Dalibor Svrcina and Mattia Bellucci celebrate milestone trophy wins

The ATP Challenger Tour delivered another action-packed week, with six tournaments staged across three continents. From the beaches of Cancún and Crete to the clay courts of Umbria, and from the southern United States to South America and Eastern Europe, players fought for ranking points, prize money, and career milestones.

Svrcina Shines in Cancún for Career-Best Triumph

The Europcar Cancún Country Club hosted its first-ever ATP Challenger 125 event, and it was Czech youngster Dalibor Svrcina who left Mexico with the trophy in hand. Seeded eighth, the 22-year-old overcame Argentina’s Thiago Tirante 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in a grueling final that lasted three hours and 21 minutes. Svrcina’s relentless consistency from the baseline and timely returns proved decisive, as he broke his opponent’s serve six times and claimed just four points more than Tirante overall.

En route to the title, Svrcina put together a string of impressive victories: he overcame local wild card entry Alex Hernandez, Canadian qualifier Alexis Galarneau, third seed Jesper de Jong of the Netherlands, and in-form Peruvian Ignacio Buse.

It marked Svrcina’s third Challenger crown of 2024, after earlier triumphs in Pune, India and Barletta, Italy and his fifth career ATP Challenger title overall. The reward: $30,700 in prize money, 125 ATP Ranking points, and, perhaps most importantly, a career-first breakthrough into the Top 100.

Bellucci Breaks Through in Sumter

At the Serve First Open in Sumter, South Carolina, Italian Mattia Bellucci secured the biggest title of his career. The third seed took advantage of a retirement from Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko, who was forced to stop due to a knee injury while trailing 7-6(5), 3-1 in the final.

The 24-year-old Bellucci had been in dominant form all week, not dropping a single set on his way to the title match. His road included wins over Portugal’s Henrique Rocha, Slovakia’s Lukas Klein, and another Portuguese talent, Jaime Faria.

With the victory, Bellucci celebrated his fourth Challenger title, his first since 2023, and his first ever at the 125 level. Alongside the trophy, he pocketed $30,700 and 125 ATP-Ranking points, boosting his momentum heading into the Winston-Salem Open and the upcoming US Open swing.

Skatov Battles to Glory in Todi

In Umbria, Italy, Kazakhstan’s Timofey Skatov produced a week of grit and resilience at the Internazionali di Tennis Città di Todi | CERgo Tennis Cup. In a dramatic final on Saturday before a passionate crowd, the 23-year-old overcame sixth seed Stefano Travaglia 7-6(4), 0-6, 6-2 after two hours and 44 minutes.

The victory marked Skatov’s third career Challenger title, and his second organized by MEF Tennis Events after Parma 2022. Known for his fighting spirit, Skatov admitted that every match during the week had tested his limits.

The triumph sees him return to the Top 200, landing at World No. 193. “Every match was extremely tough, but I fought hard and found a way. This is a very special week for me,” Skatov said.

For Travaglia, despite falling short in his 11th Challenger final, the run represented a welcome resurgence as he climbed to No. 211, just in time for US Open qualifying.

Meanwhile, Tournament director Marcello Marchesini praised the atmosphere and support in Todi: “We are extremely happy with the response from the public. It’s a great reward for all the efforts of MEF Tennis Events, Tennis Club Todi 1971, and the local administration.”

This year’s edition stood out for the presence of young talent. The main draw featured three former junior World No. 1s – Skatov, Juan Carlos Prado Angelo, and Nicolai Budkov Kjaer. Marchesini also highlighted the wild cards granted by the Italian Tennis Federation to rising stars Jacopo Vasamì, Lorenzo Carboni, and Pierluigi Basile: “Italy is producing great talents, and they’re climbing the world rankings quickly. The future looks very bright.”

Jódar Makes History in Crete

One of the most exciting storylines of the week came from Hersonissos, Crete, where 18-year-old Spaniard Rafael Jódar captured his first ATP Challenger title. The Madrid native defeated French sixth seed Dan Added 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the €54,000 hard-court event, needing just one hour and 20 minutes to complete the job.

Jódar, ranked World No. 540, capitalized on four of his 10 break-point chances and won 59per cent of the total points played. His path to the championship included victories over Italy’s Luca Potenza, top seed George Loffhagen of Great Britain, Brit Harry Wendelken, and a walkover in the semifinals when Czech Petr Brunclik retired.

The win continued Jódar’s rise after his headline-grabbing triumph at the 2024 US Open Junior Championships, where he stunned the world’s best juniors to lift the trophy. With €7,530 in prize money and 50 ranking points added to his tally, the teenager now looks poised for a rapid climb.

Kolar Finds His Rhythm Again in Sofia

In Bulgaria, Czech Zdenek Kolar rediscovered his winning form at the Genesis Traiding Cup in Sofia. The 28-year-old defeated Bolivian sixth seed Murkel Dellien 6-2, 6-2 in the final of the Challenger 50 event.

Kolar was rock solid throughout, saving all four break points he faced and breaking Dellien’s serve four times. After just 77 minutes, he claimed his first Challenger title of 2024, his fifth overall, and his first since 2023. The win followed two ITF World Tennis Tour titles earlier this year and confirmed that Kolar remains a dangerous competitor on the circuit.

Fery Celebrates First Challenger Crown in Barranquilla

In Barranquilla, Colombia, British player Arthur Fery enjoyed a breakthrough moment at the KIA Open. The 23-year-old, born in France, marched through the draw with wins over Barbados’ Darian King, Colombian wildcard Miguel Tobon, US-American Cannon Kingsley, and top seed Juan Pablo Ficovich of Argentina.

In an anticlimactic end to an otherwise strong run, Fery was awarded the title after his final opponent, Bernard Tomic, withdrew from the championship match, which was postponed from Saturday to Sunday due to bad weather. Nevertheless, the Brit celebrated his first Challenger trophy, a significant step forward in his young career.

Looking Ahead

As the US Open qualifying begins in New York, three ATP Challenger events continue in Europe. In Augsburg, Germany, the Schwaben Open by Great2Stay wraps up the German clay-court season, headlined by Bolivian Juan Carlos Prado Angelo and a strong local contingent including Christoph Negritu and Patrick Zahraj.

In Sofia, the second edition of the Genesis Traiding Cup takes place with Argentine Federico Coria as top seed, while the Hersonissos Challenger 4 in Crete features Tunisian Moez Echargui leading the field.