Welcome to Take Five, a new weekly series at USOpen.org recapping five of the biggest stories of the last week on the professional tennis circuit. As the clay-court season continued last week, Stefanos Tsitsipas made personal, national and familial history at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters.
Tsitsipas wins first Masters 1000 title Monte Carlo
After Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were upset prior to the semifinals, a new Masters 1000 champion was guaranteed in Monte Carlo.
That champion was Stefanos Tsitsipas, who defeated Andrey Rublev, 6-3, 6-3, as both players sought their first Masters 1000 title in Sunday's championship. It is the Greek No. 1's sixth career ATP singles title overall.
In addition to being the first Greek man to win a Masters 1000 singles title, Tsitsipas became the second member of his family to win a trophy at the Monte-Carlo Country Club.
His mother, competing for the Soviet Union as Julia Salnikova, won a junior title at the same venue four decades ago - and both of their names now feature on the club's wall of champions.
Vandy alum Astra Sharma wins first WTA title
Aussie Astra Sharma has added her name to the growing list of first-time WTA title-winners in 2021.
The 25-year-old Western Australian was crowned champion in the second even held on Charleston's green clay this spring thanks to a three-set comeback over top seed Ons Jabeur at the MUSC Health Women's Open, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1.
Sharma dropped two sets over the course of five matches - she also won a three-setter against No. 8 seed Madison Brengle in the second round - and the win against Jabeur was her first against a Top 30 player.
Sharma, the 2017 SEC Player of the Year at Vanderbilt, also got a special message of congratulations from the current Vanderbilt squad.
Roger Federer confirms clay-court season
Roger Federer's comeback will continue on the terre battue: the 20-time Grand Slam champion confirmed last week that he'll play on clay in Geneva and at the French Open. After over a year away and two knee surgeries, Federer returned to action in March in Doha.
Federer has only featured in the French Open draw once in the past five years, reaching the semifinals in 2019.
Teens reign supreme in Charleston
While Sharma came away with the trophy, teenaged dreams were the other big story of the week out of South Carolina.
Three of the eight quarterfinalists were under-20, including 15-year-old Czech sensation Linda Fruhvirtova playing in her first WTA main draw.
In the last eight, two of 2019's junior Grand Slam champions - Clara Tauson and Maria Camila Osorio Serrano - faced off for the first time as professionals, and were responsible for the viral moment of the week.
The Dane was forced to retire with a knee injury early in the second set, and in emotional scenes, was comforted by her rival, peer and friend.
Djokovic, Nadal return to home courts
This week, Djokovic and Nadal will compete on home courts (literally). The two will play at events in their home countries, in Belgrade and Barcelona, respectively, at venues that bear their names. Pista Rafael Nadal is the main stadium court at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, which Nadal has won a record 11 times, while the Serbia Open returns to the calendar at the Novak Tennis Center.
On the women's tour, a star-studded field is set to play the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany. World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, Simona Halep, Sofia Kenin and Elina Svitolina are the top-four seeds, with seven Top 10 players in action in all. In Istanbul, Elise Mertens, Petra Martic, Veronika Kudermetova and Daria Kasatkina lead the way at the WTA 250 event.
