Argentine Genaro Alberto Olivieri and American Ben Shelton etched their names within the ATP Challenger Tour historical past e-book this week. Olivieri triumphed on the Uruguay Open so as to add to Argentina’s record-setting 22 Challenger titles this 12 months whereas Shelton continued his scorching run in Knoxville, Tennessee, the place he sealed his second consecutive title. Olivieri and Shelton are amongst six Challenger champions this week.
After rain pressured the ultimate to be accomplished Monday, Olivieri captured his maiden Challenger title by defeating countryman Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-7(3), 7-6(5), 6-3 to win the Montevideo Challenger.
Olivieri, who climbs to a career-high 191 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, is the fifteenth totally different Argentine champion of this 12 months, marking a Challenger Tour document for probably the most totally different winners from a single nation in a season. The Bragado native can be one of many record-setting 50 first-time Challenger winners in 2022.
Within the championship match, the 24-year-old avenged this previous month’s loss in Lima to Etcheverry, who was seeded second in Montevideo. Olivieri wanted three hours, 31 minutes to get previous his countryman Etcheverry, tying the Challenger Tour document for the longest closing (Winnetka 2015, Devvarman d. Nguyen).
Etcheverry, 23, earned his fortieth Challenger win of the season Saturday, when he ended Daniel Altmaier’s 13-match successful streak. Etcheverry is one among three gamers to attain 40 Challenger wins this season: Quentin Halys (43), Fixed Lestienne (40). In 2021, the Argentine captured the season’s second-most Challenger match wins (49), behind Benjamin Bonzi (50).
Shelton doubled-up by taking down shut buddy Christopher Eubanks in a Challenger closing for the second consecutive week. Shelton survived Eubanks in a deciding-set tie-break, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(4), to say the Knoxville Challenger.
Shelton, who’s on a 10-match successful streak, is the youngest American (20 years, one month) to win in consecutive weeks since Taylor Fritz (17 years, 11 months) in 2015 (Sacramento and Fairfield Challengers).
Challenger Win Proportion Leaders (2022)
The previous College of Florida star has been constructing upon his NCAA singles title in Could. Since capturing the school crown, Shelton has reached 5 Challenger finals. Following the title on the indoor laborious courtroom occasion, the #NextGenATP lefty rises to a career-high 108.
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Gamers from France are aiming to make a late season push to surpass Argentina’s 22 Challenger titles. Hugo Gaston was topped champion on the Open de Roanne Auvergne-Rhone Alpes to gather France’s twenty first Challenger title of the 12 months. The 22-year-old defeated Henri Laaksonen 6-7(6), 7-5, 6-1 to win his maiden Challenger title.
Gaston, who reached a career-high 58 this summer time, has reached at the least the semi-finals in his previous 4 Challenger tournaments.
Hugo Gaston in motion on the 2022 Roanne Challenger.” />
Hugo Gaston in motion on the 2022 Roanne Challenger. Credit score: Youri Appoline-Darsieres
In Could, the lefty reached the third spherical of his house Slam, Roland Garros, the place he upset then-World No. 20 Alex de Minaur in a gap spherical five-set thriller.
Within the Challenger Tour’s first all-Hungarian closing, Marton Fucsovics defeated Fabian Marozsan 6-2, 6-4 to say the Peugeot Slovak Open.
Fucsovics, who reached a career-high 31 in March 2019, is a five-time Challenger champion. Sunday’s victory in Bratislava marked the 30-year-old’s first Challenger title since June 2017 (Ilkey).
Marton Fucsovics on the 2022 Bratislava Challenger.” />
Marton Fucsovics on the 2022 Bratislava Challenger. Credit score: Roman Benický
“I’m very proud of successful a trophy once more after 4 years (ATP 250 in Geneva, June 2018),” Fucsovics stated. “I performed very nicely all week. My objective was to finish the 12 months within the High 100, which I’ll obtain because of this title. It’s an ideal end.”
On the Calgary Nationwide Financial institution Challenger, fifth seed Dominik Koepfer defeated Aleksandar Vukic 6-2, 6-4 to win his first Challenger title since June 2019 (Ilkey).
Dominik Koepfer celebrates successful the 2022 Calgary Challenger.” />
Dominik Koepfer celebrates successful the 2022 Calgary Challenger. Credit score: Kyle Clapham
Koepfer, a former standout at Tulane College, battled an higher arm harm earlier this season that restricted him to only 4 tournaments within the first 5 months of the 12 months. The 28-year-old, who gave up one set all week in Canada, has reached the ultimate at two of his previous three Challenger tournaments (Cary, l. Mmoh).
South Korean Seong-Chan Hong superior by means of qualifying en path to claiming the Unicharm Trophy Ehime in Matsuyama, Japan. Hong defeated Taiwanese Tung-Lin Wu 6-3, 6-2 within the championship match.
Hong is the third totally different Korean champion since 2010 (Hyeon Chung, Soonwoo Kwon). The 25-year-old, who performed seven matches in eight days, dropped only one set all week to seize his maiden Challenger title. Hong, 2015 Australian Open boys’ singles finalist (l. Safiullin), is the twentieth qualifier to win a Challenger title this 12 months. The Japanese title propels him to a career-high 252.
Seong-Chan Hong triumphs on the Matsuyama Challenger. Credit score: Yoshiharu Yokoyama