A LOOK BACK
Koblenz Open (Koblenz, Germany): Belgian Ruben Bemelmans started off his season on a high note by prevailing in a tight final over German qualifier Nils Langer, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(0).
“I felt great on court from the first match,” said Bemelmans. “I love playing indoors and Koblenz is close to my home, so it gives a good feeling if your family can come and watch.”
Bemelmans finished 2016 strongly by finishing runner-up in November at U.S. Challengers in Charlottesville and Champaign. He has already improved his Emirates ATP Ranking by nearly 60 spots since this past November and his win in Koblenz will push him back inside the Top 150.
“I ended last year really good and now I confirmed at the beginning of the season that I’m feeling good on the court. Winning here is a serious confidence boost,” said Bemelmans. "My first goal is to do better than my best ranking (No. 84) and then I’ll aim higher and go for the Top 70, always trying to get a step higher.”
Despite the loss, Langer can take confidence in reaching his first Challenger final since September 2015 in St. Remy, France. The 26-year-old is still seeking his first ATP Challenger Tour singles title.
A LOOK AHEAD
There are two Challengers on the calendar this week, with the $100,000 event in Rennes, France, taking top billing as it returns for the 11th year. Local favourite Jeremy Chardy is the top seed and has a tough opening round in #NextGenATP star Andrey Rublev of Russia. Another Frenchman, Paul-Henri Mathieu, is the second seed. Other notable players in the draw include #NextGenATP star Duckhee Lee of Korea, reigning Roland Garros boys’ singles champion Geoffrey Blancaneaux, and Bemelmans as he looks for another Challenger title.
The $50,000 event in Maui, Hawaii, returns for the eighth consecutive year. American #NextGenATP star Taylor Fritz and Yen-Hsun Lu of Taipei are the top two seeds. A slew of other #NextGen ATP stars are also in the draw, including Hyeon Chung of Korea, Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan, and Americans Noah Rubin, Michael Mmoh, Stefan Kozlov, Ernesto Escobedo and 2015 champion Jared Donaldson. Defending champion Di Wu of China is also in the field.
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