From Tenerife To Thailand, Challenger Season Set To Begin | ATP Tour

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 ready to get underway this week.

The season will unfold with 5 tournaments, together with in New Caledonia, Australia, Thailand, Argentina, and Portugal. Throughout a number of time zones, you would open the brand new 12 months by watching stay 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 chunk of tennis paradise with breathtaking views. The French territory positioned 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 score: 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 kids Matteo Arnaldi, Francesco Passaro, and Luca Nardi goal to start out the season on a robust be aware. Marton Fucsovics, Hugo Gaston, and Luca Van Assche are additionally within the Canberra area.

Additionally featured on the early-season schedule is the Spanish island Tenerife, which is able to 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.

Subsequent month, the indoor arduous courtroom occasion in Cherbourg, France will have a good time its thirtieth anniversary. The Challenger 75 occasion is without doubt one of the 5 longest-running occasions in Europe (Istanbul, Segovia, Sevilla and Tampere). Previous champions in Cherbourg embody former World No. 4 Sebastian Grosjean (1999) and 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov (2011).

A number of tournaments will mark their first version within the early a part of the season, such because the Piracicaba, Brazil Challenger and the indoor arduous courtroom occasion in Rovereto, Italy.

The USA will host a trio of arduous courtroom occasions spanning throughout January and February: Cleveland, Rome (Georgia), and a debut match in Waco, Texas.

In February, the Challenger Tour will return to Vilnius, Lithuania. The host venue, the SEB area, gives world-class amenities and is the most important indoor tennis complicated in central Europe. After making their debut in October, the Lithuanian capital metropolis is ready for an additional nice match.

Different nations featured on the Challenger schedule over the subsequent 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 go the document 184 tournaments performed in 2022. Because the gamers earn frequent flier miles, rating factors, and prize cash, you’ll be able to sit within the consolation of your property and watch the 2023 Challenger season at no cost on Challenger TV. And maybe go to a match if there’s a Challenger in your neck of the woods.