Daniil Medvedev, Emma Navarro, Jessica Pegula and Alexander Zverev seek pre-Sunshine Double titles

Peak February is over. It came and went with the WTA’s two 1000s on the Arabian peninsula. The month closes on a more modest, less star-studded, but not inconsequential week that features ATP 500s in Acapulco and Dubai, and a women’s 500 in Merida, Mexico. The North American events, both of which are on hard courts, also serve as a ramp-up for next month’s Sunshine Double.

Here’s a look at three storylines to follow, as tennis tentatively makes the turn out of winter and into spring.

Alexander Zverev tries get closer to Sinner, and farther from Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner’s three-month suspension has been criticized because it won’t force him to miss any Grand Slam events. But it still comes in the thick of the season, with many thousands of ranking points on the line. Sinner will be absent at Masters 1000s in Indian Wells, Miami (where he’s the defending champion), and in his Monte Carlo hometown.

That gives the players just below him a little more hope of catching up him at No. 1 in the rankings. No. 2 Alexander Zverev, who is roughly 3,000 points behind Sinner and 700 points ahead of Carlos Alcaraz at No. 3, ha been trying to make the most of that opportunity the month, with limited success so far. He was the top seed in Buenos Aires and Rio the last two weeks, but he only reached the quarters at each tournament

Now Zverev will try again, this time on hard courts, at the 500 in Acapulco. He won this event in 2021, was runner-up in 2019, and is the top seed this week. Just behind him are Casper Ruud, Tommy Paul, Holger Rune, and Ben Shelton.

Zverev has invested a lot of effort and air miles into his February, and surely hopes he’ll come out of it will more than just a series of quarterfinal defeats.

Is there hope for Daniil Medvedev?

Consistency has always been a strong point Medvedev’s. Maybe the strong point. He can rally for hours, and from 2018 to 2023, he won at least two titles per season. But that streak ended when he went winless in 2024, and it has continued into 2025. So far this year, he’s just 6-4, and he went out in the second round at the Australian Open.

On the bright side, he appeared to turn a corner last week in Doha, when he came back from the brink of defeat to beat countryman Karen Khachanov in his opening match. Unfortunately, two rounds later, he retired with what he believed was food poisoning.

That pullout aside, his win over Khachanov did seem promising. He’ll try to build on that, and hopefully eat the right things, as the top seed at the 500 in Dubai this week. The seeds that follow him include Alex de Minaur, Doha champ Andrey Rublev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Medvedev may get a second-round challenge from 6-foot-8 flame throwing Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro headline fields in Merida and Austin

Pegula and Navarro have one obvious thing in common: Their fathers are billionaires. But, perhaps surprisingly, they’re also among the most dedicated and down to earth players on either tour. This week, they get to be top seeds, too: Navarro at the 500 in Merida, Mexico; Pegula at the 250 ATX Open in Austin, Texas.

This has been a month of surprise American successes on the women’s side. Amanda Anisimova won her her first 1000, in Doha. Ashlyn Krueger made a final in Abu Dhabi. And McCartney Kessler beat Coco Gauff and nearly beat Karolina Muchova in Dubai. On the other hand, the country’s three Top 10 players, Gauff, Pegula, and Navarro, went a combined 4-6 in February.

Pegula will try to right the ship in an Austin draw that also features Kessler, Diana Shnaider, and Peyton Stearns. Navarro will look for a spark in a Merida draw where Paula Badosa is the second seed.