A breakthrough ATP Challenger Tour title and a long way round to dodge Hurricane Irma – it’s been a week unlike any Marcelo Arevalo will experience again. The 26 year old became the first player from El Salvador to notch a Challenger title with his 7-5, 6-4 victory over local Daniel Elahi Galan in the Milo Open final in Bogota, Colombia on Sunday.

He had taken down fourth seed Nicolas Jarry, fifth seed Gerald Melzer and top seed Victor Estrella Burgos en route to the decider. The triumph prompted tears of elation and hopes of inspiring children back home to pick up a racquet.

“It feels really good. I’m really happy,” Marcelo said. “I’ve been chasing this for a few years. I cried after the match and I called my mum and dad because they have been my biggest supporters in life. 

“They have always believed in me. My results this year haven’t been good. I didn’t win many matches and my ranking was dropping to outside the Top 300. 

“From a bad year, this is now a good one. I have my confidence back again and I hope to continue winning matches and end the year in a better way.”

The surprise win came with an unexpected twist. Marcelo had to get to Cary, in the United States, for his next Challenger event but Hurricane Irma had other ideas.

With his flight to Miami cancelled, the Salvadoran was then rescheduled to fly into New York City, arriving at 2am on Tuesday, before taking on American Michael Mmoh later that same day.

Regardless of how he fairs against Mmoh, his win in Bogota ensures he will shift up to No. 219 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, closing in on his career-high mark of No. 176. It atones for a pair of runner-up finishes in Challenger events last season.

“Last year I had two chances to make it, in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and Granby, Canada, and I lost both,” Marcelo said. “When I was in those two finals, I was pretty tight and nervous.

“I was thinking what people were going to say if I won my first tournament. And what it would mean to my country, to have the first guy in history to win a Challenger title. 

“In this one, I said to myself that I already played two finals and I’m just going to play this one like it’s any other match. That’s what I did.

“A good goal for me would be to get back to No. 170 or 160, get into Australian Open qualifying and try to go even higher next year.”

The Arevalo family is well known in Salvadorian tennis circles. Marcelo’s brother Rafael created a tennis academy there and is the president of the national federation. His brother’s goal is to open 100 public courts around the country and Marcelo sees this as an inspiration in his bid to crack the Top 100 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

“I hope that being the first from my country to win a Challenger title will be good for the kids, because it can make them believe,” he said. “If I did it, they can do it even better in the future. If I open the way for them, I can help them to believe that they can be a professional tennis player. I would like to see other guys like me fighting in the Challenger level. I would be really happy if I see that someday.” 

After Rafael Nadal’s victory at the US Open, his fellow players have taken to Twitter to send their well wishes to the Spaniard, who captured his 16th Grand Slam championship.

Felicitaciones @RafaelNadal! Merecido campeón. ?

— Juan M. del Potro (@delpotrojuan) September 10, 2017

@RafaelNadal you are the best Spanish athlete in History!! #16thGrandSlam ????

— Fernando Verdasco (@FerVerdasco) September 10, 2017

Grande Rafa

— Mardy Fish (@MardyFish) September 11, 2017

Congratulations to @RafaelNadal on winning @usopen. Incredible athlete for all of us to keep getting inspired from. #VamosRafa

— Rohan Bopanna (@rohanbopanna) September 11, 2017

When the laws of physics don’t apply, your name must be Rafa.

— Noah Rubin (@Noahrubin33) September 10, 2017

Congrats @rafaelnadal on your 3rd @usopen title and thanks for spending a little time w/… https://t.co/ozz2nJvlJk

— Justin Gimelstob (@justingimelstob) September 10, 2017

Focus on your goals, never give up, always keep fighting… Some of the values @RafaelNadal has shown with his example. CONGRATS #VamosRafa pic.twitter.com/EyNzqtqvmu

— Rafa Nadal Academy (@rnadalacademy) September 10, 2017

Congrats Rafa ?

Roger 19
Rafa 16

and counting …#legends

— Christopher Kas (@KasiTennis) September 10, 2017

It has been a fairytale season for Rafael Nadal, winning his 10th Roland Garros crown, returning to No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and now, on Sunday night in New York, capturing his 16th Grand Slam championship at the US Open. In the eyes of his uncle and coach, Toni Nadal, it is an incredible feat.

“When he was 12, 13 or 14, you never think he will get to this level,” said Nadal. “I am very happy to see my nephew lift so many trophies, knowing that he has achieved another piece of history. He has won a hard-court tournament for the first time since 2014. We are very happy that he has won another Grand Slam, his 16th, and is in a position to fight for No. 1.”

The US Open champion of 2010, 2013 and 2017 hadn’t triumphed on hard courts since 2014 Doha (d. Monfils). Since then, he had contested 34 hard-court tournaments without success. This year, he was beaten in the finals of the Australian Open, Acapulco and Miami.

Nadal’s victory at Flushing Meadows gives him a healthy lead over Roger Federer in the year-to-date standings as the two prepare to battle it out for the year-end No. 1 spot in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Nadal has 9,365 points to Federer’s 7,505. “He has a lead of almost 2,000 points,” said Toni Nadal. “We will see what happens at the end of the year, though, with tournaments that usually favour Federer.

“At indoor hard-court tournaments, like Basel, Paris or the Nitto ATP Finals, Federer has the advantage. But I think that Rafael’s level is high enough to do well in those events,” said Toni Nadal.

Nadal’s victory at the US Open rounded out the dominance that he and Federer have enjoyed once again in 2017, splitting the four Grand Slams between them in a season where both were coming back from injuries and loss of form. “It was unimaginable that would happen, of course,” said Toni Nadal. “But I had faith that Rafael would win one more Grand Slam, I tell you truthfully.”

When Carlos Moya joined Rafael Nadal’s team ahead of the 2017 season, he did so with total optimism. “When I joined the team I knew that there was much more to come for Rafa, that if he stayed injury free and continued training with the same motivation, desire and confidence, that the tennis would come,” said Moya.

“And in any case, we are talking about a legend, so the victories always come sooner or later,” added Nadal’s coach, himself a former World No. 1. He wasn’t mistaken. Three Grand Slam finals later, and with the US Open trophy now in his player’s hands, Moya couldn’t be more satisfied.

Their relationship and friendship is well documented, with Moya mentoring Nadal since he was a teenager. But has anything ever surprised him about Nadal during his career? “Many things have surprised me,” he responds without hesitation. “When I saw his progress, how quickly he went through every stage of development, when he won Wimbledon, when he achieved things that were unthinkable at that time in Spanish tennis… Now, nothing will surprise me anymore. He always gives the best of himself. We are talking about one of the greatest players in history and, as such, my faith in him is rock solid.”

Moya, who as a coach has guided Nadal to three Grand Slam finals this year as well as taking Milos Raonic to the Wimbledon final in 2016, sees Nadal competing for everything in the future. “If he can stay as healthy as he is now, without injury, motivated, looking after himself the way he is, we will be talking about Rafa for years to come,” said the Mallorcan.

“He is a player who broke records as a teenager and who is now breaking them as a veteran as well. This is something we haven’t see much in the history of tennis. People talk about how physical tennis is, but here he is at 31 winning two Grand Slams, right behind Federer. We mustn’t underestimate his talent, his ability to improve, to analyse things. For me, there is no reason to think he can’t spend many more years on Tour,” said Moya.

Can a World No. 1 and winner of 16 Grand Slams stay motivated? “Someone who has achieved so much will always find a new challenge,” said Moya. “There aren’t many challenges left, but there are some. He is a very competitive person, a very demanding person and that helps a lot. He will keep finding motivation and his biggest motivation will be to keep improving, keep evolving, stay competitive and he knows that if he can do that, the options to win tournaments and fight at the top will be there.”