Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo and Italian Mattia Bellucci continued their scorching runs on the ATP Challenger Tour this week as they every claimed their second Challenger title this month. Cerundolo collected the title on the Coquimbo Challenger whereas Bellucci triumphed in Vilnius, Lithuania. The #NextGenATP stars Bellucci and Cerundolo are amongst 5 Challenger champions this week.
Cerundolo defeated countryman Facundo Diaz Acosta 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 within the championship match to win the Challenger Dove Males+Care Coquimbo 2.
Following his breakthrough season in 2021, when Cerundolo collected a trio of Challenger titles and received the ATP 250 occasion in Cordoba, the lefty has battled a psoas muscle damage [located in the lower lumbar region of the spine] that pressured him to take break day this summer season.
Since returning to competitors, the Buenos Aires native has made a sudden influence on the Challenger Tour, profitable 12 of his previous 13 matches, together with triumphing in his residence metropolis, Buenos Aires, earlier this month. The 20-year-old boasts a 21-8 Challenger-match file this season and the title in Coquimbo lifts him to 136 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
Bellucci, 21, prolonged his match-winning streak to 12 after defeating Turkish qualifier Cem Ilkel 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 within the last on the Vilnius Open by kevin. The left-hander didn’t drop a set all week till the championship match.
“I’m tremendous, tremendous pleased,” Bellucci mentioned. “I performed unbelievable tennis for 2 weeks. 12 matches in a row, I’m additionally a bit drained.”
“The primary set was tremendous troublesome to get into the match, I felt drained, particularly mentally. Then I used to be like, ‘Okay, let’s play each level!”
Mattia Bellucci in motion on the 2022 Vilnius Challenger.” />
Italian Mattia Bellucci in motion on the 2022 Vilnius Challenger. Credit score: Saulius Čirba
The week previous to triumphing in Lithuania, Bellucci superior by way of qualifying to win his first Challenger title on the Saint-Tropez Challenger. Bellucci is the second Italian #NextGenATP participant to attain a number of Challenger titles this season (Luca Nardi, 3) and is the youngest Italian to win Challenger titles in back-to-back weeks since 19-year-old Stefano Pescosolido in 1991.
Following his title on the indoor arduous courtroom occasion in Vilnius, Bellucci rises to a career-high No. 156 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
Lithuania’s Debut Challenger Making Strong Impressions
In Ambato, Ecuador, Facundo Bagnis created Challenger Tour historical past. The lefty secured Argentina’s twenty first Challenger title of the yr, probably the most titles received by a single nation in a season, as he ousted Brazilian Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva 7-6(7), 6-4 within the last on the Ambato La Gran Ciudad.
Bagnis was victorious a number of hours after Argentine teen Cerundolo secured his title in Chile, combining to surpass the earlier file of most titles received by a rustic in a season, 20, which has been reached 4 occasions (France in 2005, Argentina in 2007, 2016, 2021).
Facundo Bagnis in motion throughout Sunday’s last on the Ambato Challenger.” />
Facundo Bagnis in motion throughout Sunday’s last on the Ambato Challenger. Credit score: Armando Prado
Bagnis, who claimed the Pereira Challenger earlier this season, dropped only one set all week en path to claiming his sixteenth Challenger title.
“I’m very pleased,” Bagnis mentioned. “I didn’t really feel good up to now few weeks, not due to the outcomes however due to myself… Moving into the High 100 is a purpose I achieved with this victory and now I’ve extra objectives.”
On the Granology Busan Open in South Korea, Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak captured his fourth Challenger title after defeating Moldova’s Radu Albot 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 within the last.
Majchrzak, 26, went 3-0 on the season-opening ATP Cup earlier than reaching his maiden Tour-level semi-final in Pune (l. Ruusuvuori). This week, the 2013 US Open boys’ doubles champion (w/ Ma Redlicki) took down prime seed Soonwoo Kwon within the quarter-finals en path to his first Challenger title of 2022. Majchrzak climbs to No. 82, seven spots shy of his career-high, which he reached in February.
Within the second all-Swiss last in Challenger Tour historical past (Marc Rosset vs. Roland Stadler, Nyon 1989), Alexander Ritschard defeated Henri Laaksonen 7-5, 6-5 (ret.) to win the Challenger Hamburg.
“It was a tricky week,” Ritschard mentioned. “I had many robust matches, I performed all the pieces point-for-point and one way or the other managed to sneak out the win.”
Alexander Ritschard throughout Sunday’s Hamburg Challenger last.” />
Alexander Ritschard throughout Sunday’s Hamburg Challenger last. Credit score: Witters Sportfotografie
For the primary time in Challenger historical past, 4 Swiss gamers have received a Challenger title in the identical season. Ritschard joins Dominic Stricker (Cleveland, Zug), Marc-Andrea Huesler (Mexico Metropolis, Aguascalientes) and Antoine Bellier (San Luis Potosi) as Swiss champions in 2022.
After gathering his maiden Challenger title, the Zurich native opened up in regards to the inspiration he felt this week after receiving a troublesome cellphone name.
“I bought some unhealthy information from my household this previous week that my mother was recognized with breast most cancers,” Ritschard mentioned. “Not one thing I’d like to listen to on the street. They discovered it fairly early, I’m assured she might be okay. It undoubtedly helped with the motivation [this week].”
Ritschard, World No. 166, is three spots shy of tying his career-high 163 and following the championship match, the 28-year-old acknowledged that his purpose for the rest of the season is to complete within the High 150.
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