Florida tennis fans have plenty to cheer about as the 2025-26 season promises a feast of action both at the collegiate and professional levels. With Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) unveiling an ambitious men’s tennis schedule and Alexander Bublik making global headlines with his remarkable run on the ATP Tour, the sport’s momentum in the Sunshine State and beyond is unmistakable.
Let’s start with the home front. On September 23, 2025, FGCU Men’s Tennis officially announced its 2025-26 campaign, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most exciting in recent memory. The Eagles will open their fall season with the Bedford Cup in Tallahassee from September 26 to 28. This early test sets the tone for a challenging series of tournaments, including the prestigious ITA Regionals in Gainesville (October 8-12) and the Fall Individuals in Jacksonville (October 24-26).
But that’s just the beginning. FGCU will play host to two major collegiate events—the Bonita Bay Collegiate Invite in Bonita Springs (November 7-9) and the Pelican Bay Collegiate Invite in Naples (November 14-16). These tournaments offer local fans a chance to see top collegiate talent up close, and with free admission to all FGCU matches, the stands are expected to be buzzing with energy.
Come spring, the Eagles hit the ground running. The season kicks off January 10-11, 2026, with matches against Louisiana and UCF in Orlando. Afterward, FGCU takes its talents on the road with trips to Oklahoma and Arkansas (January 16-17) to take on Tulsa, Arkansas, and Oral Roberts, followed by a challenging away fixture against the University of Florida in Gainesville on February 7.
The road doesn’t get any easier as the Eagles travel to face FAU and Miami on February 20 and 21, then head north to North Carolina for matchups against Elon, Greensboro, and Queens from February 27 to March 1. This whirlwind of away matches will test the squad’s mettle and set the stage for a crucial homestand.
March brings the Eagles back to the FGCU Tennis Complex for a seven-match homestand, starting with Mercer on March 4. The home crowd will be treated to contests against St. John’s (March 6), Bucknell (March 15), ETSU (March 17), Delaware (March 24), and UNF (March 27). This stretch could prove pivotal for the Eagles’ postseason ambitions.
As the regular season winds down, FGCU faces USF in Tampa on April 3 and wraps up with a trip to DeLand to take on Stetson on April 11. The grand finale? The ASUN Championship, scheduled for April 16-18 in Fort Myers. With the conference title on the line and home-court advantage, the Eagles have a golden opportunity to make a statement in front of their supporters.
While the collegiate scene is heating up, the professional circuit is witnessing a breakout year for Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik. The world No 19 stunned tennis watchers by clinching the ATP 250 Hangzhou Open title without dropping serve in four matches—a rare feat in today’s game. In the final, Bublik edged out qualifier Valentin Royer 7-6(4), 7-6(4), sealing his place among the sport’s elite.
Bublik’s Hangzhou triumph is more than just another trophy. When the ATP rankings update on September 24, 2025, he’s set to reach a new career-high at world No 16. “Honestly I always say that wins don’t make me go through the roof and losses don’t put me to the ground,” Bublik reflected after his victory. “I try to stay stable. I enjoy what I do. I’m happy that I’m able to travel, play tournaments and stay healthy, and the wins are coming — that’s beautiful.”
His 2025 season has been nothing short of spectacular. Bublik has won four ATP titles across the three main surfaces—an achievement matched this year only by world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz. The Kazakh’s run began with a second Halle Open title on grass in June, followed by back-to-back clay triumphs at the Swiss Open and Austrian Open in July. Now, with the Hangzhou Open title on hard courts, Bublik joins an exclusive club of multi-surface champions for the season.
To put Bublik’s feat in perspective, Alcaraz has set the gold standard in 2025 with seven ATP singles titles: Rotterdam, Cincinnati, and the US Open on hard courts; Monte Carlo, Rome, and the French Open on clay; and Queen’s Club on grass. Still, Bublik’s consistency and versatility have made him the only player besides Alcaraz to claim titles on all three surfaces this year.
Other top contenders, like world No 2 Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev, have come close but haven’t quite matched this multi-surface mastery. Sinner captured the Australian Open on hard courts and Wimbledon on grass, also finishing runner-up to Alcaraz at both Rome and Roland Garros on clay. Zverev lifted the Munich Open on clay, was runner-up to Sinner at the Australian Open, and fell to Taylor Fritz on the grass of Stuttgart.
Bublik’s 2025 campaign is already the best of his career, doubling his total ATP title count since June. It’s a remarkable turnaround for a player who, prior to this year, had four career titles to his name and a 4-7 record in ATP finals. Now, he boasts a perfect 4-0 record in finals this season—a testament to his newfound confidence and composure under pressure.
Back in Florida, the buzz around tennis is palpable. As FGCU gears up for a season packed with marquee matchups and the promise of postseason drama, fans and players alike are drawing inspiration from the heroics on the world stage. Could the next Alexander Bublik be honing his craft on the courts of Fort Myers or Naples? With the level of competition and the exposure these events offer, it’s not out of the question.
For now, all eyes are on the start of the collegiate season and the ongoing ATP battles that continue to redefine the sport’s landscape. Whether it’s the Eagles chasing conference glory or Bublik and Alcaraz rewriting the record books, tennis in 2025 is serving up excitement at every turn.
As the fall tournaments approach and the professional rankings shuffle, both FGCU and Bublik’s stories are far from over. The coming months promise more drama, more upsets, and—if recent form is any indication—plenty of reasons for fans to stay glued to the action.
