Blockx, Jodar win Challenger titles & climb in Live Race To Jeddah
Alexander Blockx and Rafael Jodar have climbed in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah after they won ATP Challenger Tour titles in Bratislava and Charlottesville, respectively.
Blockx overcame former World No. 21 Jan-Lennard Struff in his opener and then defeated Titouan Droguet in the final to clinch his second Challenger Tour crown of the season. The 20-year-old Belgian is up to fourth in the Live Race To Jeddah and is set to make his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in December. Earlier this year he won a main draw match at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati.
View the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah standings
| 1. Jakub Mensik | 2,180 points |
| 2. Joao Fonseca | 1,635 |
| 3. Learner Tien | 1,310 |
| 4. Alexander Blockx | 523 |
| 5. Dino Prizmic | 487 |
| 6. Martin Landaluce | 455 |
| 7. Nicolai Budkov Kjaer | 450 |
| 8. Nishesh Basavareddy | 349 |
| 9. Rafael Jodar | 349 |
| 10. Justin Engel | 291 |
Spaniard Jodar has jumped to ninth after success in Charlottesville. The 19-year-old, who was a sparring partner at the 20-and-under event in 2024, has now won two Challengers in the past three weeks.
Last month, Jodar caught up with ATPTour.com to discuss how he is balancing his tennis with his studies.
“I tried to complete all the assignments and all the tasks on Friday and Saturday, so I could enjoy the day off Sunday,” Jodar told ATPTour.com in October. “I have my laptop with me. You always have to do some work. It’s good to keep your mind not thinking about tennis all day. When I have some free time, I do some work to catch up on the material that they do during the weeks I’m missing.”
A son of two teachers, Jodar takes pride in managing academics even amid his rise in pro tennis.
“They’ve always given priority to studies,” Jodar said of his parents. “And I’m on the same page. I think studies are very important for your development as a person.”
The Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF will take place in Jeddah from 17-21 December. The cutoff date for the Live Race is 10th November, with the Top eight players qualifying for the 20-and-under event. Joao Fonseca won the title in 2024, joining a list of former champions that includes Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
Read more from our Next in Line series
Next Steps: How Tien, Basavareddy & Engel are making the leap
Wimbledon dreams, Nishikori’s run & Vinci’s courtside lessons: #NextGenATP stars share memories
[NEWSLETTER FORM]