Swiss Leandro Riedi and Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki are making a late season surge on the ATP Challenger Tour. Riedi and Watanuki, who’re amongst 4 Challenger champions this week, have every claimed two Challenger titles in as many weeks and are at a career-high mark within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
Riedi, 20, was topped champion this week on the Andria Challenger. The #NextGenATP teen, who defeated Mikhail Kukushkin 7-6(4), 6-3 within the closing, didn’t drop a set all week en path to profitable the Castel Del Monte Open – Andria.
The Frauenfeld native joins Marc-Andrea Huesler and Dominic Stricker as two-time Challenger titlists this season from Switzerland. After profitable 12 straight matches, together with advancing by means of qualifying to win the Helsinki Challenger, Riedi rises to a career-high 161 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
“I really feel unbelievable,” Riedi mentioned. “It’s been a completely loopy two weeks. I liked it, it was a lot enjoyable. It’s been the perfect two weeks of my profession and I hope it’s only the start.”
The 2020 Roland Garros boys’ singles finalist (l. Stricker) has been making a sudden influence on the Challenger Tour since ending a standout junior profession, together with profitable the 2020 Australian Open boys’ doubles title (Nicholas David Ionel).
In Andria doubles motion, British duo Julian Cash and Henry Patten captured a record-setting ninth Challenger title this season. The earlier file, eight Challenger doubles titles in a season, was set in 2012 by twin brothers from Thailand, Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana.
Watanuki, seeded third, didn’t drop a set all week to triumph on the Yokkaichi Challenger. In a rematch of the earlier week’s Kobe Challenger closing, Watanuki defeated Portugal’s Frederico Ferreria Silva 6-2, 6-2 within the championship match.
“Honestly, earlier than these 4 weeks (Japanese Challenger swing) began, I did not count on such good outcomes,” Watanuki mentioned.
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“I actually cannot imagine I’m ranked 145. I need to play on the ATP Tour as a lot as doable sooner or later. Whenever I had an opportunity, I all the time tried to play on the ATP Tour this yr. I undoubtedly have a greater outlook taking part in with excessive degree gamers. I need to problem myself increasingly more.”
The 24-year-old, who’s coached by his older brother Yusuke, reached his first Tour-level quarter-final earlier this season on the ATP 250 occasion in Lyon (l. de Minaur).
Watanuki has constructed upon his season’s success, together with profitable 14 of his previous 15 matches and reaching the ultimate at every of the previous three Challenger tournaments he’s competed in (Yokohama, Kobe, Yokkaichi). The Saitama native is the one Japanese participant to say a number of challenger titles this season.
Despite coming into the week ranked No. 901, Argentine Guido Andreozzi superior by means of qualifying on the Temuco Challenger en path to capturing his first Challenger title since October 2018 (Guayaquil).
Guido Andreozzi breathes a sigh of reduction after profitable the Temuco Challenger. Credit: Bastien Vidal
Andreozzi, former World No. 70, rallied from a set down within the closing to defeat countryman Nicolas Kicker 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. After needing deciding units in 4 of his 5 essential draw matches this week, the Buenos Aires native prevailed to win the Challenger Dove Men+Care Temuco.
The 31-year-old provides to Argentina’s record-setting 23 Challenger titles this season. Andreozzi is the sixteenth totally different Argentine champion of this yr, marking a Challenger Tour file for probably the most totally different winners from a single nation in a season.
Andreozzi additionally paired with Guillermo Duran to win their seventh staff title this yr on the Challenger 100 occasion in Chile.
At the Copa Faulcombridge in Valencia, Spain, Ukraine’s Oleksii Krutykh defeated French teenager Luca Van Assche 6-2, 6-0 within the closing to gather his second Challenger title of the season.
Oleksii Krutykh in motion on the 2022 Valencia Challenger. Credit: Raul Piles
The 22-year-old, who additionally gained the Prague Challenger in August, is the one Ukrainian to say a Challenger title this season. This week in Valencia, Krutykh rallied from a set down in his quarter-final and semi-final matches to maintain his title run alive.
The Kyiv native, who additionally gained the doubles title in Spain (w/ Oriol Roca Batalla) rises to a career-high 190 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.