Why not, let's pay attention to Challengers too...

stringertom

stringertom

Bionic Poster
@sureshs , The Peniston is putting up stiff resistance in Andria (ITA) but Marton seems determined to be The Fucsovics in their encounter.

You don’t seem so excite about how deep Peniston goes in these last draws of 2022. :cry:
 
James P

James P

G.O.A.T.
Leandro Riedi with back to back Challenger titles and on a 12 match win streak (including quallies) to end the season on a high note. Good stuff from the 20 year old Swiss man. Might have two bonifide replacements for Federer and Wawrinka in Stricker and Riedi.
 
stringertom

stringertom

Bionic Poster
James P said:
Leandro Riedi with back to back Challenger titles and on a 12 match win streak (including quallies) to end the season on a high note. Good stuff from the 20 year old Swiss man. Might have two bonifide replacements for Federer and Wawrinka in Stricker and Riedi.
Click to expand...
Triumvirate with slightly older Huesler, who has an ATP title on his CV.
 
travlerajm

travlerajm

Talk Tennis Guru
Underdogs in the Vegas odds today vs the clay court specialist home-town duo, but prevailed in an epic showdown to finish the chally season right on a 12-match win streak and with 6 titles in last 7 tourneys.
 
stringertom

stringertom

Bionic Poster
The persistent Luca Van Assche made another Challenger final this week and cashed in for his first Challenger title in his fourth attempt, The 3-6 6-4 6-0 victory over Maximillian Neucrist in Maia (POR) earned enough points to set a NCH at #138. That probably means he will be the lower seed in his qualies pod at AO.
 
Baseline_Bungle

Baseline_Bungle

Legend
In other news, Max Purcell has swept the Indian challenger swing, winning the events in Chennai, Bangalore and Pune back-to-back-to-back to earn his first trip to the Top 100. A most impressive feat!

It was an eventful few weeks that included several bouts of Delhi Belly, a monkey invasion and a giant bat downed by a first serve during a doubles match.

 
stringertom

stringertom

Bionic Poster
Baseline_Bungle said:
In other news, Max Purcell has swept the Indian challenger swing, winning the events in Chennai, Bangalore and Pune back-to-back-to-back to earn his first trip to the Top 100. A most impressive feat!

It was an eventful few weeks that included several bouts of Delhi Belly, a monkey invasion and a giant bat downed by a first serve during a doubles match.

Click to expand...
Very good news and I have updated the new Top 100 list to include Purcell.

There are several other possible newbies in the next week with any success at IW. Also, Stricker in Lugano Challenger could be a newbie in top 100 with a second title there and some shedding of points by one or two inside top 100. Lugano top seed Gijs Brouwer could set up a duel for that top 100 in the final there.
 
stringertom

stringertom

Bionic Poster
Also, the first Super Challenger 175 will be played in Phoenix during the second week of IW. An early exit at IW has its silver lining if the players are willing to do the fairly easy commute down to Valley of the Sun.

Highest ranked provisional commitment is van de Zandschulp
 
Baseline_Bungle

Baseline_Bungle

Legend
stringertom said:
Also, the first Super Challenger 175 will be played in Phoenix during the second week of IW. An early exit at IW has its silver lining if the players are willing to do the fairly easy commute down to Valley of the Sun.

Highest ranked provisional commitment is van de Zandschulp
Click to expand...

Phoenix should be even more loaded than usual with the extra points available... tougher event than several 250s...
 
B

Berasategui94

Semi-Pro
Ruusuvuori’s fellow Finn Virtanen reaches his second final by beating former champion Stricker in Lugano 6-7, 6-3, 6-0. In the last two sets Virtanen blew Stricker off the court with massive serves and forehands.

H2H 2-0 for Virtanen.
 
Alfred Chicken

Alfred Chicken

Rookie
Berasategui94 said:
Ruusuvuori’s fellow Finn Virtanen reaches his second final by beating former champion Stricker in Lugano 6-7, 6-3, 6-0. In the last two sets Virtanen blew Stricker off the court with massive serves and forehands.

H2H 2-0 for Virtanen.
Click to expand...

To be fair, due to a foot injury Stricker couldn't move properly anymore from set 2 onwards.
 
B

Berasategui94

Semi-Pro
Alfred Chicken said:
To be fair, due to a foot injury Stricker couldn't move properly anymore from set 2 onwards.
Click to expand...

Ok, in the third set at least it did seem like something was wrong.

Virtanen won the final 6-4, 7-6. Ilkel was better in the 2nd set, but good serving and one lucky net cord in the tiebreak saved him.
 
stringertom

stringertom

Bionic Poster
I have to say Phoenix is a fiasco right now. On the eve of first ball on Monday the draw is still not published on the ATP website.
 
Baseline_Bungle

Baseline_Bungle

Legend
stringertom said:
I have to say Phoenix is a fiasco right now. On the eve of first ball on Monday the draw is still not published on the ATP website.
Click to expand...

That's presumably because they're still finalizing entry lists. Big Berr was just announced as the final WC (together with Monfils and Schwartzman) but a number of players are still presumably in limbo, like Ruusuvuori and Draper. In fact, I'm not even sure they'll publish the MD today (1Rs start Tusday), but the qualies (which start tomorrow) should be up shortly.
 
stringertom

stringertom

Bionic Poster
Baseline_Bungle said:
That's presumably because they're still finalizing entry lists. Big Berr was just announced as the final WC (together with Monfils and Schwartzman) but a number of players are still presumably in limbo, like Ruusuvuori and Draper. In fact, I'm not even sure they'll publish the MD today (1Rs start Tusday), but the qualies (which start tomorrow) should be up shortly.
Click to expand...
4 U’s is FINNISH in IW. He can rise again in Phoenix.
 
Baseline_Bungle

Baseline_Bungle

Legend
The Beard is Back! Ben lifts his first trophy in ages after taking out big-serving Yuta Shimizu (all 5-foot-3 of him) in the Puerto Vallarta final.



Credit to him for going back down into the challenger jungle. Many would have guessed he'd just walk away after plummeting way out of the Top 200, instead he's still trying. Actually won 4 three-setters this week... Doubt he'll recapture his former glory, but even just sneaking back into the Top 100 would be enormously impressive, all things considered.
 
stringertom

stringertom

Bionic Poster
Baseline_Bungle said:
The Beard is Back! Ben lifts his first trophy in ages after taking out big-serving Yuta Shimizu (all 5-foot-3 of him) in the Puerto Vallarta final.



Credit to him for going back down into the challenger jungle. Many would have guessed he'd just walk away after plummeting way out of the Top 200, instead he's still trying. Actually won 4 three-setters this week... Doubt he'll recapture his former glory, but even just sneaking back into the Top 100 would be enormously impressive, all things considered.
Click to expand...
He gets ridiculed way too much; only his FH deserves that bad ink. In this cookie cutter era, the ATP needs the occasional Benoits and Bubliks to defy conformity.

Quick turnaround for Benny to arrive in Phoenix for qualifying. Hope he makes it and gets some points to climb back inside top 150. He’s at #169 but that’s up +79 from the previous Monday.
 
stringertom

stringertom

Bionic Poster
Baseline_Bungle said:
OK I agree, 10 pm in Phoenix and no draw... incompetent twits.
Click to expand...
They were burning the candles overnight in the Valley of the Sun:

#1 seed is WC Berrettini and #2 is WC Schwartzman. Top half seeds are #3 Gasquet, #6 Hüsler and #8 Ruusuvuori. Bottom half seeds are #4 Bublik, #5 Lehecka and #7 Ymer.

Other IW early exits in the draw are WC Monfils, 7 players listed as alternates, and 9 listed as DE.
 
stringertom

stringertom

Bionic Poster
Baseline_Bungle said:
well, that was expected. Riedi is way out of his league right now.
Click to expand...
Riedi got pummeled (1&1) by Draper five days ago in IW; Benoit won his Puerto Vallarta final yesterday and flew nearly 1000 miles to Phoenix overnight. That had more to do with the result than the supposed talent gap.
 
Baseline_Bungle

Baseline_Bungle

Legend
stringertom said:
Riedi got pummeled (1&1) by Draper five days ago in IW; Benoit won his Puerto Vallarta final yesterday and flew nearly 1000 miles to Phoenix overnight. That had more to do with the result than the supposed talent gap.
Click to expand...

Riedi is real good though. Just extremely erratic and inconsistent. But he'll put it together eventually. Amazing potential, better than Stricker... the true Swiss hope.
 
B

Berasategui94

Semi-Pro
Favorites to win Biel:

Top half: Broady, Stricker
Bottom Half: Virtanen, Rodionov

Rooting for my fellow Finn Virtanen of course, who would get very close top 100 with the title.
 
B

Berasategui94

Semi-Pro
Virtanen (b. 2001) takes his 3rd challenger title by beating the in-form Purcell 6-7, 6-4, 6-2. His record in finals now 3-0, and his ranking on Monday will be #109. In the live race Virtanen is now #65, his fellow Finn Ruusuvuori #45...
 
Aabye5

Aabye5

G.O.A.T.
James P said:
This Yibing Wu kid is pretty interesting, just keeps winning. I thought Zhizhen Zhang, or maybe even Juncheng Shang, would be the first Chinese man to crack the top 100, but Wu is coming out of nowhere and might beat them to it.
Click to expand...

Good call on Zhizhen Zhang...
 
Aabye5

Aabye5

G.O.A.T.
Finals this week (Sept 3, 2023):

1. Como, Italy: Thiago Seyboth Wild vs Pedro Martinez
2. Mallorca, Spain: Harold Mayot vs Hamad Medjedovic
3. Zhangjiagang, China: Mikalai Haliak vs Terence Atmane
 
Hood_Man

Hood_Man

G.O.A.T.
This is a fascinating thread and I'm glad it exists.

I don't follow challengers much admittedly, but it's a treat to read through the thread and see names who have become familiar to us all by now, who were just starting out at the time.
 
A

artdeco

Semi-Pro
Somebody is posting every Tomic Challenger match on Youtube.
I watch them. I like Tomic's strokes when he can be bothered.
 
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