NEWPORT – The surprises this week at the Cerity Partners Hall of Fame Open extended through Saturday, July 11.
Adam Walton eliminated the highest remaining seed in the ATP Challenger men’s singles field, a mild upset under warm sunshine on the grass at the Newport Casino.
Walton won a first-set tiebreaker and held his nerve from there to oust Alex Michelsen in the opening men’s semifinal. His solid 7-6 (2), 6-4 triumph denied the No. 2 seed a third chance to play for a title and gave Walton his first.
Jacob Fearnley awaits after winning the final four games of his marathon semifinal to close out Alexis Galarneau. Fearnley overcame a rash of double faults with some determined play down the stretch to frustrate Galarneau 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-4.
“You can see why it was a Tour event,” Walton said. “The facilities are unreal. The crowd, the atmosphere, the tournament staff – everything is unreal.”
The women’s singles WTA 125 draw followed the expected path on the day, with the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds cruising in straight sets. Tatjana Maria put her grass court expertise on display in a 6-2, 6-1 race past Mananchaya Sawangkaew. Katie Volynets worked a bit harder in the second semifinal but reached the same conclusion, dispatching Greet Minnen in a 6-3, 6-2 sweep.
It was mostly downhill for Michelsen after he served for the opening set at 6-5. Walton came up with a break and controlled the race to seven points in the tiebreak, jumping out to a 5-1 cushion. Michelsen slammed his hat to the baseline after sending a backhand wide, and Walton dropped in a pretty half-volley on set point to take the lead in the match.
“Got the break and obviously played a really good tiebreak,” Walton said. “Getting a tiebreak in the first set is huge, and then just carried that into the second set and was able to hold on.”
Michelsen’s double fault gave Walton a 4-1 lead in the second, and the Australian was able to secure the result from there. He’ll attempt to become the fifth man from his country to win here and the first since Lleyton Hewitt in 2014. Michelsen was hoping for a finals return after coming up short against Adrian Mannarino in 2023 and Marcos Giron in 2024.
“I feel like I’m playing pretty good tennis, obviously,” Walton said. “I love playing in America. It’s probably the most comfortable I feel.”
Fearnley was staring at a 4-2 hole after a Galarneau break in the third before finding a different level. He broke back to 4-3, held to 4-4 and took advantage of a third break point in the next game to take a 5-4 edge. Fearnley served it out with minimal fuss and will chase his fifth career title Sunday.
Maria returns to the women’s singles final after falling to Caty McNally in the debut version of the WTA draw here in 2025. She saved five of six break points on her own serve and converted five of seven against Sawangkaew, who simply couldn’t keep pace. Maria continues to impress on the brink of her 39th birthday and with her two daughters sitting just beyond the baseline for every match here.
“I’m happy that my body is still healthy and feeling good,” Maria said. “Happy to be here and happy to be in a final.”
Maria’s best career results have been on this surface – a 2025 title at Queen’s Club and a finals defeat against Madison Keys at Eastbourne in late June. It’s a first career grass final for Volynets, who has adjusted quickly to the low bounces and slick nature of the courts here. She beat Maria at a February indoor hard court final in Czechia and will look to repeat that result here.
“Before I didn’t really know if I could play well on grass or how my game would match up,” Volynets said. “I’m really happy that I feel more and more comfortable.”
Volynets will be a bit extra busy Sunday while vying for a second trophy here. She and partner Iryna Shymanovich moved through to the women’s doubles final after an impressive 6-2, 6-2 sweep off Reese Brantmeier and Carmen Corley. Shymanovich was a Wimbledon doubles quarterfinalist in 2023 and has partnered with Volynets to put together an impressive week.
Savannah Broadus and Kylie Collins will oppose Shymanovich-Volynets after a pair of strong performances Saturday. They dropped a total of eight games while steaming to both quarterfinal and semifinal victories. Broadus-Collins posted a 6-1, 6-2 semifinal triumph over Mary Lewis-Katherine Sebov to book their own ticket to the finals.
One familiar face will take part in the men’s doubles final. John-Patrick Smith was a runner-up with Matt Reid in 2017 and will try his luck again nine years later with Fernando Romboli. The top seeds eased to a 6-4, 6-4 win over 2023 champions Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow. Smith came up shy with Reed against field staple Rajeev Ram and partner Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi.
Smith will face a pair of fellow Australians across the net, as James Watt and Finn Reynolds rallied to advance through their own Saturday match. Watt and Finn dropped the opening set and needed a super tiebreaker to outlast Pruchya Isaro and Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha 2-6, 6-4, 10-3. Artem Sitak gave Australia a piece of the doubles crown for the third time in five years when he teamed with Jonathan Erlich to win in 2018.
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Finals matchups set at Hall of Fame Open in Newport
