Melzer Continues Red-Hot Form With Wroclaw Title
Melzer Continues Red-Hot Form With Wroclaw Title
Revisit the week that was on the ATP Challenger Tour as we applaud the achievements of those on the rise and look ahead to who’s in action in the week to come
A LOOK BACK
Wroclaw Open (Wroclaw Open): Former Top 10 player and eighth seed Jurgen Melzer continued his recent run of form by taking the title in Wroclaw with a 6-4, 6-3 win over local wild card Michal Przysiezny. The Austrian, who returned to the tour last June after sitting out for nine months due to injury, also won last month’s ATP Challenger Tour event in Budapest. Having started the year outside the Top 300 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, he is projected to move back inside the Top 160 on Monday.
Przysiezny was seeking to become the first Polish winner in the tournament’s 14-year history. He reached his first Challenger final since winning the title in Kyoto in March 2015.
Keio Challenger (Yokohama, Japan): Top seed and local favourite Yuichi Sugita saved two match points, rallying from 2-5 down in the final set to defeat Korean teenager Soon Woo Kwon 6-4, 2-6, 7-6. The 28 year old picked up his seventh Challenger title, all of which have come in Asia. Kwon becomes the third Korean player to reach a Challenger final, joining Hyeon Chung (won Kaohsiung, Kobe and Maui, l. Nanchang) and Duckhee Lee (l. Kaohsiung)
WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID
Kwon: “Reaching the final here will help me play with more confidence in the games to come. I like that the staff here created a good atmosphere. I think that was part of why I was able to do well.”
A LOOK AHEAD
There are two $50,000 Challengers on the schedule this week. The tournament in Santiago, Chile, returns for the 12th year. Last year’s runner-up, Rogerio Dutra Silva of Brazil, is the top seed and Nicolas Kicker of Argentina is the second seed. #NextGenATP player Christian Ruud of Norway, a semi-finalist earlier this month at the ATP World Tour 500 event in Rio de Janeiro, is also in the draw.
The event in Zhuhai, China, is back for the second straight year. Evgeny Donskoy of Russia, who shocked Roger Federer last week at the ATP World Tour 500 event in Dubai, is the top seed. Sugita looks for another big week as the second seed and #NextGenATP player Duckhee Lee of Korea is the third seed. Last year’s runner-up and local favourite Ze Zhang will also compete this week.
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