-native saved two set points at 4-5. Fritz then fired three consecutive aces from 30/40 to close the game and later closed the match in a second-set tie-break. 

The 25-year-old Fritz avenged this year’s Dallas Open semi-final loss to Wu, who was eventually crowned champion at the ATP 250 for his maiden tour-level title. Their Lexus ATPHead2Head series is now tied at 1-1.

Have you ever sent a direct message to somebody famous? Jiri Lehecka has!

The 21-year-old revealed who it was in the latest edition of ATP Uncovered’s ‘I Am’ series.

“I sent a message to Petra Kvitova when she won her first Wimbledon [in 2011],” said Lehecka, who was a fan of the lefty's game from a young age.

Kvitova first lifted the Wimbledon trophy 12 years ago. Little did the lefty or Lehecka know they would compete at this season’s United Cup together.

Now Lehecka has fans just like he once was. The Top 40 star hopes to follow in Kvitova's footsteps and achieve several career ambitions he revealed later in the video.

Top seed at a tour-level event for the first time, Jiri Lehecka coped with the pressure on Thursday when he defeated former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem 6-3, 7-5 at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag.

The Czech won 82 per cent (31/38) of his first-serve points in his maiden meeting against Thiem, and rallied from a break down in the second set to advance after one hour and 41 minutes.

The 21-year-old, who is making his debut in Umag, will next play seventh seed Matteo Arnaldi in the quarter-finals. Lehecka and Arnaldi both competed at the 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, where the Czech defeated the Italian en route to the final.

[ATP APP]

Lehecka has used that result as a springboard this season, highlighted by his run to the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and fourth round at Wimbledon. The World No. 33’s best result on clay prior to this week was a third-round appearance at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Monte-Carlo.

Casper Ruud recovered from a slow start against Cristian Garin on Thursday, when he battled back to earn a 1-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory at the Hamburg European Open.

The top seed, who reached the semi-finals at the ATP 500 clay-court event in his previous appearance in 2020, played with greater intensity and consistency as the one-hour, 41-minute clash progressed. Ruud gained a crucial break at 2-2 in the second set and then saved all five break points he faced across the second and third sets to reach the quarter-finals.

"Cristian played much better than me at the beginning," Ruud said. "He broke me right away and was returning from all corners. I had no answers, but just tried to stay in there in the second set and told myself to keep going, maybe I will get a chance. At 2-2 I was able to break him on my first break point and things started to change. A couple of points can decide a match. Even though the result in the end seemed kind of clear, it is always tough against Cristian."

With his 22nd clay-court tour-level win of the season, Ruud improved to 2-3 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Garin, who had won their previous two clay-court matches. Only Carlos Alcaraz (25), has most tour-level victories on clay in 2023.

The 24-year-old Ruud is chasing his second tour-level trophy of the season, having lifted his 10th ATP Tour crown in Estoril in April. He will continue his quest against #NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils.

“To not dwell on the past, to live in the present and have the memory of a goldfish!”

You will not find Alex de Minaur ruing the day. The 24-year-old revealed the importance of having a positive, forward-thinking mindset in the latest edition of ATP Uncovered’s ‘Note to Self’ series.

“You are going to lose a lot of tennis matches. The most important thing is that the next week there is another chance for you to compete and do well in the next tournament,” De Minaur explained.

The Top 20 star also discussed how he handles distractions, pressure and failure. Although professional athletes face plenty of pressure, De Minaur emphasised the value of enjoying life away from the court.

“Enjoy time with your friends, driving your classic car, playing golf, going to the beach, spending time with your dog,” the Australian said.

#NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils reached his fourth tour-level quarter-final of the season on Thursday at the Hamburg European Open, where he overcame Serbian Dusan Lajovic 7-5, 7-5.

The 19-year-old Fils captured his maiden tour-level title in Lyon in May but arrived at the ATP 500 clay-court event in Hamburg off the back of four consecutive defeats. He has looked close to his best in Germany, though, backing up his first-round win against Daniel Elahi Galan with a controlled display against Lajovic.

Fils rallied from a break down in both sets, winning 48 per cent (23/48) of points on Lajovic’s first serve to triumph after one hour and 41 minutes. He will next meet top seed Casper Ruud or Chilean Cristian Garin.

"It is a big tournament, there are a lot of points," Fils said. "I am happy about reaching the quarter-finals, but I am looking at the semi-finals or final if I can.

"He has an amazing backhand. He was killing me crosscourt and then hitting down the line. I tried to play with my forehand to make him move, because he was making me move, so I wanted to change that."

Christopher Eubanks rode his towering serve to a come-from-behind victory over fellow American Brandon Nakashima to charge into the Atlanta Open quarter-finals Wednesday night.

With Nakashima adopting an aggressive service stance, the 21-year-old earned seven break points throughout the match - including three at 0/40 in the final game - but fifth-seeded Eubanks held firm each and every time en route to a 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5 win.

Eubanks fired 21 aces but had not earned a break point on Nakashima’s serve until the ninth game of the second set when he caught fire, breaking the 21-year-old to love, helped by one explosive 99 mph forehand winner. He closed out the set in the next game and in the decider he fended off two break points in his opening service game before breaking to 15 in the 10th game.

Eubanks, who hit 51 winners, is through to his second quarter-final in Atlanta and will next play World No. 82 Australian Aleksandar Vukic, who upset fourth seed Yoshihito Nishioka 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(3) in brutally hot conditions during the day session.

[ATP APP]

The celebrity recognition continues to pour in for rapidly rising American Christopher Eubanks.

After the 27-year-old won his first-round match at the Atlanta Open on Tuesday, he met with 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player Cam Newton. The quarterback enjoyed the recent Wimbledon quarter-finalist’s victory.

“That was cool, that was cool. I knew he was coming [but] when I got on court, I didn’t know he was going to be there right at 7, which was really cool,” Eubanks said. “I looked up as soon as we walked on court and I could see, he’s a very distinguishable figure obviously. So when I looked up and I saw him I was like ‘Wow, he actually came.’ So that was really, really cool.”

Earlier this year, actor Jamie Foxx and another NFL star, Chad Johnson, watched Eubanks battle to the quarter-finals in Miami.

Less than a month ago, the American claimed his first ATP Tour title in Mallorca before enjoying a dream run to the last eight at Wimbledon, which captured the attention of new fans throughout the world.

Stock market investors looking to build long-term wealth are routinely told that smooth, consistent results over time will deliver better returns than making frequent trades chasing a home run. Time in the market is more important than timing the market, they say.

Tennis, however, has a way of rewarding volatility, and players typically have a 52-week time horizon (for rankings purposes) rather than a multi-year focus. Get hot during a few key weeks of the year and you can walk away with big paydays and a bunch of Pepperstone ATP Rankings points critical for tournament entry, seedings and year-end contract bonuses.

In 2022, Taylor Fritz caught fire at key moments and won three titles, including his first ATP Masters 1000 crown in Indian Wells and the ATP 500 in Tokyo (on the back of a week of hotel isolation due to Covid-19 protocols). He also qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals.

In 2023 the Californian is on pace to top the 46-match wins tally of last season, but he has just one title to show for his year and he has some work to do to hold onto his place in the Top 10 after reaching a career-high No. 5 in March. Boasting 34 wins year to date, Fritz has gone deep in many tournaments, but has reached just one final, at February’s Delray Beach Open, which marked his fifth career crown.

“The Tour doesn't reward consistency as much as it does kind of going boom or bust, winning titles and losing in the first round,” Fritz said.

Stan Wawrinka earned victory on his return to the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag on Wednesday, moving past Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic 6-3, 6-2 to reach the second round.

Competing at the ATP 250 clay-court event for the first time since 2007, the 38-year-old won 77 per cent (23/30) of his first-serve points to advance after 63 minutes.

Wawrinka, who lifted the trophy in Umag in 2006, will next play Federico Coria. The Argentine Coria beat Swiss Marc-Andrea Huesler 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 57 minutes.

"It is great to be back here in Umag," Wawrinka said. "I won my first title here and I have amazing memories. It is great to still be playing. I really enjoy what I am doing. I really enjoy playing in front of people. It is great for me to be back here."

In other action, seventh-seeded Italian Matteo Arnaldi defeated Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 7-6(5) to reach the third round, while Alexei Popyrin overcame Austrian Sebastian Ofner 6-4, 6-1 to advance to the same stage.

The world's best will compete at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, which is the fifth largest professional tennis event in the United States and the only combined ATP-WTA 500 level tennis tournament in the world. Co-founded by Arthur Ashe, Donald Dell, and John A. Harris, the tournament is the fourth-longest running pro tennis event in the U.S. and the longest-running tournament in a public park.

Among those in action at this year's edition are Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Andy Murray and wild cards Kei Nishikori, Gael Monfils and Kevin Anderson

Here is everything you need to know about the hard-court tournament:

[ATP APP]

When is the Mubadala Citi DC Open?

The 2023 Mubadala Citi DC Open will be held from 31 July-6 August. The hard-court ATP 500 tournament, established in 1969, will take place at the Fitzgerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park, located in Washington, D.C. The tournament director is Dani Vallverdu. 

Daniil Medvedev and Nick Kyrgios on Wednesday withdrew from the Mubadala Citi DC Open.

Medvedev has competed at the Washington ATP 500 event on three previous occasions, tallying an 8-3 record. In 2019 he reached the final, losing to Kyrgios.

[ATP APP]

The 27-year-old has enjoyed a standout 2023 season, earning a 46-9 record and five titles. Only Carlos Alcaraz has more wins this year, with 47. Medvedev has triumphed in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai, Miami and Rome.

The No. 3 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings last competed at Wimbledon, where he reached the semi-finals for the first time. Eventual champion Alcaraz stopped him there in straight sets.

The Mubadala Citi DC Open announced on Wednesday that Kevin Anderson will join Kei Nishikori and Gael Monfils as wild cards into the ATP 500 event.

Anderson returned from retirement last week in Newport, where he advanced to the quarter-finals. The 37-year-old earned two victories in his first action since Miami in 2022.

The South African has enjoyed success in Washington, where he made the final in 2017. Anderson owns an 11-8 record at the tournament.

? Men's Wild Card Announcement ?

Three former Top ? players add to a stacked men's singles lineup!

?? Kevin Anderson
?? Kei Nishikori
?? Gael Monfils#MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/QLmmalfXfA

Nishikori will also play the second tour-level event of his comeback at the ATP 500. The Japanese star owns an 18-7 record at the Mubadala Citi DC Open and claimed the title in 2015. He has reached at least the quarter-finals in five consecutive appearances.