Following his semi-final run on the 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals, Dominic Stricker was eyeing one other standout season on the ATP Challenger Tour. However, the Swiss needed to battle by means of a turbulent begin to the 12 months earlier than accumulating his fourth Challenger title in Rovereto, Italy on Sunday. The #NextGenATP star is amongst 4 Challenger champions this week.
The 20-year-old made Swiss tennis historical past when he gained the Citta’ Di Rovereto last towards house favorite Giulio Zeppieri 7-6(8), 6-2. Stricker joins Stan Wawrinka as the one Swiss gamers to win 4 Challenger titles earlier than their twenty first birthday.
Stricker, who fended off 5 set factors within the opening set towards third seed Zeppieri, reached the ultimate spherical of qualifying on the Australian Open, however continues to be aiming for his maiden Grand Slam look.
After a first-round exit on the Vilnius Challenger, the place he was the highest seed, Stricker discovered himself nearing one other disappointing opening-round loss in Rovereto. Down a set and a break within the first spherical towards Mili Poljicak, the previous junior World No. 3 rallied to outlive and win the event.
“Winning a title after a little bit little bit of a wrestle is nice,” Stricker stated. “I’m again totally motivated and blissful. I feel I’m on a great way now. [My goal for this year] was to not have one week successful a title after which dropping three first rounds, simply to be extra constant.
“For my rating, Top 100 could be nice, however the rankings change so rapidly. Loads can occur in a single week.”
Following his triumph in Rovereto, the lefty climbs to 120 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and is simply 9 spots from tying his career-high.
The #NextGenATP Zeppieri, who gained final week’s Cherbourg Challenger, propels to a career-high 115 following his nine-match successful streak.
At the Bengaluru Open in India, Max Purcell battled from a set down within the championship match to down second seed and countryman James Duckworth 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(5). The 24-year-old Purcell is using a 10-match successful streak.
Max Purcell is topped champion on the 2023 Bengaluru Challenger. Credit: Bengaluru Open
The Sydney native, who fended off two championship factors final week to win the Chennai Challenger, is the primary Australian to win back-to-back Challenger titles since Jordan Thompson in 2018 (Traralgon, Canberra). A four-time Challenger champion, Purcell rises to a career-high 116 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
In Monterrey, Mexico, Nuno Borges saved 10 of 11 break factors confronted all week to assert his third Challenger title on the Abierto GNP Seguros. Now at a career-high 85, Borges defeated Croatian Borna Gojo 6-4, 7-6(6) within the last.
Following the 2022 US Open, Borges turned the fourth Portuguese participant to crack the Top 100 previously decade, becoming a member of Joao Sousa, Pedro Sousa, and Gastao Elias (in 2016, Joao Sousa reached the best rating in Portuguese tennis historical past when he climbed to a career-high No. 28).
Nuno Borges in early-round motion on the 2023 Monterrey Challenger. Credit: Abierto GNP Seguros
In the semi-finals of the 2018 NCAA singles championship, the Wake Forest University standout Gojo took out Mississippi State’s Borges however the Mexico encounter went in favour of the Portuguese, who captured his first hard-court title in Monterrey. In 2019, Borges’ outstanding faculty profession included a 31-match successful streak earlier than falling quick within the NCAA Singles Championship (l. Jubb).
In Rome, Georgia, prime seed Jordan Thompson didn’t drop a set all week en path to successful his tenth Challenger title. In the ultimate, the 28-year-old gained 20 of 24 first serve factors to take down wild card Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-2 at Georgia’s Rome Tennis Open.
Jordan Thompson throughout Sunday’s last in Rome, Georgia. Credit: Georgia’s Rome Tennis Open
Following Purcell and Thompson’s Challenger titles this weekend, gamers from Australia have mixed for an early season-leading 5 Challenger titles.
Michelsen, 18, was competing in simply his third Challenger occasion. The California native is the youngest American to succeed in a Challenger last since Frances Tiafoe in 2016 (Tallahassee). Still a senior in highschool, World No. 356 Michelsen obtained a particular exemption into the Waco Challenger, as he was nonetheless competing in Georgia when the Texas Tennis Classic draw was made.
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Source: www.atptour.com