Rune outguns Alcaraz, Ostapenko owns Iga again

Love-Love Letter #4 | April 18-20

Your tennis cheat sheet — for fans who like the game, but don’t want to live on Tennis Twitter.

🌍 Where in the World Are We?

Clay season continues on across Europe.

Barcelona Open (ATP 500): Red clay, packed stands, and sangria-sipping Spaniards hoping for a homegrown three-peat.
📌 What’s happening: Alcaraz was the headliner — but Rune stole the spotlight (and the trophy).

BMW Open Munich (ATP 500): Birthday cake, Bavarian grit, and Zverev moving like it’s 2020.
📌 What’s happening: Germany’s top dog didn’t drop a set all week. Shelton made the final, but this was a one-man party: Zverev.

Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Stuttgart (WTA 500): Indoor clay, sleek branding, and chaos in every corner of the draw.
📌 What’s happening: Ostapenko took out Iga (again), and she’ll face Sabalenka in the Monday final.

✅ Results You Should Know

Holger Rune def. Carlos Alcaraz 7–6(6), 6–2 – Barcelona (Final)
💡 Why it matters: Rune handed Alcaraz his first Barcelona loss since 2021. Big stage, big swing, bigger message.

Alexander Zverev def. Ben Shelton 6–2, 6–4 – Munich (Final)
💡 Why it matters: Zverev turned 28, then casually won his third Munich title. No breaks faced all tournament.

Jelena Ostapenko def. Iga Swiatek 6–3, 3–6, 6–2 – Stuttgart (Quarterfinals)
💡 Why it matters: It’s now 6–0, Ostapenko over Swiatek. Not a typo. Iga can’t crack the code.

Jasmine Paolini def. Coco Gauff 6–4, 6–3 – Stuttgart (Quarterfinals)
💡 Why it matters: Gauff had chances, but the forehand misfires piled up. She’s now taken early exits at four straight events — and with the French Open creeping closer, the 2025 campaign still hasn’t clicked.

🔥 Can’t-Miss Highlights

🎥 Rune/Alcaraz (Barcelona Final)
Lots of good ones from this match - here are our two favorites

▶️ Alcaraz shows off his wheels - but Rune still wins the point (0:03)
▶️ Air Rune comes to town with a scorching forehand (1:51)

🎥 Alexandrova backhand winner after great defense (Stuttgart Semifinal)
Ostapenko kept the pressure, but couldn’t convert on this point
▶️ Watch here (2:11)

📆 What to Watch For

🏆 Stuttgart Final – Monday, April 21
📺 Sabalenka vs. Ostapenko airs live on WTA TV and Tennis Channel
🕓 Scheduled for 1:00 PM local / 7:00 AM ET

🎾 Madrid Open (WTA 1000) – Starts Tuesday, April 22

• First clay WTA 1000 of the year

• Gauff, Swiatek, Pegula, Sabalenka all in the mix
  📺 Streaming on WTA TV and Tennis Channel

🚫 No ATP events this week - the guys get a breather before Madrid kicks off next.

📰 Off-Court Happenings

Trinity Rodman in the Player’s Box
Ben Shelton had a surprise supporter during his Munich run: U.S. soccer star (and girlfriend) Trinity Rodman. She made her box debut during his semifinal. A win for Ben — and for tennis-soccer crossover shippers.

👗 An Outfit Worth Seeing

Honestly, the outfits this week were pretty boring. Literally nothing interesting to report here no matter how hard we tried.