Sergiy Stakhovsky looks back on his victory in the final of the ATP Challenger Tour event in Portoroz, where he rallied from a set and a break down to take his sixth career title.
Watch as American Raymond Sarmiento fires Hot Shot of the week at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Aptos, launching a baseline-to-baseline tweener lob winner.
The step up for a former top junior prospect is fraught with hurdles even at the best of times. Form, fitness and finding yourself – let alone the right coaching mix – is all part of the juggling act as a teenager about to take on the world. For former junior World No. 3, Duckhee Lee, this is only compounded having been born deaf. The #NextGenATP Korean can hear vibrations, but must rely on hand gestures from the umpire and line judges. Coached by Woo Chunghyo, Lee rose as high as No. 130 in the Emirates ATP Rankings in April. It has been a tough few months since, however, with the 19 year old falling to his current mark of...
Paul Kepler knows better than most the balancing act of awarding wild cards into one of the most sought after spots in an ATP Challenger Tour draw. This week, the Aptos Challenger event celebrates its 30th anniversary and Kepler has been at the helm as tournament director for 27 of those. With an honour roll of past champions including Marcos Baghdatis (2014), Steve Johnson (2012), Andy Murray (2005), Daniel Nestor (1995) and Patrick Rafter (1993), it is easy to see why this event has developed such an enviable reputation. As luck would have it, even a former No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings has been known to request a last-minute place in the draw. “We’ve had a number of...