Jakub Mensik takes down Jannik Sinner!

Amanda Anisimova needs four match points and a third-set tiebreak to dethrone the defending champion.

And, Zachary Svajda carries his late father's memory onto the court at Delray Beach.

Let's get you caught up on all the results, ramblings, and rigmarole from across the world of tennis.

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🚨 Czech Mate Jakub Mensik upends #2 seed Jannik Sinner, 7-6³, 2-6, 6-3, for the biggest win of his career by ranking. The 20yo breaks Sinner in the opening and closing games of the deciding set to seal a two-hour, 12-minute stunner. Mensik, the 2025 Miami champion, is now 4-2 against top-5 opponents and faces Arthur Fils on Friday for a spot in the Doha final.

🔥 Fight to the Finish Amanda Anisimova ends Mirra Andreeva's Dubai title defense, 2-6, 7-5, 7-6⁴, in 2 hours and 38 minutes of riveting tennis. The #2 seed trailed a set and 2-0 before storming back, only to watch Andreeva save a match point at 5-3 in the 3rd and reel off three straight games to force a tiebreak. With Andreeva doubling over in tears at the finish, Anisimova advances to the semifinals.

🎯 Undefeated Carlos Alcaraz rallies past #7 seed Karen Khachanov, 6-7¹, 6-4, 6-3, to reach his maiden Doha semifinal and improve to 10-0 in 2026. The world #1, playing his first event since completing the Career Grand Slam at the Australian Open, faced no break points after the opening set and wins five of the final six games. Alcaraz is now 12-0 in tour-level quarterfinals, last losing to Jiri Lehecka in Doha a year ago.

🚨 Let's Get Buse! Ignacio Buse stuns #3 seed Joao Fonseca at the Rio Open, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, to become the first Peruvian to reach an ATP 500 quarterfinal since the series launched in 2009. ⚡ The 21yo, currently sitting at a career-high world #91, first made waves in Davis Cup, where he toppled world #20 Nicolas Jarry in 2024 for the biggest win of his career. Until today.

👀 Three's Company Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Amanda Anisimova all reach the Dubai semifinals, marking just the third time three Americans have made the last four of a WTA 1000 event (after Beijing 2025 and Toronto 2024). Both Friday semifinals are rematches of their 2026 Australian Open quarterfinals from less than a month ago. Pegula advances to her 7th consecutive WTA semifinal, a streak not seen since Agnieszka Radwanska in 2015-16, after edging #12 seed Clara Tauson, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.

🎾 Still Standing Elina Svitolina drops the first set to lucky loser Antonia Ruzic before rallying for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory, saving 11 of 14 break points to reach the Dubai semifinals. The 31yo Ukrainian, a 2-time champion here (2017, 2018), now faces Coco Gauff in a rematch of their Australian Open quarterfinal 24 days ago, where Svitolina conceded just three games.

📰 Change of Schedule? Jessica Pegula will chair the WTA's new 13-person Tour Architecture Council, tasked with delivering calendar reform as early as 2027. WTA Chair Valerie Camillo launches the initiative after world #1 Aryna Sabalenka and world #2 Iga Swiatek both withdraw from Dubai, with eight additional pullouts and four mid-match retirements (including top seed Elena Rybakina) amplifying concerns about the schedule's sustainability. Other player reps include Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sakkari, Katie Volynets, and umpire Anja Vreg.

🗣️ Playing Favorites? Top seed Francisco Cerundolo retires from his Rio Open second round, 2-6, 1-3 to Thiago Agustín Tirante, with a right waist issue. The world #19 requests to play Thursday instead of Wednesday to get a day off between matches, the same courtesy given to Joao Fonseca, Matteo Berrettini, and #8 seed Tomás Martín Etcheverry. Tournament organizers released a statement saying they never received the request.

🌟 "Go Play" Those were two of the last things Zachary Svajda's father told him before passing away in October. On Thursday in Delray Beach, the world #106 does exactly that, pushing #8 seed Frances Tiafoe before falling, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in the second round. Svajda says he didn't touch a racquet for a month after losing his father, Tom, a teaching pro who steered the young American's career from childhood.

🎾 Lucky Charm Jaime Faria reaches the Rio Open quarterfinals as a lucky loser for the 2nd consecutive year. The 22yo from Portugal dispatches Damir Dzumhur, 7-6¹, 6-4, after shocking 2-time defending champion and #4 seed Sebastian Baez, 7-5, 6-1, in the first round. Faria wins 80% of his first-serve points against Baez and improves to 9-4 in Rio.

🎾 Vlog Life Casper Ruud revives his YouTube channel after nearly 13 years of dormancy, joining Ben Shelton, Arthur Fils, and Alex de Minaur in the growing ranks of ATP content creators. The 3-time slam finalist and new father publishes a 23-minute vlog on Sunday and a second installment Wednesday from Delray Beach. On the court, Ruud nearly exits his opener, trailing Marcos Giron before rallying to win, 4-6, 7-6⁶, 6-4, with 20 aces and zero double faults.

🎾 Top Tien Hit Learner Tien saves himself from the brink at Delray Beach, rallying past defending champion Miomir Kecmanovic, 6-4, 6-7⁴, 7-6⁵, after the Serb serves for the match at 5-4 in the 3rd. The 20yo American lefty and reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion is fresh off an Australian Open quarterfinal run where he toppled Daniil Medvedev. In twist, Tien and Medvedev are booked to play doubles together in Indian Wells!

"Whenever you guys were cheering for Alex, I was pretending it was my name. I think that it helped me a lot! If you can't beat 'em, you've got to join them." - Coco Gauff on handling the pro-Eala crowd in Dubai ¹

"We both fought so hard today, and it made me emotional seeing her like that. In my mind, I was just thinking if she keeps playing like this, there's a title around the corner for her." - Amanda Anisimova after dethroning Mirra Andreeva in Dubai ²

"One of the last things my dad said to me was like, 'I'll be okay, just go play', that's what made him happy." - Zachary Svajda on his late father Tom ³

"When I finish my career, I just don't want to have regrets that I could have done something more. I just want to maximize my potential and to see how far I can go." - Jannik Sinner ahead of his Doha quarterfinal loss to Jakub Mensik ⁴

"I am really privileged and thankful that I'm able to introduce kind of this new world, women's tennis, to a new demographic." - Alexandra Eala on her passionate fanbase ⁵

"I didn't know that I was going to play that good that fast, for sure. You don't know what to expect when you are back from injury since, what, six to eight months." - Arthur Fils after reaching the Doha semifinals in his return from a back injury ⁶

DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS - Semifinals

◆ Amanda Anisimova (2) vs Jessica Pegula (4)

◆ Coco Gauff (3) vs Elina Svitolina (7)

QATAR EXXONMOBIL OPEN - Quarterfinals

◆ Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs Andrey Rublev (5)

◆ Jakub Mensik (6) vs Arthur Fils

RIO OPEN - Quarterfinals

◆ Thiago Tirante vs. Alejandro Tabilo

◆ Vit Kopriva vs. Juan Manuel Cerundolo

◆ Tomas Martin Etcheverry (8) vs Jaime Faria (LL)

◆ Ignacio Buse vs. Matteo Berrettini or Dusan Lajovic (LL)

DELRAY BEACH OPEN - Quarterfinals

◆ Flavio Cobolli (3) vs. Coleman Wong (Q)

◆ Casper Ruud (2) vs. Sebastian Korda

◆ Learner Tien (4) vs. Frances Tiafoe (8)

◆ Taylor Fritz (1) or Rafael Jodar vs. Tommy Paul (5)

¹ Kane, David. "Channeling pro-Alexandra Eala crowd, Coco Gauff storms into Dubai semifinals." Tennis.com, Feb 19, 2026. link

² WTA Staff. "Anisimova dethrones defending champ Andreeva; to meet Pegula in Dubai semis." WTA Tennis, Feb 19, 2026. link

³ Thompson, Grant. "Svajda: Grief, gratitude and a homecoming triumph in memory of his father." ATP Tour, Feb 19, 2026. link

⁴ Addicott, Adam. "Jannik Sinner Hopes To 'Maximize His Potential' And End Career With No Regrets." Ubitennis, Feb 19, 2026. link

⁵ TENNIS.com. "Coco Gauff says Alexandra Eala fans are 'great for the sport'." Tennis.com, Feb 18, 2026. link

⁶ West, Andy. "Mensik stuns Sinner in Doha for biggest win of his career." ATP Tour, Feb 19, 2026. link

Additional Sources

West, Andy. "Alcaraz rallies past Khachanov in Doha, hits perfect 10 for 2026." ATP Tour, Feb 19, 2026. link

ATP Staff. "Sinner hadn't lost before the final in consecutive events since Wimbledon-Montreal 2024." ATP Tour, Feb 19, 2026. link

ATP Staff. "Tien rallies to shock defending champ in Delray Beach." ATP Tour, Feb 19, 2026. link

Livaudais, Stephanie. "Jessica Pegula to chair new WTA council focused on calendar reform." Tennis.com, Feb 19, 2026. link

WTA Staff. "Dubai semifinal preview: Building the case for three Americans and Svitolina." WTA Tennis, Feb 19, 2026. link

Kane, David. "'I'm not allowed to go to the towel?' Carlos Alcaraz argues Doha time violation." Tennis.com, Feb 19, 2026. link

Addicott, Adam. "Top Seed Francisco Cerundolo Criticises Rio Open Organisers After Retiring Injured." Ubitennis, Feb 19, 2026. link

Fitzgerald, Matt. "Casper Ruud revives YouTube channel nearly 13 years after going dark with new vlog project." Tennis.com, Feb 19, 2026. link

Berkok, John. "Coco Gauff has now won 16 of her last 17 matches against lefties." Tennis.com, Feb 19, 2026. link

WTA Staff. "'One match can change everything': Gauff knocks out Eala to reach Dubai semis." WTA Tennis, Feb 19, 2026. link

Observador. "Tenista luso Jaime Faria vence Baez e está nos oitavos do ATP 500 do Rio." Observador, Feb 18, 2026. link