Daily Dose of Social Media: Alcaraz meets World Cup champ, Sabalenka shines in Stuttgart, Kostyuk gets emotional

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, Carlos Alcaraz had a VIP guest in the crowd during his match against Arthur Fils at the Monte-Carlo Masters, as he met with World Cup-winning footballer Paulo Dybala. ATP stars also took part in fun artistic challenges as the first clay-court Masters 1000 of the season gets underway.

Meanwhile on the WTA side, Aryna Sabalenka received a warm welcome upon her arrival at the Stuttgart Open, where she has previously reached three finals. Over at the Billie Jean King Cup, Marta Kostyuk delivered an emotional moment as she sang the Ukrainian national anthem during the tie against Poland.

Carlos Alcaraz had a special guest in the stands during his Monte-Carlo Masters quarter-final clash. The four-time Grand Slam champion secured his third consecutive win at the first Masters 1000 event of the clay swing after surviving a major scare from a resilient Arthur Fils. Alcaraz faced triple break point at 5-5 in the second set but managed to dig deep, saving all three before turning the match around to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.

The Alcaraz–Fils battle took place on Court Rainier III, and among the spectators was none other than footballer Paulo Dybala, World Cup winner with Argentina in Qatar 2022. After the two-hour and 26-minute match, Dybala met with Alcaraz for a chat and a few photos. The World No. 3 now advances to the semi-finals, where he will face fellow Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who has already taken out Jack Draper and Ben Shelton

Naomi Osaka shared a video of how she’s preparing for the clay swing, following a month-long break after the Sunshine Double. The former World No. 1 decided to take a few weeks off after a solid run at the Miami Open, where she reached the fourth round with three consecutive wins. Osaka is hoping to make a breakthrough on clay this year and will return to action at the WTA 1000 Madrid Open, this time with her new coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who also appeared in the training video.

Up until a few seasons ago, Osaka struggled heavily on clay courts, once going two full years without a win on the surface. But last year marked a shift, as she reached the Round of 16 in Rome, and at Roland Garros, she nearly pulled off a massive upset. In the second round, she had two match points against the reigning champion Iga Swiatek, who narrowly escaped and went on to win her fourth French Open title. Nonetheless, Osaka showed she can challenge anyone on clay and now has big ambitions for the surface.

ATP stars at the Monte-Carlo Masters showcased their clay-related skills — this time not on the tennis court, but in pottery. Players like Matteo Berrettini, Carlos Alcaraz, Alex de Minaur, Arthur Fils, and Grigor Dimitrov participated in a unique workshop learning ceramic techniques from renowned artist Jacques Monneraud, who guided the athletes in shaping clay to create their own pieces.

Meanwhile, on the tennis front, Friday saw the quarter-finals play out, determining the four remaining contenders for the Monte-Carlo title. Lorenzo Musetti, who knocked out defending champion Tsitsipas, will face World No. 10 Alex de Minaur. On the other side of the draw, top favourite Carlos Alcaraz will take on surprise package Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who’s dreaming of capturing his first ATP title.

Art took over Monte Carlo as players tried to show off their talents beyond the tennis court. They were asked to draw self-portraits using coloured pencils, with some hilarious results. Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev, and Andrey Rublev were among those who took on the challenge. "Players, or the next Picasso?! 🎨" posted the official ATP account. “We challenged 10 players to create some self-portraits, but can you guess who drew which?!”

Marta Kostyuk experienced an emotional moment as it came time to sing the national anthem at the start of Ukraine’s Billie Jean King Cup tie. The 22-year-old was the first to step on court in Ukraine’s dominant win over hosts Poland – who were without their top-ranked player, World No. 2 Iga Swiatek. During the opening ceremony, Ukraine’s No. 2 player was visibly emotional as the anthem played.

Kostyuk has often spoken publicly about her commitment to the Ukrainian cause amid the war with Russia. Alongside teammate Elina Svitolina, she has made donations and taken a strong stance against the conflict. In recent years, all Ukrainian players have refused to shake hands with Russian or Belarusian opponents, a move that has drawn both criticism and controversy. Kostyuk herself had a tense moment with Aryna Sabalenka after refusing to shake hands at Roland Garros 2023.

Kostyuk defeated Katarzyna Kawa in the opening match (6-1, 6-2), followed by Svitolina securing Ukraine’s victory with a 7-6(4), 6-3 win. In the doubles match, twin sisters Lyudmyla and Nadiia Kichenok beat Maja Chwalinska and Martyna Kubka, closing out a perfect day for Ukraine without dropping a single set.

The Ukrainian team now needs just one win against Switzerland to guarantee qualification – though even three losses could still see them advance depending on the set and game count in the group.

Aryna Sabalenka received a warm welcome upon her arrival in Stuttgart for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. The World No. 1 enters the tournament as one of the top favourites alongside Iga Swiatek, as the clay-court season begins. The three-time Grand Slam champion arrives in great form after a strong Sunshine Double, reaching the final in Indian Wells and winning the Miami Open. With a significant lead over Swiatek in the rankings, Sabalenka is virtually guaranteed to hold onto her World No. 1 status for the coming months.

Although most of her biggest results have come on hard courts, Sabalenka has two WTA 1000 titles on clay and six additional finals on the surface, including an impressive streak of three consecutive finals in Stuttgart (2021–2023). The Belarusian was greeted with flowers on arrival at the Porsche Arena, which features indoor clay courts.