After 17 years on the ATP World Tour, doubles specialist Mariusz Fyrstenberg has decided to call it a career. At the ATP Challenger Tour’s Pekao Szczecin Open in Poland, Fyrstenberg announced on Sunday that he would be retiring from professional tennis, having completed a successful doubles career, most notably competing beside fellow Pole Marcin Matkowski in the pairing best known as “Polish Power”. “This is a special place for me, because in Szczecin I started my doubles career,” said Fyrstenberg. “I won here three times and always love the atmosphere at this tournament and the people, who always support me. I stopped playing tennis half a year ago, but I decided to announce it in Szczecin. I’ve never thought about...
A LOOK BACK Pekao Szczecin Open (Szczecin, Poland): Frenchman Richard Gasquet capped a brief return to the ATP Challenger Tour with a triumph in the Szczecin final, defeating former World No. 18 Florian Mayer 7-6(3), 7-6(4). Gasquet had entered the event to pick up some valuable match play having struggled recently with injuries. It was his first appearance in Szczecin since 2004 and improved his record in Challenger finals to 9-1. This was Gasquet’s first Challenger title since Bordeaux 2010. The Frenchman had saved a match point to beat Guido Andreozzi in the quarter-finals on Friday and did not drop a set thereafter. The World No. 30 is the highest-ranked Challenger winner since then No. 20 Benoit Paire won in...
Tennis in Poland is enjoying a golden era on the ATP Challenger Tour. Three tournaments – in Poznan, Szczecin and Wroclaw – headline the calendar, highlighted by the 2016 Tournament of the Year winner Pekao Szczecin Open. Celebrating its 25th edition this week, it has been recognised for its efforts to grow the sport both in Poland and at the Challenger level, while creating a product that players and spectators alike would expect from an ATP World Tour event. The distinguished $150,000 event is both the oldest and largest professional tournament in the country, and is once again underway with a stacked field at the historic Szczecin Tennis Club. It is celebrating Tournament of the Year honours for the second...
The ATP Challenger Tour turned its attention to Braunschweig, Germany, this week as the ATP welcomed representatives from tournaments and national federations throughout the world for the inaugural Global Challenger Workshop. With the goal of making the burgeoning circuit even stronger, the forum fostered an open dialogue between tournaments and ATP staff. The two days of collaboration and integration of ideas also included the awards presentation for 2016 ATP Challenger Tournaments of the Year. The Sparkassen Open in Braunschweig and Pekao Szczecin Open in Szczecin, Poland, were acknowledged for their passion and commitment to growing the game at the Challenger level. "This was the the first time we hosted an international ATP Challenger workshop," said Alison Lee, co-Chair Challenger Committee...