A LOOK BACK
Internazionali di Tennis Citta' di Vicenza (Vicenza, Italy): The hottest player on the ATP Challenger Tour continued his dominant run of form. Hugo Dellien notched a tour-leading third crown of the year with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Matteo Donati in Sunday's Vicenza final.
With the partisan Italian crowd firmly in his opponent's favour in both the semi-finals and final, Dellien earned new fans with his impressive performances. Wins over home hopes Gian Marco Moroni on Saturday and Donati on Sunday vaulted the Bolivian to the winners' circle at the Tennis Palladio 98.
It has been a rapid rise for the 24-year-old, with all of his three titles - on the green clay of Sarasota and Savannah and red dirt of Vicenza - coming in the past seven weeks. In fact, Dellien has posted an 18-1 record in that span, with his only Challenger defeat to Noah Rubin in the Tallahassee semi-finals.
Dellien, whose triumph in Sarasota made him the first Bolivian winner on the circuit in 35 years, will get a significant boost in his Top 100 pursuit. Having entered the month of April at No. 259 in the ATP Rankings, he is projected to surpass his career-high of No. 129 one week from Monday.
Dellien will look to continue his strong form as he shifts to the clay of Shymkent, Kazakhstan for the $50,000 event. He is seeded second at the tournament, which is in its second edition. Last year's runner-up Yannick Hanfmann leads the field.
What a run for @hugo_dellien, champion in Vicenza!
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) June 3, 2018
Third title in past four #ATPChallenger events
18-1 since mid-April
Closing in on the Top 100 pic.twitter.com/uglOBrEKil
A LOOK AHEAD
The grass season has arrived! The three-week swing kicks off in the London suburb of Surbiton for the 15th edition of the Fuzion 100 Surbiton Trophy. Jeremy Chardy, Alex de Minaur, Jordan Thompson and Yuki Bhambri lead the singles draw, with former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt teaming with Alex Bolt in doubles. Nick Kyrgios is also competing in the doubles competition, alongside Jackson Withrow.
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The Moneta Czech Open, a €127,000 event in Prostejov, celebrates its 25th anniversary this week. Guillermo Garcia Lopez is the top seed, with Pablo Cuevas seeded second and home hope Jiri Vesely a three-time champion. Vesely has won three of the past four editions (2014-15 & '17).
In Poznan, Poland, Alexey Vatutin looks to defend his title. He is joined by an impressive field that includes Taro Daniel, Miomir Kecmanovic, Martin Klizan and Victor Estrella Burgos.
