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  • Riedi, Watanuki Capture Back-To-Back Challenger Titles

    Riedi, Watanuki Capture Back-To-Back Challenger Titles

    Swiss Leandro Riedi and Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki are making a late season surge on the ATP Challenger Tour. Riedi and Watanuki, who are among four Challenger champions this week, have each claimed two Challenger titles in as many weeks and are at a career-high mark in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

    Riedi, 20, was crowned champion this week at the Andria Challenger. The #NextGenATP youngster, who defeated Mikhail Kukushkin 7-6(4), 6-3 in the final, didn’t drop a set all week en route to winning 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 winning 12 straight matches, including advancing through qualifying to win the Helsinki Challenger, Riedi rises to a career-high 161 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

    “I feel unbelievable,” Riedi said. “It’s been an absolutely crazy two weeks. I loved it, it was so much fun. It’s been the best two weeks of my career and I hope it’s just the beginning.”

     

    The 2020 Roland Garros boys’ singles finalist (l. Stricker) has been making a sudden impact on the Challenger Tour since finishing a standout junior career, including winning the 2020 Australian Open boys’ doubles title (Nicholas David Ionel).

    In Andria doubles action, British duo Julian Cash and Henry Patten captured a record-setting ninth Challenger title this season. The previous record, 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 at the Yokkaichi Challenger. In a rematch of the previous week’s Kobe Challenger final, Watanuki defeated Portugal’s Frederico Ferreria Silva 6-2, 6-2 in the championship match.

    “Honestly, before these four weeks (Japanese Challenger swing) started, I didn’t expect such good results,” Watanuki said.

    [NEWSLETTER FORM]

    “I really can’t believe I’m ranked 145. I want to play on the ATP Tour as much as possible in the future. Whenever I had a chance, I always tried to play on the ATP Tour this year. I definitely have a better outlook playing with high level players. I want to challenge myself more and more.”

    The 24-year-old, who is coached by his older brother Yusuke, reached his first Tour-level quarter-final earlier this season at the ATP 250 event in Lyon (l. de Minaur).

    Watanuki has built upon his season’s success, including winning 14 of his past 15 matches and reaching the final at each of the past three Challenger tournaments he’s competed in (Yokohama, Kobe, Yokkaichi). The Saitama native is the only Japanese player to claim multiple challenger titles this season.

    Despite coming into the week ranked No. 901, Argentine Guido Andreozzi advanced through qualifying at the Temuco Challenger en route to capturing his first Challenger title since October 2018 (Guayaquil).

    Guido Andreozzi breathes a sigh of relief after winning the Temuco Challenger.
    Guido Andreozzi breathes a sigh of relief after winning the Temuco Challenger. Credit: Bastien Vidal

    Andreozzi, former World No. 70, rallied from a set down in the final to defeat countryman Nicolas Kicker 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. After needing deciding sets in four of his five main draw matches this week, the Buenos Aires native prevailed to win the Challenger Dove Men+Care Temuco.

    The 31-year-old adds to Argentina’s record-setting 23 Challenger titles this season. Andreozzi is the 16th different Argentine champion of this year, marking a Challenger Tour record for the most different winners from a single country in a season.

    Andreozzi also paired with Guillermo Duran to win their seventh team title this year at the Challenger 100 event in Chile.

    At the Copa Faulcombridge in Valencia, Spain, Ukraine’s Oleksii Krutykh defeated French teenager Luca Van Assche 6-2, 6-0 in the final to collect his second Challenger title of the season.

    Oleksii Krutykh in action at the 2022 Valencia Challenger.
    Oleksii Krutykh in action at the 2022 Valencia Challenger. Credit: Raul Piles

    The 22-year-old, who also won the Prague Challenger in August, is the only Ukrainian to claim a Challenger title this season. This week in Valencia, Krutykh rallied from a set down in his quarter-final and semi-final matches to keep his title run alive.

    The Kyiv native, who also won the doubles title in Spain (w/ Oriol Roca Batalla) rises to a career-high 190 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

     

  • Riedi Relishes Maiden Challenger Title; Shelton Continues Surge

    Riedi Relishes Maiden Challenger Title; Shelton Continues Surge

    Two #NextGenATP youngsters, Leandro Riedi and Ben Shelton, shined at indoor hard court events on the ATP Challenger Tour this week.

    Switzerland’s Riedi advanced through qualifying en route to claiming his maiden title at the Helsinki Challenger while Shelton continued his historic Challenger Tour run at the Champaign (Illinois) Challenger, where he collected his third straight Challenger title and extended his match-winning streak to 15.

    Riedi defeated Czech Tomas Machac 6-3, 6-1 in the final at the HPP Open in Finland. The 20-year-old won seven matches in eight days to win the Challenger 90 event.

    “It’s the best feeling in the world,” Riedi said following the title. “My goal all week was to, no matter what, stay positive and I think that’s what got me here.”

     

    Riedi has made a sudden impact on the Challenger circuit since transitioning from juniors. The Swiss captured the 2020 Australian Open boys’ doubles title (w/ Nicholas David Ionel) and fell short to countryman Dominic Stricker in the 2020 Roland Garros boys’ singles final to finish a standout junior career. Earlier this season, Riedi upset top-seeded Maxime Cressy at the Lugano Challenger before advancing to his first Challenger final (l. Nardi).

    The Helsinki crown lifts Riedi to a career-high 197 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

    Shelton, 20, battled a slow start in Sunday’s final to take down Australian Aleksandar Vukic 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 and triumph at the Paine Schwartz Partners Challenger.

    The 2022 NCAA singles champion is the youngest player in Challenger history to win three titles in as many weeks and the second American to do so (Sam Querrey ‘14 Napa, Sacramento, Tiburon). The former University of Florida star is one of 12 players who has mastered the feat, including Benjamin Bonzi, who accomplished it last year (St. Tropez, Cassis, Rennes).

    “I feel pretty lucky, I didn’t expect to play 15 matches in three weeks and my body held up,” Shelton said. “It’s encouraging to me that I can play this many matches and be alright.”

    Challenger Win Percentage Leaders (2022)

    Player W-L Pct.
    Jack Draper (GBR) 24-4 85.7
    Wu Yibing (CHN) 23-4 85.2
    Ben Shelton (USA) 35-8 81.4
    Quentin Halys (FRA) 43-10 81.1
    Ugo Humbert (FRA) 19-5 79.2

    After starting the year at No. 573, Shelton has collected a 35-8 Challenger-match record, which has helped him climb to a career-high 97.

    “It’s definitely gone quick,” Shelton said regarding his Top 100 debut. “I’m going to take this offseason and slow down a bit, enjoy myself, and also focus on some things I can improve.”

    In Sao Leopoldo, Brazil, Juan Pablo Varillas escaped a three hour, 12 minute marathon final, where he fought from 1/5 down in the opening set tie-break before winning six straight points to steal the opening set and eventually defeated Argentine Facundo Bagnis, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4.

    The Peruvian, who is a three-time Challenger finalist this season, has made at least the semi-finals in three of his past four Challenger tournaments (Ambato, Guayaquil). Following the title at the Challenger Dove Men+Care Sao Leo Open de Tenis, Varillas is ten spots shy of tying his career high mark 97, which he reached in August 2022.

    Juan Pablo Varillas celebrates winning the 2022 Sao Leopoldo Challenger.
    Juan Pablo Varillas celebrates winning the 2022 Sao Leopoldo Challenger. Credit: Giovani Paim/Urge Criativa

    “I am very happy to win another Challenger title,” Varillas said. “I believe I had an incredible and positive week in every way. I think I accomplished what I was looking for this week. It was a great final, a very tough match that was decided in the details.”

    In May, Varillas made his Grand Slam debut at Roland Garros, where he held a two sets to love lead on then-World No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime, who eventually recovered to win in five sets.

    Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki rallied from a set down to win his second Challenger title, both on home soil at the Kobe Challenger. The 24-year-old defeated Frederico Ferreira Silva 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-4 in the final to claim the Hyogo Noah Challenger.

    “I just fought and fought, I’m so happy to win,” Watanuki said. “I was a little tight, Fredrico played well, but I was so happy to get the final point.”

    Bourbon Beans Dome, home of the Kobe Challenger.
    Bourbon Beans Dome, home of the Kobe Challenger. Credit: Kathryn Riley

    Watanuki, who is coached by his brother Yusuke, is just two spots shy of tying his career-high 171, which he reached in March 2019. Earlier this season, the Saitama native reached his first Tour-level quarter-final at the ATP 250 event in Lyon (l. de Minaur).

    Vasek Pospisil is in the Top 100 for the first time since October 2021 following his title at the Challenger Banque Nationale de Drummondville in Canada, where he defeated American Michael Mmoh 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4.

    Pospisil is a four-time Challenger finalist this season, including at the Quimper Challenger, where he was crowned champion (d. Barrere).

    Vasek Pospisil triumphs on home soil at the 2022 Drummondville Challenger.
    Vasek Pospisil triumphs on home soil at the 2022 Drummondville Challenger. Credit: Sarah-Jäde Champagne/Agence KICK Inc.

    The former World No. 25 won the 2014 Wimbledon doubles title (w/ Jack Sock) and the following year the Canadian reached the singles quarter-final at the All England Club (l. Murray).

    Pospisil, who was seeded third at the Drummondville Challenger, will next represent Canada in their quarter-final Davis Cup tie against Germany.

    In Drummondville doubles action, the British duo Julian Cash and Henry Patten dropped just one set all week en route to capturing a record-tying eighth Challenger doubles title.