Sunday July 19 brings three clay-court finals: Gstaad, Bastad and Iasi will crown their champions in matchups with very different profiles.
In Gstaad, Stefanos Tsitsipas will attempt to end a title drought stretching back to Montpellier in early 2025. The twenty-seven-year-old Greek faces Raphaël Collignon in a first-ever tour meeting. Tsitsipas has shown solidity this week, dropping just one set across four matches. His baseline construction and single-handed backhand remain formidable weapons on this surface. Collignon, the seventh seed, is playing the biggest final of his career. The Belgian turned around two matches this week: first against Vacherot in the quarters, then Cerúndolo in the semifinals after trailing 2-5 in the tie-break. That mental steel could unsettle a Tsitsipas who sometimes falters in crucial moments. Experience, however, strongly favours the Greek.
In Bastad, Andrey Rublev targets a second Nordea Open title after 2023. The top seed has cruised through the draw with authority, dropping just one set all week. Luciano Darderi returns to a final he knows well: the Italian lost last year's Bastad final. The two have never met on the main tour. Darderi relies on his foot speed and baseline consistency, while Rublev will look to impose his punishing return game from the start. On clay, the gap between the two players appears tighter than the rankings suggest.
In Iasi, Paula Badosa has the opportunity to take a decisive step in her rebuilding process. The Spaniard, a former world number two, has not lifted a trophy since Sydney in 2022. She will be the favourite against Mayar Sherif, but the Egyptian proved her resilience by saving two match points in the semifinals. Sherif, thirty, possesses an effective baseline game and proven clay-court endurance. Badosa will need to impose her power from the opening exchanges to avoid being drawn into extended rallies.
The menu is rich for clay-court enthusiasts. Two former top-5 players seeking renewal (Tsitsipas and Badosa), a player at the peak of his consistency (Rublev), and two underdogs with nothing to lose (Collignon and Sherif).