5 major happenings in tennis round up this week

• Casper Ruud has a reason to smile after netting his first victory of the season
• He beat Stefanos Tsitispas in straight sets to win the biggest title of the season
• Ruud avenged losing to Tsitsipas in the Monte Carlo Open final

Surprises, heartbreaks and progress all form a riveting tennis roundup of what has happened so far on tennis courts across Europe.

A lot is happening from major announcements by key tennis players to big wins in Barcelona and Stuttgart. Here is a comprehensive review of what has happened so far.

Tennis Round Up

Casper Ruud Beats Stefanos Tsitsipas to Win Barcelona Open

Casper Ruud has a reason to smile after netting his first victory of the season at the Barcelona Open. He beat Stefanos Tsitispas in straight sets to win the biggest title of the season. He beat Tsitsipas 7-5 6-3.

Tsitsipas, 25, broke Ruud early on in the match, Ruud bounced back in the sixth game and converted one of two set points at 6-5. In the second set, he broke Tsitsipas’s 10-match winning run in 91 minutes by taking an early 4-1 lead after the Greek misplayed a forehand into the net, giving away a break.

Ruud avenged losing to Tsitsipas in the Monte Carlo Open final. The world No.6 couldn’t hide his joy after winning his first ATP Masters 500 title.

“For me it means a lot, this is my biggest title that I ever won. It’s something I’ve chased for a long time already. I’ve never won a 500 before or a 1000. I’ve been to a few finals but always came up a little bit short,” he told BBC.

Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Photo/Tennis Tonic

Elena Rybakina Defeats Iga Swiatek in Stuttgart Open

The battle of Titans continues in WTA between Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek. Rybakina, the world No. 4 surprised Swiatek in Germany by winning the Stuttgart Open.

Swiatek was defeated by 24-year-old Rybakina, 6-3 4-6 6-3, in the semi-final ending her 10-match winning streak in Stuttgart where she was a two-time defending champion.

She was impressed by her performance against Swiatek.

“It was, like always a very tough match and I was fighting for every ball, it was such a close match. I’m really happy that I managed to win and I showed a good game,” she remarked after the match.

The Kazhaktani advanced to the finals where she played against Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk and beat her in two straight sets 6-2 6-2.

Simona Halep Picks Injury

Simona Halep, a former world No. 1 is taking off towards the start of the clay season which begins in Madrid. Halep returned to the tour in March 2024, 15 months after her doping ban.

She played at the Miami Open and was knocked out in the round of 16. She hoped to make it to the start of the clay season but she has a knee injury which she sustained during a practice session.

Halep wrote on her socials that she would not make it to the Madrid Open.

“Unfortunately, my body needs a little more time to be ready and I have made the tough decision not to play in Madrid. Tough because I want to be back on tour asap (as soon as possible), but experience tells me not to rush. Thank you to @MutuaMadridOpen who offered me the wild card and to my fans,” her post read.

Garbine Muguruza Retires

Garbine Muguruza has officially retired from tennis. Photo/ESPN

Spanish-Venezuelan tennis star Garbine Muguruza has retired officially. She said that her decision is in view of her other life far from tennis. Muguruza, a two-time Grand Slam champion had earlier expressed her exhaustion with tennis.

Muguruza in a previous interview with Women’s Health in 2023 said that she wasn’t interested in playing tennis at the time.

“Today I don’t feel like I want to go back to competition. I want to rest, be with my family and make up for lost time. I don’t go beyond what I’m doing today, in the present, and I don’t look beyond,” she stated.

Novak Djokovic Won’t Play at Madrid Open

Novak Djokovic has decided to forego the Mutua Madrid Open, the third ATP Masters 1000 event of the season, and head straight back to the Italian Open in Rome.

In order to achieve his major goal for this season ahead of Roland Garros the world No. 1 is taking time off to improve on his physical form. Djokovic hasn’t won any tournament in 2024.