Trivia query: who’s the youngest participant within the Prime 100 of the present Pepperstone ATP Rankings?
If you happen to guessed Frenchman Luca Van Assche, you’d be right. The 18-year-old, who’s certainly one of 4 ATP Challenger Tour champions this week, triumphed on the Sanremo Tennis Cup to seize his third Challenger title.
After dropping the opening set in his first-round match towards Ryan Peniston, the Frenchman didn’t look again. Van Assche didn’t drop a set the remainder of the week and downed Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas 6-1, 6-3 within the closing to carry his second Challenger trophy of the season (Pau).
“I’m very glad, it’s been a loopy 4 weeks for me,” Van Assche stated. “Powerful first match, however I managed to search out options and my stage was very excessive the remainder of the week.”
Van Assche’s streak of 10 Challenger-level match wins helped propel him into the Prime 100 for the primary time.
“If you begin enjoying tennis everyone is speaking about Prime 100,” Van Assche stated. “I’m very proud, excited. It was emotional once I received my semi-final [against Vit Kopriva] as a result of I knew if I used to be within the closing, I might be Prime 100 right this moment.
“Usually I’m focussed on the match, not monitoring the rankings. However my associates had been speaking about it with me and so in fact I regarded and each match I used to be like 103 or 101.
“Two years in the past, I used to be like 1000-something so I don’t assume I might’ve anticipated to be Prime 100 now. Final 12 months, I used to be like 400. I used to be not anticipating this possibly a 12 months or two in the past. It was very quick. After all I used to be dreaming about it. I’m very proud and I simply wish to be even higher now.”
World No. 91 Van Assche now units his sights on incomes his maiden tour-level victory. The #NextGenATP star could have an opportunity to earn that milestone win at this week’s Millennium Estoril Open, the place he meets dwelling favorite Pedro Sousa within the opening spherical.
The Brussels-born participant, who received the 2021 Roland Garros boys’ singles title, is managing his tennis profession whereas additionally finding out arithmetic on-line at Paris Dauphine College.
In different Challenger Tour motion, Finland’s Otto Virtanen additionally claimed his second title of the season. The 21-year-old rallied from a set all the way down to beat Max Purcell 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2 within the closing of the Play In Challenger, which is held in Lille, France.
Virtanen, who received final month’s Lugano Challenger, fended off eight of 10 break factors confronted towards the Aussie. The Finn held his nerve to rise to a career-high 109 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
Purcell, who’s tallied a season-leading 25 Challenger-match wins, boasts an early lead for many Challenger titles this 12 months after the Australian received three consecutive crowns in February.
German Dominik Koepfer superior by means of qualifying en path to a title run on the Mexico Metropolis Open. The 28-year-old received seven matches in as many days, together with defeating Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante within the championship match 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.
The lefty Koepfer is a three-time Challenger titlist and following his triumph on the Mexican clay courts, he’s earned trophies on all three surfaces.
Let the fiesta start 🎊🏆#ATPChallenger | @DominikKoepfer pic.twitter.com/ffGe3mJll5
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 2, 2023
In Girona, Spain, Ivan Gakhov earned his maiden Challenger title on the Eurofirms Girona – Costa Brava. Within the closing, the 26-year-old was locked at a set a chunk, 5-7, 6-4, towards Gastao Elias when the Portuguese needed to retire with a left thigh harm.
A two-time Challenger semi-finalist in 2022 (Murcia, Amersfoort), Gakhov was competing in his first Challenger closing. Following his title run, Gakhov climbs to a career-high 186.
Welcome to the winner’s circle 👋🏆@Samurai_GI is the champion in Girona, besting Gastao Elias 5-7, 6-4 (ret.) to say his first #ATPChallenger title! pic.twitter.com/0BRd0gx9uJ
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 2, 2023
from Tennis – ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/SpDUI2s
