Week in review: Czech champions and an Eala resurgence

As we inch closer to Wimbledon, we're beginning to get a clearer picture of who's in form heading into the third Grand Slam of the season.

There were more proof points this past week in Berlin and Nottingham -- and further evidence that it will be anyone's major next month at the All England Club.

This past week produced a couple of Czech champions, a Top 10 debut and a healthy dose of major upsets.

Here's everything that went down on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz this past week.

Star of the Week

Linda Noskova

In a field loaded with Top 10 players, it was Linda Noskova who lifted the trophy in Berlin, winning her second career title in seven tries -- and her first title on grass.

The 21-year-old didn't drop a set all week until the rain-delayed final, which she won in three over Jessica Pegula. The championship run moved her into the Top 10 of the PIF WTA Rankings for the first time.

Capping off one of the best weeks of her career, Noskova teamed with Ekaterina Alexandrova to win the doubles title the following day, beating Sara Errani and Nicole Melichar-Martinez 6-2, 6-4 in the final. It was her first career doubles title.

Resurgence of the Week

Alexandra Eala

Alexandra Eala lost to Noskova in the Berlin semifinals, but not before picking up a couple of huge straight-set upsets over Elena Rybakina and Elina Svitolina

The win over Rybakina, ranked No. 2 in the world, equaled Eala's best career win by ranking. The Filipina came from 4-1 down in the first set to win.

Following a subpar Clay-Court Swing, Eala has found her rhythm on the grass, going 9-3 and winning the WTA 125 Lexus Birmingham Open earlier this month. (Though she did lose her opener to Elise Mertens in Bad Homburg on Monday.)

Match of the Week

Yuliia Starodubtseva d. Maya Joint, Nottingham first round

There were plenty to choose from last week, but we wanted to give a little love to this early-week gem, which may have fallen under the radar.

Maya Joint won the first-set tiebreak 10-8, saving a set point, but the Ukrainian came from 5-3 down in the second set to level it. She then took the decider to win 6-7 (8), 7-5, 6-4 in a match that lasted 3 hours and 21 minutes.

Comeback of the Week

Aryna Sabalenka d. Nikola Bartunkova, Berlin quarterfinals

We were on the verge of witnessing perhaps the biggest upset of the 2026 season ... but then the World No. 1 found her gear.

Nikola Bartunkova, 20, led Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 4-0 but was unable to close. The four-time Grand Slam champion saved a break point that would have given Bartunkova a 5-2 lead, then was able to force the tiebreaker, which she won comfortably. With renewed confidence, she took the third set 6-4 to close it out in 2 hours and 23 minutes. 

Upset of the Week

Paula Badosa d. Coco Gauff, Berlin Round of 16

Not too long ago, this would have been considered a match between two of the WTA Tour's elite. But in 2026, as Badosa continues to work her way back from continual injuries and has fallen to No. 140 in the world, this certainly qualifies as a sizable upset.

Gauff was in total control at the outset, winning the first set 6-1, before Badosa flashed the form that once catapulted her to No. 2 in the rankings. The Spaniard dropped just five games the rest of the way, securing her best win of the season by a significant margin and her first Top 10 win in exactly a year.

She improved to 5-3 against Gauff.

Prior to this tournament, which also included a win over Suzan Lamens, Badosa had lost five straight matches dating back to Charleston in early April.

Shot of the Week

Karolina Muchova's diving get at the net

Serena Williams sure knows how to pick her doubles partners. First Victoria Mboko, then Karolina Muchova (and soon to be Venus Williams...).

Muchova is one of the most athletic players on tour, with elite instincts and shot-making ability, and she flashed her skills on this point, which she won singlehandedly. The World No. 11 was a brick wall at the net, diving and stretching to counter powerful groundstrokes before winning the point with a backhand volley.

Social Moment of the Week

Olympia with the assist

Serena and Venus Williams will be reuniting as a doubles team at Wimbledon, where they've won six titles together, next month. 

And as it turns out, their reunion is due, in part, to some urging from Serena's 8-year-old daughter, Alexis Olympia.

"My daughter, Olympia, told me I should play with Venus," Williams told reporters in Berlin. "She's always right, so I was like, 'OK.'"

In other Serena news, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion has also received a wild card into the Wimbledon singles draw.

On-Court Interview of the Week

'We were screaming'

Eala was understandably overjoyed after upsetting Rybakina, and she let the emotion pour out of her, as she tends to do.

After acknowledging the fans in Steffi Graf Stadion and embracing her team, she went to make an urgent call -- while still on court.

"I called my dad," she said in her on-court interview. "I just said, 'Oh my god!' We were just screaming, and my mom was there, too. I'm just really happy."

Stat of the Week

Czech champions

Earlier in the day, before Noskova beat Pegula to win the Berlin title, fellow Czech Marie Bouzkova beat Emma Navarro to win the Nottingham title.

It marked just the fourth time that two Czech women have won WTA singles titles on the same day, joining Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova (2016), Katerina Siniakova and Pliskova (2017), and Linda Fruhvirtova and Pliskova (2022).