ATP Tour

Scouting Report: Fritz, Fonseca compete in Eastbourne; Shelton headlines Mallorca

The grass-court swing picks up pace on the ATP Tour this week when ATP 250 events take place in Eastbourne and Mallorca, respectively.

Three-time champion Taylor Fritz returns to defend his title at the Lexus Eastbourne Open, where #NextGenATP Brazilian Joao Fonseca will compete. Ben Shelton and Felix Auger-Aliassime are the top two seeds at the Mallorca Championships presented by ecotrans Group.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch at each event.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN EASTBOURNE
1) Fritz eyes fourth crown: Fritz has displayed impressive grass-court pedigree over the years, which helped him to the title in Eastbourne in 2019, 2022, and 2024. The American marked his return to the surface this year by storming to his first crown of 2025 in Stuttgart, where he did not drop a set, but fell in the first round at Queen’s Club to Corentin Moutet.

2) Paul’s return: The second-seeded Tommy Paul returns to action for the first time since reaching last month’s quarter-finals at Roland Garros, where he fell to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz. Paul reached the 2023 final on his last appearance in Eastbourne, where he owns a 5-2 record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

3) #NextGenATP stars: Jakub Mensik and Fonseca will both continue their standout seasons at the ATP 250 event, where they make their debuts. Miami champion Mensik awaits Matteo Arnaldi or Reilly Opelka, while 18-year-old Brazilian Fonseca faces Zizou Bergs in their maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash.

4) Seeded threats: The big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and former Halle champion Ugo Humbert are among the seeds aiming to make deep runs on the grass. Mpetshi Perricard faces wild card Cameron Norrie and Humbert awaits Fabian Marozsan or Lorenzo Sonego.

5) Heliovaara/Patten lead doubles: Top seeds Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten will aim to forge one more successful week on the ATP Tour before they begin their Wimbledon title defence next month. They will face competition from second seeds and Roland Garros finalists Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN MALLORCA
1) Shelton headlines: Shelton secured his debut inside the Top 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings with his run to the semi-finals in Stuttgart, but the 22-year-old will aim to bounce back after falling in the first round at Queen’s Club. Competing for the third consecutive year in Mallorca, Shelton will open against Learner Tien or Justin Engel, both #NextGenATP players.

2) Can Felix triumph again? Auger-Aliassime made a lightning start to the season, highlighted by titles in Adelaide and Montpellier, but has since struggled to maintain consistency. The former World No. 6 awaits Damir Dzumhur or Arthur Rinderknech in his opener.

3) Former finalist Bautista Agut: Fresh from reaching the semi-finals at Queen’s Club, Bautista Agut returns to home soil in good form. The 37-year-old, who fell in a third-set tie-break to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 2022 Mallorca final, starts against Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

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4) Dialled-in Diallo: Canadian Gabriel Diallo showcased his grass-court potential by soaring to his maiden ATP Tour title in ‘s-Hertogenbosch two weeks ago. He faces Jaume Munar, who took Alcaraz to three sets at Queen’s Club, in an intriguing first-round clash.

5) Bolelli/Vavassori seek glory: Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori headline doubles action in Mallorca, where they are chasing their fourth trophy of the season. They await a potential second-round clash with Americans Tien and Alex Michelsen.