Pablo Carreno Busta wins Challenger title where his professional journey began

Pablo Carreno Busta captured the title at the eighth edition of the Alicante Ferrero Challenger, defeating France’s Hugo Grenier 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in a thrilling final at the JC Ferrero Tennis Academy.

Grenier started strong, dictating play from the baseline and taking the opening set with controlled aggression. But Carreno Busta, fueled by the home crowd, found his rhythm in the second, dominating with his trademark precision and consistency.

The deciding set was a tense battle, with both players pushing their limits. Despite struggling with physical discomfort, Grenier—playing his third career final in Villena—fought valiantly, earning a warm ovation from the crowd for his determination.

The turning point came midway through the final set, when Carreno Busta secured a decisive break to take control. The 34-year-old from Asturias sealed victory after one hour and 47 minutes, sharing an emotional celebration with the packed stands that had supported him throughout the match.

For Carreno Busta, who trained for years at the JC Ferrero Tennis Academy, the triumph carried special meaning. Lifting the trophy where his professional journey began was a deeply personal and heartfelt moment, symbolizing a full-circle achievement in his career.

By winning his 14th ATP Challenger Tour career title, his third of the season after his back-to-back triumphs in Tenerife, the world No. 123 earned €20,630 in prize money, as well as 100 ATP Ranking points.

Carreno Busta now looks ahead to his continued journey on the ATP Tour, proving that his passion and drive remain as strong as ever.

Mikrut captures Braga Open title

Luka Mikrut became the seventh different champion in as many editions of the Braga Open, capping off a stellar week with his first ATP Challenger title on Portuguese soil. The clay-court tournament, organized by the Portuguese Tennis Federation and the Braga City Council, took place at the Clube de Tenis de Braga.

Playing in front of packed stands, the 21-year-old Croatian defeated Lithuanian Vilius Gaubas, who had just lifted the Lisbon title a week earlier, by 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 59 minutes.

Sunday’s victory marked Mikrut’s sixth title of 2025, following four ITF World Tennis Tour trophies earlier in the season and his maiden Challenger triumph in Como in August. The win all but guarantees his debut in the Top 200 and secures him a spot in the 2026 Australian Open qualifying draw.

“Finishing a tournament as champion is always a special feeling,” Mikrut said after the match. “Braga is a beautiful city, and I felt great throughout the week, so I’m really happy to end it this way.”

Reflecting on the final, the young Croatian highlighted his composure and focus: “Today I was very consistent and didn’t make many errors. I played aggressively but stayed solid. I was a break down in the second set, but I recovered immediately, which was key. I had a few missed chances, but that break at 4-4 was crucial, and I managed to serve it out.”

Gaubas, who spent nearly 12 hours on court throughout the week, showed signs of fatigue in key moments of the final. The Lithuanian was hoping to become the first player since Gastão Elias in April 2022 to win back-to-back Challenger titles in Portugal.

While the ATP Rankings will next be updated on October 13 following the Shanghai Masters, Gaubas is projected to reach a career-high of around No. 130 in the Live Rankings.

As for Mikrut, his new career-high ranking inside the Top 200 (projected around No. 180) crowns a breakthrough season.

“The tennis I played this week was probably the best of my career—maybe even better than in Como,” he said. “I also had some great dinners and conversations with friends here, and those little things make you feel truly connected to a place.”

Born in Split, Croatia, Mikrut now joins an illustrious list of Braga Open champions that includes Pedro Sousa (2018), João Domingues (2019), Thiago Monteiro (2021), Nicolas Moreno de Alboran (2022), Oriol Roca Batalla (2023) and Elmer Moller (2024).

Budkov Kjaer makes history at Open de Vendée

At just 19 years old, Norway’s Nicolai Budkov Kjaer etched his name into the history books at the 12th edition of the Open de Vendée, becoming the tournament’s youngest-ever champion. The rising star produced a near-flawless performance to defeat American Patrick Kypson, 6-0, 6-3, in a final that lasted just 54 minutes, the shortest in the history of the event.

From the very first game, Budkov Kjaer set the tone with a lightning-fast hold to love and an immediate break of serve. His precision, movement and explosive groundstrokes left Kypson with no answers as the Norwegian teenager stormed through the opening set 6-0 in just 27 minutes.

The second set saw a brief surge from Kypson, who relied on his serve and net approaches to stay in contention. But Budkov Kjaer, who captured the 2024 Wimbledon junior title, was simply too consistent and composed. A decisive break at 3-3 sealed the momentum, and the young Norwegian finished the match in style with a crisp volley winner, his signature combination of power and control delighting the Vendéspace crowd.

“I played a really good final, and I’m very satisfied with the level of tennis I showed throughout the week. I’ll keep working hard to win even more prestigious tournaments," Budkov Kjaer said.

Over the course of the week, Budkov Kjaer dropped just one service game across five matches, an astonishing statistic that underlines his dominance. Already a three-time ATP Challenger champion this season, with titles in Glasgow, Tampere and Astana, he now boasts a perfect 4-0 record in finals. Budkov Kjaer pocketed €12,980 in prize money as well as 75 ATP Ranking points.

Garín triumphs on home soil

On the other side of the Atlantic, Cristian Garín captured the title at the Challenger Dove Men + Care Antofagasta, defeating Argentina’s Facundo Díaz Acosta 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 in a hard-fought final on clay.

After a difficult start, the No. 2 seed from Chile regrouped impressively. With this triumph, Garín claims his eighth career Challenger career title. It also marks his third triumph of the year, following earlier victories in Mauthausen, Austria and Oeiras, Portugal.

Zheng claims Tiburon Challenger Title

In North America, Michael Zheng was crowned champion of the Tiburon Challenger. The No. 7 seed of the ATP Challenger 75 event emerged victorious from the all-American final, winning 6-4, 6-4 against Tyler Zink. The encounter lasted one hour and 24 minutes. Zheng captured his third Challenger career crown; all of them won this season on home soil.

European Clay-Court season concludes in Valencia

🇪🇸 Action on the ATP Challenger Tour continues this week with six tournaments across three continents. The European clay-court swing concludes with the fourth edition of the Copa Faulcombridge in Valencia. The tournament is one of only two ATP Challenger 125 events taking place on Spanish soil; legends such as Manolo Orantes, Manolo Santana and David Ferrer lifted the trophy.

Defending champion Pedro Martínez returns as the top seed at this year’s tournament. The 28-year-old will face tough competition, including fellow Valencian standout Carlos Taberner, ensuring an exciting showcase of local talent and high-level tennis.

One of the most emotional moments of this edition will be the official retirement of Albert Ramos Viñolas. The 37-year-old Catalan has chosen this event to bid farewell to professional tennis, closing an illustrious career that has inspired fans across Spain. Ramos Viñolas will play Martínez in the first round.

Further action in Europa, America and Asia

🇫🇷 There is also indoor hard-court action at the L’Open Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes de Roanne in France. This year marks the fourth edition of the tournament, and after past triumphs by Hugo Grenier, Hugo Gaston and Benjamin Bonzi, the coveted trophy could, for the first time, be claimed by an international player, as the top four seeds are Briton Jacob Fearnley, Australia’s Jordan Thompson, Filip Misolic from Austria and Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany.

🇬🇷 The ATP Challenger Tour also returns to Crete for the fifth time this season. Kimmer Coppejans leads the field at the Hersonissos Challenger 5. The Belgian faces strong competition of Oliver Crawford from Great Britain, Italian teenager Federico Cina and Englishman Ryan Peniston.

🇨🇳 In Asia, the Jinan Open is one of the crown jewels of Chinese Challengers. At the fifth edition of the 125 event Frenchman Arthur Cazaux is the top seed. Other favorites include Adam Walton of Australia, Serbian Laslo Djere and Dalilbor Svrcina of the Czech Republic.

🇨🇴 The South American clay-court swing continues this week in Colombia with the fourth edition of the KIA Open in Cali. In the past three years, Argentine players have dominated the ATP Challenger Tour 75 event. Facundo Mena, Federico Delbonis and Juan Pablo Ficovich emerged as champions from 2022 to 2024. The latter returns as the tournament’s second favorite; the No. 1 seed is Tomas Barrios Vera of Chile. Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth Wild and Hady Habib of Lebanon round out the top quartet.

🇺🇸 Finally, the Solano Challenger returns to Fairfield, Northern California, promising a thrilling week of world-class tennis at the Solano Community College Tennis Courts. The ATP Challenger 50 hard-court tournament will showcase a mix of rising stars and seasoned professionals.

Benjamin Hassan of Lebanon leads the field as the top seed, followed closely by Dmitry Popko from Kazakhstan, Czech Marek Gengel, and US-American hope Garrett Johns, who will look to delight the home crowd.