Marvelous in Modena: Carlos Taberner wins Parma Challenger

Carlos Taberner, the 27-year-old top seed from Valencia, Spain, lived up to expectations by capturing the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Tennis Cup title. The fourth edition of the ATP Challenger 125 event, organized by Master Group Sport in collaboration with the Emilia-Romagna Region, was held on the clay courts of the Sporting Club Sassuolo.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon in the Province of Modena in Italy, Taberner overcame No. 3 seed Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 7–6(1), 6–2, in a singles final that was more closely contested than the result might suggest.

Taberner started strong, breaking Lajovic’s serve in the third game of the opening set. The Serbian veteran managed to level the score at 4–4, taking advantage of a slight dip in Taberner’s intensity. It was Taberner who relied more on net play and showed great skill with two volley winners to save break points in the 10th game. After an hour-long battle, the set was decided in a tie-break, where the Spaniard pulled away with a series of clean winners to take the first set.

The second set began in similar fashion, with Taberner immediately breaking Lajovic’s serve and doing so again in the third game, racing to a commanding 5–0 lead. Although Lajovic mounted a brief comeback to narrow the gap to 5–2, Taberner stayed composed and closed out the match in two hours and 10 minutes. The victory not only secured him the trophy but also 125 ATP Ranking points to re-enter the Top 100.

"I'm very happy," said Taberner after the match. "First of all, I want to congratulate Dusan for a great tournament. He played really well. I had a tough quarterfinal match (against Luca van Assche) where I came back from the brink, so winning this title means a lot. I want to thank the tournament organizers; it’s a wonderful place to play. I dedicate this victory to my coach Victor, for all his support both in Valencia and here in Sassuolo."

Runner-up Lajovic also reflected positively on his week: “It’s been a good week for me here. I played solid tennis up to the final. Congratulations to Carlos on his win and his return to the Top 100. My season has been a bit up and down, but I believe in my team and in my ability to climb back up the rankings.”

Cilic claims grass-court title in Nottingham

Marin Cilic captured the title of the Lexus Nottingham Open, the final ATP Challenger grass-court tournament ahead of Wimbledon. The No. 2 seed from Croatia beat Shintaro Mochizuki of Japan 6-2, 6-3 in the singles final.

Cilic struck four aces and won 85 per cent of his first-service points to prevail after one hour and 10 minutes.

"A beautiful match - really high quality”, said Cilic after claiming his fourth title on grass to go along with two at Queen’s and one at the ATP Event in Stuttgart.

“Playing in the final is a huge achievement and Shintaro had a fantastic run during the week. For me, this win means a lot, and I can take this confidence of winning into Wimbledon".

At 36 years and eight months, Cilic broke Andy Murray’s record for the oldest grass-court Challenger titlist. By earning 125 ATP Ranking points, the Croat will return to the Top 100 for the first time since August 2023.

Misolic wins 30^th anniversary edition of the Poznań Open

The 30th edition of the Enea Poznań Open concluded on Saturday with a dominant performance by Filip Misolic, who defeated Dalibor Svrcina 6–2, 6–0 in the singles final. The match, held on Centre Court of the Park Tenisowy Olimpia, lasted just 75 minutes, as the Austrian overpowered his Czech opponent with confidence and consistency. With this victory, Misolic becomes the third Austrian player in history to win the ATP Challenger 100 clay-court event in Poznań.

Both players came into the final without dropping a set throughout the tournament. Misolic had an impressive run, eliminating defending champion Maks Kaśnikowski, Zdenek Kolar, seventh seed Jurij Rodionov, and top seed Cristian Garin, spending a total of five hours and 19 minutes on court. Svrcina, meanwhile, needed six hours and 36 minutes to beat Henri Squire, Matteo Martineau, Hynek Barton, and second seed Thiago Agustin Tirante on his way to the final.

The two finalists had faced each other twice before, each securing one win. With the head-to-head record tied, this championship match was expected to be tightly contested. A full crowd filled the stands, anticipating a thrilling conclusion to the prestigious tournament.

Next stop is Wimbledon. I hope I can carry this form and get a good result there. Filip Misolic

The early rallies suggested a close encounter, but Misolic quickly took control. Despite Svrcina’s solid defensive skills, his weaker serve proved costly. Misolic broke twice to take the opening set 6–2 in just 40 minutes. The second set saw the Austrian in complete command. Although Svrcina had two break points in the first game, he failed to capitalize. From that moment, Misolic never looked back, winning every remaining game to seal the title with a resounding 6–0.

“I’m really happy to win here in Poznań. I played a very solid match,” Misolic said afterward. “Dalibor probably didn’t have his best day, but I stayed focused on every point and that made the difference.”

This is Misolic’s second ATP Challenger title of the season, having also won in Prague a few weeks ago. He now heads to London to compete in Wimbledon. “Next stop is Wimbledon. I hope I can carry this form and get a good result there,” he added.

For his triumph, the 23-year-old from Graz earned 100 ATP Ranking points and a winner’s cheque of €20,630.

The Poznań Open marked Misolic’s debut at the event, and it couldn’t have gone better. He joins Horst Skoff (1994) and Andreas Haider-Maurer (2013) as the only Austrians to have won the tournament.

The 2025 Enea Poznań Open also marked a milestone as its 30th anniversary edition. “This is a tremendous source of pride for us,” said Tournament Director Krzysztof Jordan, who has been involved with the event since its very beginning.

The first edition of the ATP Challenger took place in 1992 in the Golęcin Forest area, after the event was relocated from Warsaw. Since then, the tournament has become a staple of the tennis calendar.

Droguet triumphs in Royan

Frenchman Titouan Droguet has captured the title of the inaugural Royan Atlantique Open. The No. 2 seed of the ATP Challenger Tour clay-court tournament rallied from a set down to overcome fifth-seeded Bulgarian Dimitar Kuzmanov 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in Saturday’s singles final.

Droguet advanced to the championship match with wins in the bottom half of the draw over Spaniard Nikolas Sanchez Izquierdo, Arthur Gea of France, Luka Mikrut from Croatia and No. 8 seed Daniel Merida of Spain. The 24-year-old from Villeneuve saint Georges struck four aces in the final and broke his rival’s serve three times to seal victory in exactly two hours of play.

Droguet lifted his second ATP Challenger career trophy after the Francavilla Al Mare Open in Italy last year. The World No. 225 earned €7,530 in prize money as well as 50 ATP Ranking points.

Barrena wins Bolivia Open

In the only tournament held outside Europe last week, Alex Barrena was successful at the Bolivia held on the clay court of the Club de Tenis Santa Cruz. In a final between two unseeded players, the 22-year-old from Argentina outlasted Franco Roncadelli of Uruguay 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.

Barrena, who knocked out No. 3 seed Juan Bautista Torres en route to the championship match, converted 10 of his 17 break-point chances to succeed in two hours and 47 minutes.

The World No. 326 earned his second ATP Challenger Tour career title after lifting the trophy in San Miguel de Tucuman earlier this season. Barrena pocketed $8,350 in prize money as well as 50 ATP Ranking points.

Clay-court action in Milan and Lima

While Wimbledon qualifying kicks off in Roehampton, only two tournaments are taking place on the ATP Challenger Tour this week. The 19th edition of the ASPRIA Tennis Cup—Trofeo BCS continues the legacy of one of Italy’s longest-running ATP Challenger tournaments. The clay-court event is hosted by the elegant ASPRIA Harbour Club in Milan, just steps from the iconic Giuseppe-Meazza-Stadium.

The field is packed with promising young talents led by top seed Dino Prizmic of Croatia. The upper half of the draw is loaded with other exciting young prospects. Among them are Rodrigo Pacheco Méndez of Mexico, a former Junior World No.1, who is coming off a strong run in Sassuolo. Also in the mix is 17-year-old German Diego Dedura and reigning US Open Junior champion Rafael Jodar from Spain.

Belgian Kimmer Coppejans, Max Houkes from the Netherlands and Matias Soto from Chile are other top contenders for the title.

In South America, clay-court specialists compete in the Lima Challenger. Nicolas Mejia of Colombia is the No. 1 seed of the ATP Challenger 50 event. The bottom half of the draw is led by Brazilian Joao Lucas Reis da Silva. Lautaro Midon of Argentina and Matheus Pucinelli de Almeida from Brazil round out the top four in Peru.