Turning a corner for Paris? Andy Murray, Sloane Stephens win lower-level titles in France

THE BREAK: Will Rafa make it to Roland Garros?

While Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka were busy compiling title runs at the Caja Magica, Andy Murray and Sloane Stephens capitalized at lower-level tournaments in France staged during the second week of the Mutua Madrid Open.

Murray put a slow start behind him at Aix-En-Provence, knocking off top seed and world No. 17 Tommy Paul, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, to win his first ATP Challenger Tour crown since he was 18—at 2005 Binghamton.

The former world No. 1, who dropped his opening Madrid match on April 27, arrived to the Open Aix Provence Credit Agricole on a four-match losing streak. Though his triumph doesn’t count towards any tour-level records, the week’s worth of clay-court reps enabled Murray to vault 10 places in the ATP rankings to No. 42.

Before taking on Paul, Murray eliminated four successive Frenchmen to reach the final—Gaël Monfils, Laurent Lokoli, Luca Van Assche and Harold Mayot. The 35-year-old highlighted the terrific turnout in the stands afterwards when accepting his champion’s trophy.

“The atmosphere from the very first match right to the end was incredible. It’s so important for these tournaments to have the support of the local community and you guys came out even before the tournament started,” he said.

Sloane Stephens also turned an important corner by tasting victory at the WTA $125k event in Saint Malo. Having lost five of her past six matches, the 2017 US Open champion conceded just one set en route to the winning the title.

A day after edging Elina Svitolina, the 30-year-old defeated Greet Minnen, 6-3, 6-4, in Sunday’s championship match. Stephens broke the Belgian five times to wrap up the final after one hour and 40 minutes, stepping into the winner’s circle for the first time since March 2022 (Guadalajara).

Stephens jumped 12 places to No. 36 in Monday’s WTA rankings, putting her within striking distance of being seeded at Roland Garros. Last year at the French Open, the American advanced to the quarterfinals, where her run was ended by countrywoman Coco Gauff.

Other players taking home hardware this weekend included Sorana Cirstea (WTA 125 event in Reus, Spain) and Ugo Humbert (ATP Challenger Tour 175 event in Cagliari, Italy).