Carlos Alcaraz spotted mentoring the future, Marta Kostyuk brings emotional support dog as Victoria Mboko wrecks Gauff’s week

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, Carlos Alcaraz was seen in a training session ahead of his return at the Cincinnati Open, where he was joined by young Spanish star Dani Merida. Meanwhile, Marta Kostyuk had a special practice partner, appearing alongside her dog, Mander.

Additionally, Canadian star Victoria Mboko had an emotional reaction after pulling off the biggest upset of the tournament against Coco Gauff. Additionally, ATP stars were surprised in a funny video with a "spider prank," leading to amusing reactions from players including Casper Ruud, Ben Shelton, and Holger Rune, among others.

Marta Kostyuk had a special practice session in the morning at the Canadian Open, accompanied by her dog, Mander, a puppy she adopted a year ago who joins the Ukrainian on some of her travels. Kostyuk, 24, drew attention during her morning practice—prior to facing McCartney Kessler in the Round of 16—after being joined by her guest of honor. The 24th seed won the match after coming back from a set down, replicating her victories against Marketa Vondrousova and Daria Kasatkina in previous rounds. Kostyuk advanced to her third WTA 1000 quarterfinal of the season and is now preparing for a tough matchup against Elena Rybakina for a spot in the semifinals.

“When it’s time for walkies but mom’s got centre court business to handle 🐾🎾 Mander the Maltipoo stealing the show during Marta Kostyuk’s practice session,” the world No. 28 wrote on her social media.

Carlos Alcaraz was spotted in photos with rising young Spanish star Dani Merida, who was training with the five-time Grand Slam champion ahead of his first major appearance. The young 20-year-old Spaniard has made great progress in the rankings and will appear as world No. 168 this Monday, a new career-high. The Spaniard will play in a Grand Slam for the first time at the upcoming US Open and had a luxurious training session with the 2022 champion.

Alcaraz opted to take a week off after his grueling campaign at Wimbledon, where he lost in the final. The world No. 2 withdrew from the Canadian Open a week before the start of the tournament in Toronto and chose to stay in Spain for a few extra weeks before traveling to North America. His first challenge will be at the Cincinnati Open in a week, where he will be the second seed, just behind Jannik Sinner.

Victoria Mboko had an emotional reaction after delivering the biggest upset of the tournament against Coco Gauff. The Canadian star secured the best victory of her career in the fourth round, eliminating the tournament's top seed and world No. 2. The win guarantees her a spot in the top 60 for the first time in the next ranking update.

The world No. 85 capitalized on Gauff's errors and the American's poor form, especially on her serve, to secure a convincing 6-1, 6-4 victory in just over one hour and two minutes.

"It’s incredible,” Mboko said in French during her on-court interview. “I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” In the quarterfinals, she will face the winner between Lin Zhu and Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

The stars of the ATP appeared in a funny video from the Toronto Open where they were surprised by a spider prank. During media day, and in the middle of interviews and activities before the tournament began, several players fell for the spider-in-a-box joke. They were asked to open a box only to be surprised by a plastic spider that sprang out.

The video captured invaluable reactions from the big stars who fell for the prank, including Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, Lorenzo Musetti, and Holger Rune. Others, however, were not too surprised by the joke, like the Russians Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev. Check out the funny reactions from the players below.