From tropical islands, to distant settings, to the world’s largest cities, the ATP Challenger Tour is aware of no bounds because the forty sixth Challenger season is about to get underway this week.
The season will unfold with 5 tournaments, together with in New Caledonia, Australia, Thailand, Argentina, and Portugal. Across a number of time zones, you might open the brand new 12 months by watching dwell Challenger matches for twenty-four hours non cease.
One occasion to maintain your eyes on would be the season-opening Noumea Challenger. A brief stroll from the Coral Sea, Noumea is a bit of tennis paradise with breathtaking views. The French territory situated within the south Pacific will host a Challenger occasion for the seventeenth 12 months and for the primary time since January 2020.
Ligue de Tennis de Nouvelle-Calédonie, host website of the Noumea Challenger. Credit: Open SIFA Nouvelle-Calédonie
Cristian Garin, Hugo Grenier, Zsombor Piros, and Benoit Paire are amongst those that will compete on the Noumea Challenger.
In Canberra, Australia, the Italian children Matteo Arnaldi, Francesco Passaro, and Luca Nardi goal to start out the season on a robust observe. Marton Fucsovics, Hugo Gaston, and Luca Van Assche are additionally within the Canberra area.
Also featured on the early-season schedule is the Spanish island Tenerife, which can host three Challenger occasions within the first six weeks, together with a Challenger 100 occasion beginning 16 January.
Challenger occasions are divided into 5 classes: Challenger 50, 75, 100, 125, and the brand new premium 175 tournaments. After not holding a Challenger for six years, Belgium will as soon as once more appeal to tennis followers for the Challenger 125 BW Open, set to start 24 January.
Next month, the indoor laborious court docket occasion in Cherbourg, France will have a good time its thirtieth anniversary. The Challenger 75 occasion is among the 5 longest-running occasions in Europe (Istanbul, Segovia, Sevilla and Tampere). Past champions in Cherbourg embody former World No. 4 Sebastian Grosjean (1999) and 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov (2011).
Several tournaments will mark their first version within the early a part of the season, such because the Piracicaba, Brazil Challenger and the indoor laborious court docket occasion in Rovereto, Italy.
The United States will host a trio of laborious court docket occasions spanning throughout January and February: Cleveland, Rome (Georgia), and a debut event in Waco, Texas.
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In February, the Challenger Tour will return to Vilnius, Lithuania. The host venue, the SEB enviornment, gives world-class amenities and is the biggest indoor tennis complicated in central Europe. After making their debut in October, the Lithuanian capital metropolis is ready for one more nice event.
Other nations featured on the Challenger schedule over the following eight weeks embody India, Argentina, Mexico, Germany, Chile, and Bahrain.
A projected 195 occasions will probably be performed on the Challenger Tour this season, which might move the document 184 tournaments performed in 2022. As the gamers earn frequent flier miles, rating factors, and prize cash, you possibly can sit within the consolation of your house and watch the 2023 Challenger season free of charge on Challenger TV. And maybe go to a event if there’s a Challenger in your neck of the woods.
