Tennis News

How Rafael Jodar joined Alcaraz in Challenger history…

When your name appears next to Carlos Alcaraz in the record books, you are operating at an elite level.

Rafael Jodar has accomplished just that with his Sunday triumph at the Jonathan Fried Men’s Pro Challenger. The 19-year-old became the third Spanish teenager to win at least three Challenger titles, joining 24-time tour-level titlist Alcaraz and former No. 9 Nicolas Almagro. Alcaraz and Almagro each claimed four Challenger titles as teenagers. With Jodar just turning 19 in September, he could tie them in the next 10 months.

Jodar’s statement triumph came on familiar ground at the University of Virginia, where he is a sophomore. He defeated American Martin Damm 6-3, 7-6(2) in the final, a rematch of last month’s championship match at the Lincoln Challenger, also won by Jodar. The #NextGenATP star has earned three Challenger titles in as many months.

Following his victory at the indoor event, Jodar is ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. The 2024 US Open boys’ singles champion is aiming for his maiden trip to the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, where last year he was a sparring partner.

Most Challenger Titles – Spanish Teenagers

Blockx banks Bratislava crown, closes in on Top 100 debut
Jodar was not only the #NextGenATP player to triumph this week. Belgian Alexander Blockx captured his third Challenger title and second of the season at the Slovak Open in Bratislava. The 20-year-old, who is up to fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, downed Frenchman Titouan Droguet 6-4, 6-3 in the final. Blockx is at a career-high No. 102 in the PIF ATP Rankings, closing fast on his Top 100 debut.

Navone wins three-set final in Peru
Argentine Mariano Navone was crowned champion at the Los Inkas Open in Lima, Peru, his second trophy of the season and eighth overall. The top seed, who ascended to a career-high No. 29 last season, overcame Italian Marco Cecchinato 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in the clay-court final.

<img alt=”Mariano Navone in action at the Lima Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/11/03/14/18/navone-limach-2025.jpg” />
^{Mariano Navone in action at the Lima Challenger. Credit: Los Inkas Open}

Shimabukuro triumphs in South Korea
Japan’s Sho Shimabukuro won the Eugene Seoul Open 2025, where in the final he spoiled Coleman Wong’s hopes of becoming the first Challenger champion from Hong Kong. Shimabukoro, 28, ousted Wong 6-4, 6-3 to lift his second trophy of the season and fifth overall.

<img alt=”Sho Shimabukuro celebrates with his team after winning the Seoul Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/11/03/14/16/shimabukuro-seoulch-2025.jpg” />
^{Sho Shimabukuro celebrates with his team after winning the Seoul Challenger. Credit: Eugene Seoul Open 2025}

Giustino returns to winner’s circle
Italian Lorenzo Giustino returned to the winner’s circle for the first time since 2019 with his victory at the Monastir Open, a Challenger 50 event in Turkey. The 34-year-old entered the week on a nine-match skid at the Challenger level, yet returned to form by not dropping a set all week.

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Stella Artois ATP Perfect Serve: Vote now for October's winner

Another month, three more nominations for the ATP Perfect Serve, brought to you by Stella Artois.

In October, Yannick Hanfmann produced a near-perfect game on delivery against former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Novak Djokovic in Shanghai. The German hit four aces in a row, painting the lines to hold.

Big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard held his nerve when serving out for his first Top 10 win against Taylor Fritz in Shanghai. At 6-5, 30/15, Mpetshi Perricard hit a second serve ace followed by a first-serve bullet to advance. In Basel, Kamil Majchrzak found four aces in a row against Ben Shelton to raise the roof.

Watch the video at the top and vote above. You can also head to our Stella Artois ATP Perfect Serve hub to vote for your favourite!

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Wrexham Tennis Open to return in 2026

The Wrexham Open to return to the north Wales city next year following the “incredible success” of this year’s tournament, which was won by Wales’ Mimi Xu.

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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

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

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Auger-Aliassime moves to the brink of Turin qualification

With just six days to go until the Nitto ATP Finals, there is only one more qualification spot up for grabs. ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week as of Monday 3 November, following the Rolex Paris Masters.

Felix Auger-Aliassime – eighth (3,845 points)
The Canadian has surged into the final qualification spot in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin after he reached the final in Paris. The 25-year-old earned three comeback victories in the French capital and defeated Valentin Vacherot and Alexander Bublik to advance to his second ATP Masters 1000 final. He lost to Jannik Sinner in the title match.

Lorenzo Musetti – ninth (3,685)
Musetti must win the title at the ATP 250 event in Athens if he is to qualify for the year-end event for the first time. Should 23-year-old Musetti join new World No. 1 Sinner in Turin, it will be the first time that two Italians have qualified for the season finale, which this year offers more than $5 million to an undefeated champion. Musetti will face Stan Wawrinka or Botic van de Zandschulp in his opener.

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Alex de Minaur have qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, taking place from 9-16 November at Inalpi Arena in Turin.

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Sinner and Alcaraz to play South Korea exhibition

Jannik Sinner will play Carlos Alcaraz in an exhibition match in South Korea just eight days before the start of the Australian Open.

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Korda passes Popyrin test in Athens, Tabilo earns chance at third win against Djokovic

Sebastian Korda is not ready for his first trip to Greece to end.

Despite losing his opening set of the Vanda Pharmaceuticals Hellenic Championship against Alexei Popyrin Sunday evening, the American rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.

“It was up and down, but overall I think I improved my level in the second set,” Korda said. “He was serving great. In the first set he had eight aces, so I was just trying to put it back in the court and try to take my chances whenever I could. But [it is] always very difficult with him, he’s got an incredible serve and is very aggressive.”

It was the pair’s second Lexus ATPHead2Head meeting in the past month, with Korda also defeating Popyrin in three sets in Stockholm. In Athens, Korda defended his second serve much better than his opponent, winning 66 per cent of those points compared to 45 per cent for Popyrin according to Infosys ATP Stats.

The 25-year-old hopes to keep the good times rolling in a city he has enjoyed.

“It’s been amazing, walking around a little bit, enjoying the great food that they have here and just really enjoying it,” Korda said.

In other action, Alejandro Tabilo set an interesting match against top seed Novak Djokovic with a 706(7), 6-7(6), 7-5 triumph against Adam Walton in three hours and three minutes. Tabilo leads Djokovic 2-0 in their rivalry.

“It’s amazing. I went to see it yesterday and it’s huge,” Tabilo said of the centre court in Athens, where he will likely take on the Serbian. “I’ve played thankfully now at the US Open in Arthur Ashe [Stadium], kind of feel like that atmosphere. I’m just really excited to play, even with Djokovic there, it’s just going to be crazy.”

Sixth seed Nuno Borges also advanced with a 7-6(4), 6-3 win against Greek wild card Stefanos Sakellaridis.

Cazaux, Gaston advance in Metz
Four Frenchmen were in action Sunday at the Moselle Open in Metz, where Arthur Cazaux and Hugo Gaston moved into the second round.

Cazaux eliminated tricky lefty Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 7-6(4) and Gaston ousted Terence Atmane 6-4, 6-1. 

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Imperious Sinner triumphs in Paris to regain world number one ranking

Jannik Sinner beats Felix Auger-Aliassime to win his first Paris Masters title and reclaim the world number one ranking from rival Carlos Alcaraz.

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Auger-Aliassime sees progress despite Sinner defeat: 'It's not a huge gap between us'

Felix Auger-Aliassime’s inspired run at the Rolex Paris Masters ended one step shy of glory on Sunday, when he fell 6-4, 7-6(4) to Jannik Sinner in the final. It was a match defined by slim margins — a few loose points, a few blistering serves from his opponent — but also by the re-emergance of the Canadian as a serious contender on the biggest stages.

Despite defeat, Auger-Aliassime leaves the French capital with a major consolation: His surge to the final has lifted him into eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, strengthening his bid for a second appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals. The 25-year-old has a 160-point lead over ninth-placed Lorenzo Musetti, who will compete at the ATP 250 in Athens.

“It was difficult on the court having to sit there rethinking a few points,” Auger-Aliassime said after their one-hour, 52-minute final. “Having to just accept that the match is over and that once — as long as I’m in the match, even match point down, you feel you have a chance to come back, you have belief.

“But when it’s over, you just have to accept that. I wish I had a better start, I wish I didn’t make those mistakes to start the match with, I can’t give him that at the level he plays. I wish I would have been able to find a way to put more pressure on his serve. But he was serving great, coming up with great serves every time. I have to move on and focus on the positives.”

If the final sting was sharp, the broader picture was bright. Auger-Aliassime’s run through the draw — which included comeback wins in his opening three matches — featured confident, attacking tennis and a renewed sense of belief.

“I had a really fun week, good week, great tennis, obviously with high stakes and high pressure, coming up with a good level when I needed to,” said Auger-Aliassime. “I can thank the crowd as well. All the way through they were supporting me. Even today you felt that. They wanted a third set, they wanted more tennis, as I wanted. They were great all week.”

Auger-Aliassime boasts a Tour-leading 82 indoor wins this decade, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Seven of his eight ATP Tour titles have come in these conditions, including this year in Marseille and Brussels.

Against Sinner in his second ATP Masters 1000 final, the loss wasn’t about gulf in class but more about fractions in execution.

“For me, it’s not a huge gap. I’m getting closer every match we play against each other,” said Auger-Aliassime, who trails Sinner 2-3 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. “This match was more tight. At the US Open, I managed to win a set and lost the first and the fourth in a difficult way.

“But what we saw today was that it was close. Everything was on the quality of his serve, the quality of his return game. Hats off to him on that point. There’s a part of me that says ‘There are moments where I could play better’. I’m still a bit sour for some moments of the match.”

Auger-Aliassime was quick to acknowledge the quality of Sinner, who reclaimed the World No. 1 spot with his win. The 24-year-old Italian dropped just four of 44 first-serve points across the match en route to his 23rd tour-level title.

The loss may have stung, but Auger-Aliassime leaves Paris with renewed purpose and in a strong position to qualify for the prestigious season finale. He made his debut in Turin in 2022, when he scored a victory against Rafael Nadal.

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Sinner reacts to returning to No. 1 following Paris title

Jannik Sinner will return to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday after he won his fifth ATP Masters 1000 crown at the in Paris on Sunday. The Italian reflected on his return to the top following his fifth title of the year.

“I’m of course happy. I knew from the beginning of the week that there was this chance. But as I said, before the final, before every tournament or before every match, I try to put the best performance I can on the court, and then whatever comes, comes,” Sinner said. “And this is how I went on court. In Turin, I’m going to do the same. I watch my side and I just play the best possible tennis I can.

“The goal of this week was to go day by day, trying to maximise my potential, which I have done for this week and I’m extremely happy.”

Sinner will spend his 66th week at No. 1 from Monday but will drop to No. 2 on 10 November, when Carlos Alcaraz will return to top spot.

Sinner was dominant throughout his run to the title at the Rolex Paris Masters. He became the first player to win a trophy at this level without dropping a set since Alcaraz in Indian Wells in 2023 and also extended his indoor winning streak to 26 matches.

Sinner has continued to add new elements to his game since his US Open final defeat in September to the Spaniard and opened up on that process following his 23rd tour-level title.

“I really try to go over or out of my comfort zone at times, especially in practice sessions, to understand what can potentially give me something in the future,” Sinner said. “In the actual matches, you have to have a good balance of I’m trying, but also winning.

“It’s not like you try all the time or you only play just to win every point. And this is what I meant two days ago with playing with the scoreboard. If you are a break up, trying to do something or something different, trying to be a bit more aggressive at times and all this is part of the process what I am going through.”

Sinner will next compete at the Nitto ATP Finals on home soil in Turin but is determined to celebrate his Paris title first.

“I am very happy to share this moment with my team, with my people who I have around. We know how much work we put in, how much effort, and when you have these kind of results, we are all very, very happy,” said Sinner, who was joined by Darren Cahill in Paris.

“The season is not over yet, so it doesn’t mean that you don’t enjoy these moments, because it doesn’t matter how big the title is. It’s an amazing feeling having this with us now. But also relieved. After a week like this, it has been very intense, so I’m extremely happy. I will take a couple of days off. It’s very important now for the body but also for the mind. Then of course we try to prepare ourselves for the best possible way then in Turin.”

Sinner is 53-4 on the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index and now leads Auger-Aliassime 3-2 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

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