With a new crop of ATP Challenger Tour events being held throughout China this year, these tournaments have been a chance for some of the country’s youngest stars to showcase their best tennis.

At this week’s $125,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Qingdao, 18 year old Rigele Te prevailed in the first round over fellow Chinese player Yecong He to win his second main draw match in a Challenger. His first main draw Challenger win came last week at the $125,000 Challenger in Chengdu, where he was also a wild card.

Although Te lost in the second round in Qingdao on Thursday to Danilo Petrovic of Serbia, the youngest player on the Chinese National team said the past two weeks have been an invaluable experience for him.

“To be able to win matches in Challengers for the first time is exciting,” said Te. “I know I still have a long way to go. I just need to play more matches, gain more experience and boost my confidence.”

Another player taking his first steps this year on the ATP Challenger Tour year is 16 year old Yibing Wu. Currently ranked No. 19 in the ITF Junior Rankings, he made his Challenger main draw debut this week in Qingdao, where he lost to former World No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia in straight sets.

“I was very excited when the draw came out and to have the chance to play Janko. I really enjoyed it. I thought I played aggressive tennis in the first few games, but couldn’t keep up with him because he is so solid,” said Wu. “The pro players take everything very seriously. I learned a lot from that.”

Te and Wu’s appearances in Qingdao also come on the heels of 18 year old Fanjing Sun coming through qualifying to reach the quarter-finals last week in Chengdu. All three are aiming to get into the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, but said they want to be part of a contingent of top Chinese players.

“I hope when I reach this goal,” said Wu, “We already have Top 100 players from China.”

Slovenian veterans including Blaz Kavcic and Blaz Rola are taking to the court at this week’s ATP Challenger Tour event in Portoroz, but a local teenager also took the first steps towards what he hopes is a long pro career.

Sven Lah, 17, made his ATP Challenger Tour main draw debut on Tuesday against second seed Renzo Olivo of Argentina.  Although the World No. 113 in the Emirates ATP Rankings was by far the highest-ranked player Lah had ever faced, the youngest player in the draw held his own on Centre Court in a 6-2, 6-3 loss.

“It was a pleasure to play in such a good tournament and playing against Renzo is one of the best experiences of my career,” said Lah. “Playing against pros was a really good lesson for me, so I’m happy that I got the opportunity.”

Currently ranked No. 84 in the ITF Junior Rankings, Lah has spent most of this year competing in some of the world’s biggest junior events. But while he’s comfortable competing against quality opponents, he admitted the ATP Challenger Tour was a new level for him.

“The biggest thing I learned this week is that everyone knows how to hit serves, forehands and backhands, so the main thing is what you’re able to show on court,” said Lah. “The head is the main factor in the mind game out there.”

The Slovenian plans on eventually turning pro, but is first looking at first playing at college tennis in the U.S. because “from the beginning of my career we have been playing on clay, so I have to learn how to play on hard courts.” Lah plans to play more pro events over the next year, though, and is already plotting his return to Portoroz.

“It was a great week for me,” he said, “But I hope that I will come back next year without needing a wild card.”

Denis Shapovalov has had just one week to digest how his summer is unfolding. Junior Wimbledon title… check. First ATP World Tour main draw at the Citi Open… check. First ATP World Tour match win against World No. 16 Nick Kyrgios in front of thousands of screaming home fans at the Rogers Cup… triple check.

Where most 17-year-olds are enjoying their summer months relaxing at the beach and lounging with friends, Shapovalov is spending countless hours on court as he strives towards his professional ambitions. Having experienced a taste of success on both ends of the spectrum, the Canadian understands that developing his skills and building confidence at the Challenger level is imperative.

“My parents told me from the start to not expect this all the time,” Shapovalov told ATPWorldTour.com at the Challenger Banque Nationale de Gatineau. “It’s two wild cards at two dream tournaments, but then it’s back to reality and back to grinding. I expected it and it hasn’t been a problem for me yet. Those tournaments motivated me more than anything. It’s a long way and I just have to keep working. These Challengers give me that opportunity.”

Shapovalov’s longtime coach Adriano Fuorivia agrees that it’s a long process and the ATP Challenger Tour is an important next step for his pupil to return to the big stage.

“Hopefully playing in Challengers against guys in the 100-200 range will continue to push his level and further motivate him to reach for that top level. He won some Futures events in Florida at the beginning of the year, then came off the big win at Wimbledon juniors and now against Kyrgios, so he’s been playing with so much more confidence and is believing that he belongs in a higher category.

“We told him that you have to earn your way there. The wild cards into Washington and Toronto were a nice opportunity, but you have to earn your way back. That means playing more Challengers. I know it’s tough. It’s not easy to play in the spotlight at Wimbledon and night matches in Toronto in front of large crowds. But it’s a learning experience.

“Going back out there every single day and feeling that you have to perform in front of that crowd can be a different pressure. That’s not necessarily Denis’ problem, but these are thoughts in my mind that you have to prepare yourself for. And then you’re back playing on Court 1 or 2 at a smaller event, but that’s just another step in his development at a young age.”

Shapovalov’s tenure on the ATP Challenger Tour got off to an auspicious start in March, with a stunning run to the semi-finals on home soil in Drummondville. His first-round win over countryman Filip Peliwo made him the first player born in 1999 to win a Challenger match, which he proceeded to follow up with a straight-sets upset of second seed Austin Krajicek. Shapovalov would catapult more than 200 spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings to No. 551. It was a week that set the tone for his breakthrough season.

“I played some incredible tennis there and I wasn’t expecting to beat [Krajicek] in the quarters,” Shapovalov reflected. “We actually packed our bags, getting ready to go home before that. When I played Daniel Evans, I played amazing too. Ever since then he’s been in the Top 100 and made the third round at Wimbledon. It gave me so much experience and confidence. Now I need to pump up my fitness and work with Adriano to get ready for a few Challengers in the U.S. at the end of the year.”

“I don’t want to say it was a surprise, but just the level he was playing at was pretty high,” Fuorivia added. “Everything was clicking. His serve, forehand, backhand were all on. I don’t look at who he beats because everyone has an off day. I look at his level. If I feel that the level was looking pretty good, then I know he can play with these guys. And when the level is high, then the ranking will follow.”

The Italian-born Fuorivia, who first started working with Shapovalov four years ago, acknowledges that his pupil’s greatest asset is his mental approach. Where most teens would be looking ahead to an upcoming family vacation in Greece, Shapovalov, who is into his second straight Challenger quarter-final this week in Gatineau, is wired differently.

“He’s very perceptive in that he immediately notices what it takes to compete at this level and say ‘I have to do this better’ or ‘I need a better 1-2 shot’. He’s never played a junior game. It’s always been a ‘go for it’ game.

“The transition to playing the pros was easier for him. His serve improved and his attacking ball got better. I’m not saying he’s there, but it wasn’t so hard for him to stay in points because he goes for his shots. There’s so much in him to learn and get better.”

Follow all the latest off-court action on MyATP! Download the app for iPhone or Android or visit MyATP.com.

Abierto Mexicano Mifel – Los Cabos, Mexico

Top seed Feliciano Lopez, second seed Bernard Tomic and No. 4 seed Sam Querrey launched the inaugural Abierto Mexicano Mifel with mini tennis on a boat that included a scenic view of El Arco.

Ivo Karlovic, Jeremy Chardy, Santiago Giraldo, Lopez, Tomic, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Marcel Granollers, Pablo Carreno Busta, Fernando Verdasco, Robert Lindstedt, Tim Smyczek and more stars relaxed during the tournament players’ party on Sunday night. Watch

Karlovic, Chardy and Giraldo took a scenic boat ride in Los Cabos for some snorkeling at Playa del Amor. Watch

Carreno Busta, Dusan Lajovic, Adrian Mannarino, Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, Sergiy Stakhovsky and Tigre Hank took part in a unique activity when they visited the Wild Canyon adventure park. The players soared above ground on the Monster Ziplines and rode all-terrain vehicles across Los Cabos Canyon Bridge. Read & Watch

Chardy, Dolgopolov, Purav Raja and Divij Sharan participated in kids’ day activities.

Julien Benneteau, Austin Krajicek and Carreno Busta are among the stars who met fans and signed autographs on site. 

The moment Victor Estrella Burgos waited years for has finally arrived, and the Dominican can hardly breathe. He lies collapsed face down, his head buried in the red clay of Quito, his body shaking from disbelief.

Estrella Burgos has just beaten four-time titlist Feliciano Lopez, then No. 14 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, to win the 2015 Ecuador Open Quito. At 34, he has made history, becoming the oldest first-time ATP World Tour winner in the Open Era. He’s also become the first player from the Dominican Republic to win an ATP World Tour event.

By this time, though, Estrella Burgos had already made a career of shattering obstacles. As a boy, he taught himself how to play tennis. In his 20s, he taught the sport for years to fund his future career and achieve Dominican tennis history. When he could finally afford to go pro at the age of 26, people laughed at him. “It’s too late,” they told him.

But he has proved them wrong year after year, and when he retires, he’ll try to accomplish one more ambitious goal. The lifelong Santiago resident wants to make sure his story is never repeated. He wants everyone in the Dominican Republic with an interest in tennis to have the ability to pursue the sport.

“I don’t want the younger kids to have the same problems as me, like what I had before,” he said. “I want to change everything.”

Had it not been for his abundance of energy, who knows if Estrella Burgos’ own tennis talent would have been discovered. When he was eight, his dad asked a tennis teacher at a local club if he had anything that could keep his son busy.

“I was the ball boy,” Estrella Burgos said.

For about three hours every day, after and sometimes before school, Estrella Burgos would dash around the court, acting like a human tennis bucket, gobbling up balls while watching people play. During downtime, he’d grab a racquet and play like the people he saw: right-handed.

That’s why, almost 30 years later, even though Estrella Burgos writes with his left hand, he still hits a forehand with his right hand. “I didn’t have anybody to show me [how to play],” he said. “I saw the people play with their right hand, I took the racquet and I started.”

As a nine year old, Estrella Burgos won a junior tournament at the club, which upped his interest and landed him some advice. “So many people started to help me,” he said.

He gradually kept improving, becoming a top junior in the Dominican Republic and eventually teaching at the club. Through international competitions, including the Pan-American games and Davis Cup matches, Estrella Burgos soon believed he had the talents to compete among the best in the world.

As a 23 year old, for instance, he faced Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas, then 18, in a Davis Cup match. Estrella Burgos, No. 1,110 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, swept past the future Top 20 player 6-4, 6-3, 7-5. “I knew I had the level,” Estrella Burgos said.

But he lacked the finances to spend months and years on tour. So he kept working and teaching lessons at the club, squirreling away funds to someday launch his pro career.

No one from the Dominican Republic had done what he was trying to do – have a successful Top 100 career on the ATP World Tour. Yet Estrella Burgos was committed, and in 2006, as a 26 year old, he finally felt comfortable enough to give it a go professionally. He moved away from Santiago and relocated to Miami to practise with more people on a regular basis.

“Everybody thought, ‘It’s too late to start.’ But I think it’s never too late,” he said.

Read More: First-Time Winner Spotlight: Estrella Burgos

Estrella Burgos sweat it out at Futures events, his ranking in the low 900s of the Emirates ATP Rankings. By 2010, he had climbed to No. 211. By 2013, he had overcome torn cartilage in his right elbow to win multiple ATP Challenger Tour events for the first time in his career, including the Quito title, the start of his successful streak there.

The next year, Estrella Burgos hit his prime. In March, he became the first Dominican to crack the Top 100. In July, he reached the semi-finals in Bogota, beating then No. 14 Richard Gasquet in the quarter-finals before falling to eventual champion Bernard Tomic in a third-set tiebreak in the semi-finals.

In late 2014, Estrella Burgos became the oldest player to make his main draw debut at the US Open. He also became the first player from his country to play in the Grand Slam championship’s main draw.

The achievements kept coming and coming, but the best came in February 2015 in Quito, when he won five consecutive matches to take the title. In July 2015, he also reached a career best No. 43 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Earlier this year, as a 35 year old, he won five more matches in Quito to become a two-time ATP World Tour champion.

“Quito is just special for me,” he said. “I feel very confident. I feel I play very good and thank God I won the tournament again.”

He’s not done yet, either. “I think I can get better and better this year,” said Estrella Burgos, who turned 36 earlier this month.

How many titles, though, would Estrella Burgos have if he had turned pro when he was 18? How high would he be in the Emirates ATP Rankings?

These are questions he doesn’t want another Dominican to have to consider, so when he retires, he plans to start a foundation that will help promote tennis across the country. To start, Estrella Burgos, who moved back to Santiago after a handful of years in Miami, wants to work with the government to build public tennis courts in Santiago, which has a population of 550,753. When he was a kid, the city had nine public courts. Now, he said, it has zero.

If you want to play tennis but don’t belong to one of the three private clubs in Santiago, he said, you have nowhere to play. “That’s why everything is hard, because we don’t have the facilities,” he said. “If you are not a member, you cannot practise… That’s why everybody decides to play baseball, basketball, or another sport, not tennis.”

Estrella Burgos, who still lives in the home he grew up in, also wants to make sure kids who show tennis talent at a young age can gain the proper instruction. “I know so many of them play good but they don’t have any help or anybody to help them to make tournaments,” he said. “With my experience, with my ideas and everything, I have to help.”

He has seen how his historic career has generated interest in tennis in the Dominican Republic, and he wants to make sure he’s not the first and the last player from his country to win titles and break ATP World Tour records.

“This is my dream, to make a foundation,” he said. “We can make something different.”