Luca Van Assche plots Top 100 return with fifth ATP Challenger title in Quimper

Luca Van Assche’s triumph at the 17th Open Quimper Bretagne Occidentale was more than just another trophy—it was a snapshot of a career shaped by early ambition, steady growth, and an appetite for improvement.

The 21-year-old Frenchman captured the title in Britanny for the first time, rallying from a set down to defeat Swiss alternate Remy Bertola, 3–6, 6–1, 7–5, in Sunday’s final at the Kostum Park – À Nous La Vie. Van Assche produced a composed and powerful performance in the championship match of the ATP Challenger Tour 125 indoor event, striking nine aces, winning 80 percent of his first-serve points, and breaking serve three times to seal victory after two hours and three minutes.

Ranked No. 165 in the world, he had already shown his resilience a day earlier by knocking out defending champion Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg in a semifinal lasting almost three hours. Van Assche is known for thriving in long battles, famously saving two championship points to defeat Ugo Humbert in the longest ATP Challenger final in history at Pau in 2023, a marathon that lasted three hours and 56 minutes.

The title in Quimper is the fifth ATP Challenger Tour crown of his career and his first of the season. It also marks the 10th time in the history of the tournament that a Frenchman has won the title, earning him €30,460 in prize money and 125 ATP Ranking points.

Born in Belgium

Born in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, a suburb of Brussels, to a Belgian father and an Italian mother, Van Assche spent his first three years in Belgium before moving to France. He began playing tennis at the age of four in Aix-en-Provence, drawn to the sport by a club located next to his home. At 12, he left home for a year to train in Poitiers as part of the “Pôle France” program, a decisive step in his development.

Tennis has always shared space with education in his life. Determined to keep studying while pursuing a professional career, he is currently studying mathematics through Paris Dauphine University. He speaks French, Italian, and English, and is known among friends and on tour by the nickname “Lucho.”

France’s new tennis hope

Van Assche first made major headlines on the junior circuit, where he reached world No. 1 and won the 2021 Roland Garros boys’ singles title, defeating fellow Frenchman Arthur Fils in the final. That success helped pave the way to the professional ranks, where he broke into the world’s Top 100 in April 2023 at just 18 years old. By that same period, he had already collected three ATP Challenger titles, placing him in an elite group of players since 2016—alongside Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Jannik Sinner, and Holger Rune—to win at least three Challenger trophies before turning 19.

“I did a very good junior’s career. It was good for me. I have gained a lot of experience. It helped me a lot for my senior’s career, but I am still young. I learn every day at every tournament,” Van Assche said during a tournament in Valencia two years ago, reflecting on his journey to the Pro Circuit.

Sports on and off the court

Away from the tennis court, he is a fan of Paris Saint-Germain, admires Kylian Mbappé, and enjoys football. He describes himself as a hard worker, while admitting that impatience can sometimes be his biggest flaw.

During his time working with Italian coach Vincenzo Santopadre, Van Assche was often seen playing the Italian card game Scopa, which is based more on strategy than luck. Santopadre once noted that he was improving at it day by day and that those strategic lessons would also translate onto the tennis court—a fitting metaphor for a player who continues to grow, learn, and apply those lessons in moments like his title-winning run in Quimper.

Having grown up idolizing Roger Federer, who won his first major title just ten months before Van Assche was born, this latest victory feels like another step toward fulfilling the promise he showed from a very young age.

During the trophy ceremony in Quimper, Van Assche thanked his new coach, Sébastien Villette, with whom he has played only his third tournament so far. He also mentioned that his father traveled especially from Paris to attend the final. Van Assche had lost in the third round of qualifying for the Australian Open, but the Open Quimper Bretagne Occidentale proved to be an excellent place to get back on the winning track after his defeat in Melbourne. Finally, he thanked the crowd, who carried him through the final with their support.

Jacquet emerges victorious in Bahrain

Meanwhile in Manama, another Frenchman was also successful as Kyrian Jacquet was crowned champion of the fifth edition of the Bahrain Open. The 24-year-old Lyon native outlasted No. 7 seed Luca Nardi of Italy, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, in the final.

Jacquet advanced to the championship match with wins in the bottom half of the draw over Australian Christopher O’Connell, fifth-seeded German Yannick Hanfmann, No. 3 seed Jacob Fearnley from Great Britain and second-seeded Italian Mattia Bellucci.

The world No. 128 converted five of his nine break-point opportunities in the final of the hard-court event and won two points more than Nardi to succeed in two hours and 13 minutes.

By winning his fifth ATP Challenger Tour career title, Jacquet pocketed $33,650 in prize money as well as 125 ATP Ranking points.