After failing to defend his Monte Carlo title, Rafael Nadal was hoping to win his first title of the season in Barcelona, where he was the three-time defending champion, the 11-time winner, top seed, and the heavy favorite. Instead, Indian Wells champion Dominic Thiem had the last word.

In Stuttgart, defending champion Karolina Pliskova was hoping for a repeat, but compatriot Petra Kvitova emerged victorious.

1

Thiem Dethrones the King of Barcelona

It wasn’t going to be an easy match, but the Spaniard was the favorite, mainly because he had not lost a Barcelona semifinal en route to his 11 victories. On Saturday, Thiem broke that streak, beating Nadal, 6-4, 6-4 for his fourth career win over the 17-time Grand Slam champion.

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2

Osaka Shows Grit

Down 5-1 in the third against Donna Vekic in Stuttgart quarterfinal, the top seed emerged from the brink to defeat the Croatian, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4). Unfortunately for the world No. 1, she was forced to withdraw from her semifinal match against Anett Kontaveit with an abdominal injury.

3

Yet Another Early Exit for the Greek

Stefanos Tsitsipas suffered his fourth consecutive early exit, falling to 29-year-old Jan-Lennard Struff in the Barcelona round of 16. The world No. 10 is the top seed in Estoril this week.

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4

Stuttgart Champion

On Sunday, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova avenged her Brisbane loss to Kontaveit to claim her second title of the season. The world No. 2 is the first WTA player to win two titles this season.

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5

Lucky Losers Cause Upsets in Barcelona

Lucky losers Nicolas Jarry and Roberto Carballes, who benefited from Hyeon Chung’s and Fabio Fognini’s withdrawals, found themselves battling for spots in the semifinals after causing upsets en route to the respective quarterfinals. Jarry had stunned No. 2-seeded Alexander Zverev in the round of 32.

A look at the top 
surprises in 
Barcelona, Stuttgart

A look at the top surprises in Barcelona, Stuttgart