Did Coco really SNUB Serena? Sabalenka seeks therapy, Majchrzak's massive win

Serena Williams' comeback to tennis continues this week in Berlin, where she'll partner with Karolina Muchova in doubles. Despite earlier reports of Serena wanting to partner with Coco Gauff, it appears Williams never asked the younger American to play together in Germany. Aryna Sabalenka revealed that she's talking to her psychologist again following her shock loss to Shnaider in Paris. Donna Vekic, Ben Shelton, Robin Montgomery, and Kamil Majchrzak all won titles. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Grasscore season is now well underway and we've crowned our first four title winners of 2026. I'll discuss Vecett, Shelton, Montgomery, and MyChak's impressive title runs. Look ahead to the Stack 500s in Germany, where Arena Sablink and Coco Golf made some interesting pre-tournament statements, and I'll discuss the declining viewership numbers for the Rolling Girls Finals. Hello, my name is Christian Bassnight, and welcome to Christian's Court where I cover tennis from all angles. If you have not yet already, make sure you subscribe and click that notification bell so you're notified whenever I post more tennis news updates. First, starting out with the title winners and the biggest title win from this past week belonged to Donna Vecich, who won her fifth WTA title in the biggest of her career when she defeated Emirato Khanu, 6 loves 7-6 to win the Queen's Club title. Donna was on fire in the opening set. Emma didn't really do much wrong, but Donna did not miss a beat. Vecich's forehand, which can be a bit shaky, was on point. She was working Emma all around the court. It's hard to sustain that level though consistently over two sets. And Donna did start misfiring in the second set. Rodokanu rose her level at the right time and started winning more of those extended extended rallies, and she broke Donna twice to hold a 5-2 lead in the second set. And she had two set points when serving forward at 5-4 but couldn't close. And I think that second set point might really haunt Emma as she had a sitter forehand but hit it straight to Donna, who then hit the lob winner on her. I have to give Emma credit though because she looked gassed, and I thought that she might be out of it when she lost, what, four games in a row and went down three championship points, I think, in 6-5. But she ended up saving four total championship points with bold, fearless tennis. She got it to a tie break, but Vecich ultimately had too much for her in the end. Emma should be proud of herself from this past week. It was a great week for her. She defeated two top 20 players after she was on an eight-match losing streak against top 20 opponents. And she defeated those players, those two top 20 players, Ivo Yovic and Surana Kersteya, pretty convincingly in straight sets. And they're also informed players, too. So she should be very proud of herself from those wins. And even this final, even though she lost in straight sets, she played well. Again, Donna deserves a lot of credit for how well she played in that opening set. But right now, Emma positions herself to be seeded for Woman. She's at 31 in the rankings, she won't be playing Nottingham this week, so that makes her case a little bit tougher. But hopefully, she still will be able to be seated for Wilmenden because I think if she gets a decent draw there, she can go deep and maybe make the quarterfinals or beyond. She and Andrew Richardson seem to be a really good fit together, and he coached her when she won the US Open in 2021. And I don't think it's a coincidence that she played her best tennis since that win this week or last week in Queens. And it's also good for Rod Oconu that she got the critics off her back a bit with this run. But on the flip side, I think she's gonna be having a lot more expectations on her for Wimbledon, and the press might be a bit OD. For Donna, it's great to see her back in the winner circle. And I thought that she could be close to the end with her lackluster results since that standout summer 2024 run where she made the Womblan semifinals and finished silver at the Olympics in Paris. She dropped outside the top 100 in the springtime this year, and she was ranked 76th at the start of this week. And she also lost in the final round of qualifying to Anna Blinkov in straight sets, but she got in the main draw as a lucky loser. The draw did fall apart in her favor as she didn't have to face a top 25 player en route to the title, but she still fully deserved the win. She played great tennis, and no top player will want to see her at Wombledon. So hopefully she'll be seated, and she's currently ranked 32nd in the world right now. Another W-Tay title winner from this past week was Robin Montgomery, who earned her maiden trophy at the Labama Open and her talking Bosch. Robin received a walkov win from 2024 Wombledon champion Babora Karachikova, who had a respiratory illness. Babora, by the way, will be a pretty dangerous floater at Womblden as she will be unseated for the tournament. Robin entered the tournament ranked 484th, but she's now ranked 194th. She cracked the top 100 last spring, but was out for eight months after June due to a wrist issue which required surgery. Clearly, when Robin's healthy, she can cause a lot of problems for the tour. And she did not have the hardest path to the title as she didn't play anyone inside the top 60, and that's excluding Krichikova, because she didn't play Babora. But Robin did have to come through qualifying, and she earned some quality wins over the likes of Daria Ketzikina and Ayla Tomyanovich, both of whom have had success at Wilmoton making the quarterfinals there. And I think it's a definitely deserved win for Robin. From what I saw, she looked great this tournament. I think the quicker services like Grass, for example, suit her game well, especially with her big lefty serve of hers. And up next for Robin is qualifying at Wilmeden, and hopefully she can make the main draw and win a couple rounds. But regardless of what happens there, big congrats to Robin for this title, and definitely, I think, more to come for her in her career. As she still is just 21 years old, so hopefully she remains healthy. Another young American lefty, Ben Shelton, won his sixth ATP title and first grass trophy in Stuttgart when he dethroned defending champion Taylor Fritz 6'4 to 664 to win the boss open. This is Shelton's third title of the season, and he's now the first man to win titles on all three different surfaces. This was a very clutch title win for Shelton. He saved a match point against Marcos Giron in round two. He saved two match points against Yearly Heshka in their semifinal match, which was an epic one where three tie breaks were played. Also, he played his quarterfinal and semifinal matches on the same day on Saturday. And then against Taylor Fritz, he didn't have to face any match points, but he did save nine of 11 break points faced against his compatriot. And honestly, Taylor played better than Ben for a majority of the match. He had better stats and he also returned better, hence the 11 break points that he generated compared to Shelton, who generated just three break points. But Ben just played the bigger points better for sure. And he produced the big serves when his back was against the wall. Also, Ben did well to use variety towards the end of the match. He injected some off-pace shots and slices to throw off Taylor's rhythm, and it clearly worked well. Shelton, I think, has a great shot at going deep at Wombedon, honestly. There's no reason why he can't make the semifinals or even more. Right now, he's number five in the world, and he would be seeded fourth at Wombedon if the rankings stand, as Carlos would not be playing the tournament. If Ben is indeed the fourth seed, then that means he would avoid having to face his biggest op, Yannick Center, at least until the semifinals. I think Alexander Zverev is very beatable at Wombaden, even though Ben has never beaten the German before, as Zarev has never made it to the quarterfinals at SW19. Felix O'Jal Yassim is Felix Ojer Yassim, no shade. I think Novat Djokovic will definitely be a problem, but I can see maybe Shelton doing his big one. I mean, if Fonseca beat Djokovic, then why can't Ben? I also think that Ben will be even more dangerous in the best of five scenario as well. Now, Robin Montgomery was not the only player who won their maiden title in the Netherlands. 30-year-old Camille Majek from Poland took the Labama Open title in one of the most impressive title runs this season. Camille became just the second man in ATP history to defeat three top ten players in a single 250 tournament. He took down Felix Ojay Al Yassin, the top seed in the quarterfinals 6'4-6-3. He defeated the third seed, Dino Medvedev in the semis, 7-6-6-1. And he downed Alex Demonor, the second seed in the final, 6-3-2-6-7-6. This final between Mike Check and Demonor was very interesting. The windy conditions made it tough for both guys. It wasn't the highest quality match by any means, but it was still entertaining. And both men had their chances in this third set. But in the end, Mike Check just had a bit more. And it was impressive because this was Camille's first ATP final and he lacked the experience of Demonor, who was playing in his 20th final, but you wouldn't have guessed that. Really a well-deserved win for Camille. He played great all tournament, and again, the final wasn't his best performance of the week, but it was good enough for him to get the win. And a really good feel-good story, too, because he's been on the tour for over a decade, and now with the win, he cracks the top 50 for the first time, sitting at a career high ranking of 47 in the world. And I think Camille will for sure be a dangerous floater at Wilmedon. He made the fourth round last year, and it makes sense because he moves well on grass and his game is suited for the surface. He hits a deadly flat backhand and he got D. Now, looking ahead to this week, Berlin probably has the most stacked WTA 500 field alongside Stuttgart. None of the top players have good draws for real. Rule number one, Arena Sabolenka makes her appearance for the first time since her shocking collapse loss to Deanna Schneider in the Rolling Girls quarterfinals, where she lost after being up 6'3, 4-130 love. Journalist Ben Rothenberg asked Arena in her pre-tournament press conference how she's processed the defeat, and she revealed that she sought assistance from her former psychologist. We had a lot of chats with the team, Sabalinka said. I caught my psychologist that I used to work with. It just felt like I needed to talk through everything I've been going through in the last I don't know how many years. And it was really helpful. I kind of changed a lot of things, and I'm trying a lot of new things right now. I feel like I need to figure out what's happening sometimes in those matches to be able to move on and to avoid these situations happening. So I'm kind of in a searching process right now. I've still got a lot of belief in myself, of course. This is just addition to what I've already been doing, and I really hope that I can sort it out. Savalenka then clarified that she's been trying to dig deeper into her thoughts to figure out what's been exactly going on in her matches. Arena worked with a psychologist earlier in her career for about five years, but said on multiple occasions that while the therapist helped her, she decided to take responsibility for herself rather than waiting for someone to help her fix things. I understand where Salvink is coming from because I think sometimes we do rely a bit too much on external things or people to fix our problems when we ourselves need to take more responsibility or accountability. But a little check-in from time to time definitely cannot hurt. And I think she needs to speak with a psychologist more because collapses like we saw at Rolling Garros simply cannot happen. But focusing on the Berlin draw, Arena will open against Ikaterina Alexandrova in round two, who received a retirement win from Anastasia Potopova. Ikaterina has honestly had a horrible season. She was on a five-match losing streak before this retirement from Potopova. Now, I could see Ikaterina somehow pull out her best tennis. Her head-to-head with Sal Blanca is tied at four apiece. Also, Ikaterina won their last meeting in Doha in 2025, 7-6 in the third. So she'll have the confidence plus won't have as much pressure on her, knowing that she won't be per se expected to win this match. 2024 champion Jessica Pagula has the best section of all the top seeds, in my opinion. She's guaranteed to open against a qualifier or lucky loser, and she's projected to face Carolina Muhove in the quarterfinals. JPEG could also face her compatriot and podcast host, Madison Keys, in the Elite Eight, who will open against last year's finalist Ching Yi Wong. Looking at Alana Robakin as half of the draw, Alana will open against either Alex Ciala or Donavekic in round two. I think that's gonna be a good match. And Alex won their Alclain match actually earlier in the year in three sets. I think Alina's Fitalina against Anna Kalanskaya will be the most intriguing first round match. Alina leased the head-to-head three to one and dominated their first three meetings between them, but Kalanskaya did get her lick back in Doha, winning that match in straight sets. Anna is also a former finalist from 2024. We could finally have our Robakina Golf rematch in the semifinals. Coco was initially in position to face Sabalenka in the quarterfinals before Amanda Anisimova withdrew from the tournament, so Coco took her spot. And I think Goff has a pretty decent section. She could make the semifinals for sure. I think Paula Bedosa is a pretty winnable opening round match for her. Bedosa is on a five-match losing streak, so we don't even know if Paula will make it that far to face Goff in round two. Noskova or Towson in the quarterfinals could be tricky, and Goff will be seeking revenge against Noskova, who beat her in Madrid earlier in the year. If I were to give my predictions, I think in the semifinals we'll see Sabinka against Pagula and then Goff fees Fitalina. And then in the finals, I have a Pagula against Fitzelina match with Pagula once again winning the title for a second time. Serena Williams will also be in action in Berlin, but of course just in doubles. John Wertheim reported on the serve podcast that Serena was interested in potentially playing with Coco Golf, but that golf was on the fence because it would be too much of a distraction from her trying to win Wimbledon. Then it came out earlier last week that Serena would be playing with Carolina Muhova, and some fans were annoyed at Coco. And then the doubles draw came out recently, and who do we see? Coco, but instead she's playing with her former semi-longtime partner, Jessica Bagula. And this would be the first time that Goff and Bagula would play together since the 2024 Paris Olympics. And fans were even more annoyed with Coco after this. They were saying, How could you reject the GOAT? Just not smart. How dare you, this, that, and the third. And amidst all this, I was thinking, what if the reports weren't all the way true and that Serena never hit up Coco to play doubles? And lo and behold, Coco essentially said Serena never hit her up when asked about a potential golf Williams link up in Berlin when speaking with the WTA.

SPEAKER_00 13:38

Yeah, it'd be really cool. Um, I'm hoping that one day she'll hit up my line to play doubles. That would really, really cool. And if she were to compete in singles, it would be cool to step on the court with her just because she's a legend and someone I look up to. And yeah, I'm very excited to be in the same spaces as her again.

SPEAKER_01 13:58

I think definitely Coco is owed an apology because people were being pretty ruthless against her the past few days. But I think it is possible that Serena maybe knows Coco isn't as comfortable on grass and she has not made the quarterfinals of Wombledon yet. And it also might be for the best because there could be a possible Williams sisters doubles, I hate to say it, but curse going on right now because Haley Baptiste was supposed to play doubles with Venus Williams at Roland Girls, but she severely injured herself in her singles match before that doubles match with Venus. And then at Queens, Victoria Mboko injured her MCL of her left knee and is out of Wombledon. That was before they're supposed to play their quarterfinal match against Lila Fernandez and Laura Sigaman. So I think if something happens to Carolina Muhova in Berlin, I'm really, really gonna start getting suspicious. But in all seriousness, I wish a speedy recovery to both Haley and Vicky, and I hope to see them back on court as soon as possible. But looking at Serena and her doubles with Carolina Mujova, she will once again face Aaron Routliff, or at least Serena will once again face Aaron Routliffe as Williams and Umboko face Routliff and McMelikar, Martinez, and Queens, and they beat that pairing. But Routliff is now paired with Gugu almost. Meanwhile, Golf Pagula will open against Paulopova Schneider. Well, we'll see because Paulopova just withdrew from um or retired from her opening round match, so they might play someone else. But regardless, Golf Pagula could face off against Serena and Mujova in the quarterfinals, which I'll be really intrigued to see. Now looking at the men's side and Halle, the draw is very, very juicy there too. Alexander Zverev could take on Joao Fonseca in the second round, and then Zverev could take on defending champion Alexander Bublik. Bublick, by the way, won the tournament twice, but that could be a potential quarterfinal match. Ben Shelton has a very interesting open ground match against Nick Kyrios. Shelton could then get Karen Hashton off in the second round, and then a rematch of the boss open final between him and Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals. So a really brutal draw for the American Shelton. Andre Rublev has a tricky opening round opponent in Hubert Hercotch. That's a matchup between two-time finalists Rublev and then two-time champion Hubie. We could have an all-rush in quarterfinal between Rublev and Medvedev, but there are a couple of dangerous floaters here between Altmeyer and Atnine. Francis Tiafo takes on Flavio Kaboli as I'm speaking right now. That's another brutal first round match. Lerna Tien is unseeded, and he will actually take on Felix Ojealiassim in the second round, which would be intriguing as well. For my predictions, here I have Bublick against Fritz and then Medvedev against FAA. And then in the final, I have Fritz defeating Medvedev for the title. The Queen's draw is definitely weaker. Alex DiMonor is the top seed, and Gabri Diallo, Danishapavalov, and Brandon Nakashima are also there. Jakob Mendric is projected to meet Francisco Solendalo in the quarterfinals. This section is pretty weak here, honestly. Maybe Manorino, Kvesovic, and Dam or Brooksby can do something though. Tommy Paul, the 2024 champion, is looking good so far, and he could take on Alejandro Davidovich Falkina. Gotta watch out though for Giovanni and Petri Peticard, Cam Nori and Corinthine Bouté, and then Yuri Lehetka could take on Rinder Nash in the quarterfinals. Although Yuri will take on Kamil Majak in the first round, which will be really interesting. But I think we'll have an all-check final between Menjik and Lehechka, and I'm gonna have Menjik take the title. Finishing things off, talking about Roland Garros, Front Office Sports recently dropped an interesting article talking about the finals viewership, which significantly declined compared to 2025. According to Front Office, 1.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the men's final between Zverev and Kaboli, which is a 25% drop from 2025 between Al Kadaz and Center, which peaked at 2.6 million viewers. Zverev and Kaboli was the lowest viewed Roland Garrett's men's final in 20 years. The women's final between Mira Andreva and Maya Halinska drew about 826,000 viewers across TNT and True TV, which is down 44% from the Golf Sabolinka final last year, which drew 1.47 million viewers. This is not surprising to me at all, and I expected this decline in viewership. The Roland Garrett's finals from 2025 just set the bar so high. Between the women's, you had the best American player against the world number one. Then the men's side, it gave us the first slam final between the two best players in the world at the moment, between Carlos and Yannick, and we got one of the best slams of all time in that match. Neither of the 2026 finals really gave slam final, in my opinion. And I even said that Mira and Maya gave round four slam match instead of final, and it wasn't memorable at all. Zverev and Kaboli were entertaining, but it felt like it wasn't even a thousand final because Flavio had never even made a 1000 final in his career before, and he never made a slam semifinal before this tournament. I think if an American like Tiafo or Shelton made the finals, then more people would have tuned in. I also think maybe the Zverev of it all maybe swayed people away from viewing because I know some people just did not tune in because they did not want to see him win his first slam title. There being no Americans in the quarterfinals on the men's or women's side hurt a lot. But bottom line, the lack of star power from center and golf losing early, and then there being no Alcadaz definitely hurt. But still, according to front office sports, TNT's first week coverage was up 25% compared to last year. So at least that's a win. That's all I have for this update video. Let me know in the comments which title run impressed you the most. I think for me, Camille's run was the most impressive because again, beating three top 10 players in a row to win a 250 is insane. He deserves some extra points for that. But let me know your thoughts on the upcoming tournaments in Germany as well as the men's 500 and Queens and who you think is gonna win those tournaments. And yeah, again, make sure you subscribe and click the notification bell so you are notified whenever I post my next update video. And my next video overall will probably be the Rolling Garrett's fashion update video. So stay tuned for that. But yeah, thank y'all so much for watching and for your support. And I will see you all next time here on Christian's Court.