British number one Kyle Edmund has reached a career-high 14th in the ATP world rankings.
Edmund has moved up two places this week, and risen from 50th at the start of the year.
The 23-year-old reached the semi-finals of the China Open last week, losing to Nikoloz Basilashvili in his first competitive event since the US Open.
Edmund has been British number one since March, when he passed three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray.
A LOOK BACK
Abierto GNP Seguros (Monterrey, Mexico): Next year, David Ferrer will write the final chapter of his storied career, as the former World No. 3 hangs up his racquet after 18 illustrious seasons. On Sunday, the Spaniard made a statement in his last tournament of 2018, lifting the trophy at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Monterrey.
In what was the oldest final in Challenger history, the 36-year-old Ferrer ousted 39-year-old Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 6-4, not facing a break point throughout the 69 minute encounter. It was the sixth meeting between the two veterans (Ferrer leads 5-1) and first outside of the ATP World Tour.
Ferrer, who improved to 6-0 in finals on the Challenger circuit, has now lifted a combined 33 trophies between the ATP World Tour and ATP Challenger Tour. He was a force all week long at the Club Sonoma, dropping just one set and earning the appreciation of the Monterrey faithful with his tenacity and relentless aggression.
Karlovic, meanwhile, is hoping to give one last push to return to the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings. He rises to No. 118 after becoming the oldest player to reach a Challenger final at 39 years, 7 months. He smashed the record by nearly a year, with Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo previously reaching the 2016 Qingdao final at the age of 38 years, 8 months.
In his final tournament of 2018, @DavidFerrer87 walks off the court a champion.
The ?? reigns in Monterrey, ousting Ivo Karlovic 63 64 for the @Abierto_GNP title. pic.twitter.com/iEWrOxrxoO
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 8, 2018
Campeonato Internacional de Tenis (Campinas, Brazil): Chile’s Christian Garin streaked to his second ATP Challenger Tour title in convincing fashion on Sunday. The 22-year-old was nearly flawless in reeling off 10 sets in a row to lift the trophy in front of a sold-out crowd in Campinas.
The second-highest ranked Chilean, Garin rises to a career-high No. 121 in the ATP Rankings. His return to the winners’ circle was worth the wait, as he earned his first victory in nearly two years (Lima 2016).
Brazil’s lone tournament on the circuit was a party from start to finish, as fans flooded the Sociedade Hipica de Campinas all week to catch the future of men’s tennis. Top seed Pablo Cuevas was stunned by 20-year-old Ulises Blanch in the first round and US Open junior champ Thiago Seyboth Wild continued his transition to the pros, as the Brazilian teen reached his first Challenger quarter-final.
Stockton Challenger (Stockton, California, USA): Lloyd Harris dominated the field in Stockton to claim his second ATP Challenger Tour title, defeating fellow #NextGenATP Marc Polmans 6-2, 6-2 on Sunday. Two months ago, he became the first South African to lift a trophy in five years. Now, the 21-year-old proved that he’s not done celebrating crowns.
Harris dropped just one set all week, earning impressive wins over an in-form Christopher Eubanks, top seed Jordan Thompson and eighth seed Polmans. He joins as exclusive club in becoming just the third #NextGenATP with multiple titles this year, in addition to Jaume Munar and Michael Mmoh.
And most importantly, Harris is up to a career-high No. 113 in the ATP Rankings and rises four spots to 10th in the ATP Race to Milan. Having resided in 20th place prior to his triumph in Lexington, he is now firmly in contention to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals.
?? @lloydharris63 is the champion in Stockton, claiming his second #ATPChallenger title of the year with a 62 62 win over Polmans.
Joins Jaume Munar and Michael Mmoh as #NextGenATP with multiple ? in 2018 pic.twitter.com/YSnqY9k0yl
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 8, 2018
Firenze Tennis Cup (Florence, Italy): Pablo Andujar has fast become a strong candidate for Comeback Player of the Year in the ATP World Tour Awards presented by Moët & Chandon. Eight months ago, the 32-year-old was sitting outside the Top 1800 as he began his comeback from multiple elbow surgeries.
But now, Andujar is back and looking stronger than ever. On Sunday, the former World No. 32 notched his second ATP Challenger Tour title of the year, beating Marco Trungelliti 7-5, 6-3 at the inaugural tournament in Florence, Italy. In fact, he earned two wins in one day to lift the trophy after rain washed out Saturday’s semi-finals. He rises to the precipice of a Top 100 return, soaring to No. 103 in the ATP Rankings. Considering where the Spaniard was at the start of the year, it is truly remarkable what he is achieving.
Almaty II Challenger (Almaty, Kazakhstan): Three players became multiple winners on the ATP Challenger Tour this week, as Denis Istomin joined Harris and Andujar with his second title of 2018. The Uzbek rallied past Nikola Milojevic 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-2 in a marathon two hours and 41 minutes to prevail in Almaty.
Istomin added to his victory at the $150,000 event in Chicago, earning consecutive comeback wins to triumph. The 32-year-old returns to the Top 100, rising 16 spots to No. 87 in the ATP Rankings.
A LOOK AHEAD
There are five tournaments on three continents coming up, with the $125,000 Milex Open in Santo Domingo highlighting the slate. Defending champion Victor Estrella Burgos will face second seed Federico Delbonis in a blockbuster opening round encounter.
Meanwhile, in Fairfield, the Northern California swing concludes with Jordan Thompson, Lloyd Harris, Noah Rubin and Reilly Opelka leading the charge. Monterrey finalist Ivo Karlovic is seeded seventh.
In Ortisei, Italy, fourth seed Lorenzo Sonego is the defending champ, while in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, two-time winner Denis Istomin seeks to prevail once again on home soil. And in Barcelona, the inaugural Sanchez-Casal Mapfre Cup features Roberto Carballes Baena, Pablo Andujar, Tommy Robredo and #NextGenATP stars Nicola Kuhn and Pedro Martinez as home hopes looking to take home the title.
Karen Khachanov, playing at a career-high No. 24 in the ATP Rankings, picked up his first win at the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Sunday, beating American Steve Johnson 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-4. The Russian hit 17 aces and saved all three break points faced in the final two sets.
Khachanov will next meet either 10th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who recently qualified for the Next Gen ATP Finals, or Frenchman Gael Monfils.
In other day one action at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event, German Peter Gojowczyk beat Jack Sock of the U.S. for the second time this season (Auckland) 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3. The German will next face Bosnian Damir Dzumhur or Marton Fucsovics of Hungary.
Chile’s Nicolas Jarry hit 18 aces and beat Mischa Zverev of Germany 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5) to set a second-round meeting with fifth seed Marin Cilic, and Frenchman Jeremy Chardy swept German Maximilian Marterer 6-3, 7-6(5) and will next meet second seed Novak Djokovic.
World number two Caroline Wozniacki won her third event of the season with a straight-set victory over Anastasija Sevastova in the China Open final.
The Australian Open champion won 6-3 6-3 in 87 minutes in Beijing to claim her first title since Eastbourne in June.
“China always holds a special place in my heart as I became number one here for the first time eight years ago,” said 2010 champion Wozniacki.
It is the 30th title of the 28-year-old Dane’s career.
Second seed Wozniacki claimed the only break of the first set in the sixth game and eventually served out the opener.
She raced into a 4-1 lead in the second set by breaking Sevastova’s serve twice.
However, the Latvian, ranked 20th, hit back and had several chances to draw level against the Wozniacki serve in the eighth game, only for the Dane to eventually hold to lead 5-3.
She sealed the win with the second of three match points on her own serve.
Sevastova is set to move up to 12th in the new world rankings on Monday despite missing out on her third title of the season.
Meanwhile, US Open champion Naomi Osaka has pulled out of next week’s Hong Kong Open because of a back injury.
The Japanese world number six complained of the problem during her semi-final defeat by Sevastova at the China Open on Saturday, receiving treatment on the court.
The 20-year-old said after her loss to the unseeded Sevastova that her US Open win is causing her “stress” as she battles to “prove” herself.
“I have been playing through pain in my back this whole week,” said Osaka.
“The doctors have advised me that I need to rest to ensure the injury is not further aggravated.”
Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo improved their chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals on Sunday, beating Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic 6-1, 6-4 to capture the China Open title.
“It means a lot for us,” said Melo. “I think it was a great week… we finished with the title. [There were] some ups and downs, but we are very happy. I love to play in China, I always feel good.”
Kubot and Melo, currently in eighth position in the ATP Doubles Race To London, lifted their 11th tour-level team trophy after 65 minutes, saving both break points they faced en route to victory. Kubot has now won 23 tour-level crowns, while Melo now owns 31 doubles titles.
“It was a very important tournament for us, especially right now with the ATP Doubles Race To London,” said Kubot. “It gives us a lot of confidence. We had four great matches here in Beijing.”
The Polish-Brazilian duo has clinched three titles this season, after previously triumphing in Sydney and Halle. Kubot and Melo, who own a 32-18 record this year, also improve their FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Marach and Pavic to 2-0, having won their only previous encounter, in dramatic fashion, in the 2017 Wimbledon final.
“We put together everything we worked on during the week… We started playing the tournament one way and we finished with the perfect match, especially against [Marach and Pavic]. We are very, very happy to have put it all together in the final,” said Melo.
Marach and Pavic, who have already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, were aiming to lift their fifth trophy in their ninth tour-level final of the season. The top-seeded duo has won 45 of its 60 matches this season.
Kubot and Melo receive 500 ATP Doubles Ranking points and split €220,790 in prize money for earning their third trophy of the season. Marach and Pavic gain 300 points and share €108,100.
