Historic Czech Tennis Day: Machac Seals Adelaide Crown, Mensik Triumphs in Auckland
17 January 2026
Machac and Mensik make Czech tennis history.
Machac's Adelaide Triumph
Today, Tomas Machac delivered a near-perfect Saturday for the Czech Republic after defeating Frenchman Hugo Humbert in the Adelaide final, joining his compatriot Jakub Mensik, Auckland’s champion, on the winners’ list, in front of a growing crowd.
Earlier today, Mensik had defeated Sebastian Baez 6-3, 7-6 to lift Auckland’s 250-point crown. More than 2,000 miles away in Adelaide, Machac toppled Humbert 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 to claim his second ATP Tour title, and hailed as a strong start to the season.
Machac said after the win that he stayed focused in the third set and played at a very high level, starting to attack more and serve well. He added he was thrilled to share this moment with the trophy after the injuries he has endured, ahead of the Australian Open in a few weeks.
This is the first time two Czech players have claimed two ATP titles in the same week since Ivan Lendl and Tomas Smid did so in 1982, marking a historic milestone for Czech tennis.
Mensik's Auckland Victory
This perfect week, which also included Machac’s win over the No. 2 seed Tommy Paul, saw Machac jump 11 spots to No. 24 in the world rankings. Machac now holds a 2-1 finals record on the ATP Tour, after winning his first title in Acapulco last year. The results tightened the ATP rankings race.
Mensik, who previously claimed his only ATP title by beating Novak Djokovic in the Miami final in 2025, will rise to No. 17 in the world rankings on Monday. Both players soaked in the moment after a challenging preseason.
Punchline 1: Looks like Czech tennis just hired a jet—these wins deserve their own frequent-flyer program.
Punchline 2: And if comedy were a racket, we’d call this week a serve-and-wit special.
