ATP/WTA: Cerundolo, Tiafoe, Noskova seize the moment

Milestone moments filled the weekend tennis scene with the third Grand Slam of 2026 just around the corner in south west London.

There was a first ever Argentine winner on the immaculate turf at Queen’s Club. There was a maiden American winner in Halle, whilst a WTA star will crack the Top 10 on Monday as the Berlin champion.

These players are sure to be in the mix at SW19, check out all these key results ahead of Wimbledon right here…

Patriotic Francisco flying the flag

Rewind to Eastbourne 2023 in the United Kingdom and Francisco Cerundolo proved his grass court credentials with a title run on the British coast.

Three years later and the world No.21 soared into the Wimbledon contender conversation with a title triumph at London’s Queen’s Club.

The gruelling 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-3 final victory over Tommy Paul at the ATP 500 event served up Cerundolo’s biggest title to date.

"I can't believe it. I fought really hard during the whole week, every match was a war and I think I got the reward," said Cerundolo, who also lifted the Buenos Aires trophy on home soil back in February. "Winning this title for me is unbelievable. Coming from Argentina and winning Queen's, such a historic event on grass. I never imagined I'd lift this trophy.

"It has been an incredible year so far for me. Now my first ATP 500 title and second trophy of the year.

"Argentina is a fantastic country. We don't have the resources of other countries and we still compete at a high level and have many players. I am super proud of my country and representing it."

Perseverance paying off for Big Foe

Just like Cerundolo, Frances Tiafoe conjured up personal and national glory at the same time on Sunday.

Tiafoe put in an exemplary 6-4, 6-4 display to topple compatriot and good friend Taylor Fritz to become the first American champion ever in Halle, Germany.

Tiafoe collected his maiden ATP 500 title to kick start the celebrations and rubber stamp his resurgence. ‘Big Foe’ started 2026 outside the Top 30 and has been chipping away for such success.

The 28-year-old’s third title – first since 2023 – was secured off the backdrop of a Stuttgart quarter-final, which is particularly impressive due to his heartbreak in Paris. Tiafoe had led Matteo Arnaldi 4-1 in the deciding set of their late-night, early-morning last 16 thriller at Roland-Garros, only for the Italian to survive in spectacular style.

Persistence paid off in Halle. Tiafoe claimed three Top 10 victories in Germany, including a wild three match point saving escape act facing world No.4 Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals.

Tiafoe, a two-time semi-finalist on home soil at the US Open, had lost all four ATP finals above the 250 level. That involved silverware showdown defeats at Cincinnati 2024 and Acapulco 2026.

Big Foe’s big show in Halle changed that.

“I’ve lost a lot of finals in my career,” said Tiafoe. “This is big. I just want to say one of my favourite scriptures: The pain that you’re feeling does not compare to the joy that is coming. Obviously, that has been proven very true.

“A couple of weeks ago, I had one of the toughest losses of my career at Roland-Garros (vs Arnaldi), and to come back and have a good week in Stuttgart (quarter-final) and win here for my biggest title, beating the players I did, it’s a huge testimony to that quote. It’s something I’ve been living by.”

"I definitely was not expecting this," admitted world No.10 Noskova, who leapfrogs world No.11 Karolina Muchova as the leading Czech in the WTA rankings.

"Before coming to a tournament, you never really know what you can count on or how the tournament is going to go, especially when it's the very first one on grass this season. So I'm really happy to get off to a brilliant start. I was feeling my game for the whole week, so I couldn't be happier."

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