A LOOK BACK China International Challenger Qingdao 2017 (Qingdao, China): Janko Tipsarevic remains unbeaten on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2017, having retained his title in Qingdao. The Serbian second seed clinched his 14th Challenger crown with a 6-3, 7-6(9), victory over qualifier Oscar Otte to move to 15-0 for the season at the level. Tipsarevic’s reward for a third Challenger trophy in 2017, winning 30 of 31 sets this campaign, is an 18-place rise to No. 71 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. [ALSO LIKE] The former World No. 8 needed seven match points to fend off the resilient Otte, who enjoyed a breakout week in China. Heading into the tournament, Otte had only won one match on the ATP...
LOOK BACK Open Citta Della Disfida (Barletta, Italy): Aljaz Bedene remains undefeated on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2017, having secured back-to-back titles this weekend. The Brit moves to 15-0 for the season in Challenger matches after he navigated through the field in Barletta to oust top seed Gastao Elias 7-6(4), 6-3 and secure a tour-leading third title of the season. Bedene’s third Barletta title (2011 and 2012) is projected to move him back into the Top 70 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. [ALSO LIKE] San Luis Open (San Luis Potosi, Mexico): Fifth seed Andrej Martin returned to the tour following a prolonged absence out with illness to clinch his first Challenger trophy since 2015. Martin defeated the No. 1...
A LOOK BACK Verrazzano Open (Sophia Antipolis, France): Aljaz Bedene cruised to his second ATP Challenger Tour title of 2017 (Irving, U.S.A.) without dropping a set. The Brit needed just 69 minutes to dismiss top seed Benoit Paire 6-2, 6-2 in Sunday’s final. A rejuvenated Bedene, who is now 10-0 on the Challenger Tour in 2017 and improves to a staggering 13-2 in career Challenger finals, rises to World No. 76 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. World No. 1 Andy Murray helped present the trophy to his countryman Bedene. Murray has been training at the tournament venue, the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, ahead of his return to the ATP World Tour at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters later this month. Great week...
A LOOK BACK Torneo Internacional Challenger (Leon, Mexico): Adrian Menendez-Maceiras lifted a trophy for the first time in a decade to cap an astonishing week in Mexico. The 31 year old had lost his past eight finals on the ATP Challenger Tour, but prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 against Roberto Quiroz in the first all-qualifier Challenger final since 2010. Menendez’s reward for his second Challenger title, his first since Cordoba in 2007, is for the Spaniard to climb up 70 places to No. 210 in Emirates ATP Rankings. Open Harmonie Mutuelle (Saint-Brieuc, France): Austrian top seed Gerald Melzer lost in the opening round at Saint-Brieuc. His conqueror Egor Gerasimov won seven matches in eight days as a qualifier to clinch a second Challenger...
A LOOK BACK Jalisco Open (Guadalajara, Mexico): Mirza Basic of Bosnia & Herzegovina captured his first ATP Challenger Tour title since July 2015 (Recanati, Italy) by defeating #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 6-4. The 25 year old weathered a difficult draw to prevail, taking out top seed Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic in the quarter-finals and fourth seed Jason Jung of Taipei in the semi-finals. The 17-year-old Shapovalov came into the final on a nine-match winning streak in Challengers, having won his maiden title last week on home soil in Drummondville. He also had a difficult path to the championship match, defeating good friend and fellow Canadian Vasek Pospisil in the second-round and former Top 15 player Jerzy...