Patrick Kypson serves up fourth ATP Challenger title of 2025 by topping home favorite Otto Virtanen in Helsinki

The final of the 2025 HPP Open in Helsinki on Sunday had all the ingredients of a classic, as American Patrick Kypson battled past Finland’s home favorite Otto Virtanen 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in front of a packed Tali Tennis Center to claim his fourth ATP Challenger title of the season.

The match began evenly with both players holding serve comfortably. Backed by the home crowd, Virtanen gradually put more pressure on Kypson’s service games and eventually earned the first break of the match to move ahead 3-2. The fifth seed from the U.S. struggled with a few unforced errors, and Virtanen, who had shown strong form all week, stayed solid to close out the opening set 6-4.

Kypson raised his level at the start of the second set, pushing the Finn into more defensive positions. Virtanen saved a few break points early on, but Kypson capitalized on his third opportunity to take a 4-2 lead. At 5-3, Virtanen appeared to suffer an injury and required a medical timeout, but the American maintained his focus and served out the set 6-3 to force a decider.

In the final set, world No. 146 Kypson made a quick move, breaking Virtanen’s serve in the opening game. The Finn continued to fight, even earning a break point later in the set, but Kypson held firm. After just under two hours of play, the 26-year-old sealed the championship.

“It feels really good, of course,” said a smiling Kypson, who earned €25,740 in prize money as well as 125 ATP ranking points. “It was a really tough one, and I’m just happy I was able to win today. It’s never easy to play against the home favorite, but I knew what to expect. It was fun out there—a great atmosphere and a close match until the end.”

When asked what made the difference, Kypson pointed to his serve.

“I served really well today—apart from once in the first set, I held my service games strongly," he said. "Getting that early break in the third set was huge, and I managed to keep serving well all the way through. The serve was definitely the key.”

For Virtanen, who was the last Finnish player to reach the final since Emil Ruusuvuori’s 2019 victory, it was still a memorable week despite the loss. “Four good matches this week—overall, I’m happy with my game,” Virtanen said. “Of course, losing hurts, and it’s never fun to leave a home tournament as the runner-up when the goal was to win.”

Playing in front of a sold-out home crowd all week was a special experience for the 23-year-old Finn. “Thank you to the fans—the support was amazing all week,” Virtanen said. “It really helped me bring out my best. I almost found my way back in the end today, but Patrick played a great match and deserved the win. Congratulations to him.”

Nishioka crowned Taipei champion

Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka claimed the title of the Taiwan Sanzaizi Challenger, defeating Australia’s top seed James Duckworth 7-5, 7-6(5) in a thrilling final at the Taipei Tennis Center. Competing in the tournament for the first time, the No. 2 seed Nishioka triumphed after one hour and 49 minutes to lift his eighth ATP Challenger trophy and became the first Japanese singles champion in the event’s eight-year history.

The championship clash featured two former Top 50 players: 33-year-old Duckworth, who reached a career-high of No. 46 in January 2022, and 30-year-old Nishioka, who climbed as high as No. 24 in June 2023. Both players have battled injuries this season and were looking to close the year strong with a title and a potential return to the Top 100, which would secure direct entry into the 2026 Australian Open main draw.

Their head-to-head was tied at one win apiece from meetings in 2014 and 2016, making this their first encounter in nine years. Duckworth relied on his powerful serve, while the left-handed Nishioka, showcased his trademark speed, court coverage, and sharp counterpunching. The Japanese has been in fine form, having won the Suzhou Challenger last month and reaching the round of 32 at the Shanghai Masters after coming through qualifying.

I knew I had to fight with everything I had. My desire to win was stronger than his—that made the difference. Yoshito Nishioka

The opening set saw intense baseline rallies; with both players holding serve through the first four games. Nishioka then broke twice in succession for a 5-2 lead and earned two set points in the eighth game. But Duckworth fought back bravely, breaking twice to level at 5-5. Undeterred, Nishioka broke again in the 11th game and held firm to seal the first set 7-5 after 54 minutes.

The second set was another serving duel, with no break points in the first eight games. Nishioka broke for 5-4 and served for the match, but Duckworth refused to yield and broke back immediately. The set went to a tiebreak, where Nishioka stayed composed after being pegged back from 3-1 to 3-3, eventually taking the breaker 7-5 on his second match point after Duckworth netted a forehand.

“It feels amazing right now,” he said after the match. “It was a great battle. I know James has a strong serve, but I also knew he was under pressure. At 5-2, he started attacking more, which made me nervous, but I’m happy I played the key points well and got the win.”

Reflecting on his recent form, Nishioka added: “It was a tough moment when I got broken in the second set, but I knew I had to fight with everything I had. My desire to win was stronger than his—that made the difference.”

After injuries pushed his ranking down to No. 173 in September, Nishioka scheduled a run of four Challenger events to rebuild momentum. “People expect me to win because of my past ranking, and that brought pressure. But I’ve always believed I could get back into the Top 50. I just kept fighting - like crazy,” he said with a smile.

“Tonight, I’ll probably celebrate with my coach, maybe have a beer and enjoy some Taiwanese food,” he said. “Then I’ll focus on Kobe and hope to keep this form going.”

Barrios Vera earns third title of the season

Tomas Barrios Vera was successful at the South American clay-court swing, lifting the trophy of the Igma Open in Peru. The No. 6 seed of the ATP Challenger Tour 75 event beat Brazilian Joao Lucas Reis da Silva 7-6(5), 7-6(3) in the final.

Barrios Vera won eight points more than his opponent to prevail after two hours and four minutes. The 27-year-old from Chile earned his seventh ATP Challenger career title, his third of the season following his triumphs in Cali, Colombia and Campinas, Brazil. He collected $14,200 in prize money.

Rocha reigns in Matsuyama

Henrique Rocha captured his second Challenger career title following his triumph in Murcia, Spain last year, by winning the fourth edition of the Unicharm Trophy Ehime International Open Tennis in Matsuyama, Japan. The top seed from Portugal outlasted fifth-seeded home favourite Sho Shimabukuro 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 in the final.

Rocha converted five of his nine break-point chances to prevail after just under two hours of play. The 21-year-old collected $14,200 in prize money as well as 75 ATP Ranking points.

Krueger clinches Knoxville Challenger trophy

Finally, Mitchell Krueger earned his sixth ATP Challenger Tour career title, his first since Little Rock in June last year. The 31-year-old emerged victorious from the all-American final of the Knoxville Challenger with Darwin Blanch, winning 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-1.

Krueger fired 10 aces and won 74% of his first-service points to succeed in two hours and five minutes. He took away from the Goodfriend Tennis Center at the University of Tennessee $8,350 in prize money and 50 ATP ranking points.

Challenger Tour continues with six events

Three players ranked inside the world’s Top 100 and a total of 11 among the Top 150 have signed up to compete in the Uruguay Open 2025, which is taking place this week on the clay courts of the Carrasco Lawn Tennis Club in Montevideo. World No. 45 Sebastian Baez of Argentina tops the draw. His compatriot Mariano Navone, Emilio Nava of the United States and Spaniard Carlos Taberner round out the final four.

Read more: Fourteen ATP Challenger events held in November to count towards 2026 Race

In addition to the Uruguay Open, which offers 100 ATP ranking points to the champion, five ATP Challenger 75 events are taking place this week.

Before the year officially ends, next year's Australian tennis summer kicks off in Queensland with the Brisbane QTC Tennis International 3. The local players dominate the draw headlined by James Duckworth and Rinky Hijikata.

Meanwhile in North America, the hard-court swing concludes with two tournaments. The Paine Schwartz Partners Challenger in Champaign is the last Challenger event in the United States. Nicolas Mejia of Colombia is the top seed at the Atkins Tennis Center in Illinois. With the Challenger Banque Nationale de Drummondville the season comes to a close in Canada, where local hero Liam Draxl leads the field.

In Europe, the second edition of the ALL IN OPEN Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is being held in Lyon. Serbia’s Laslo Djere is the No. 1 seed and Vit Kopriva from the Czech Republic is the second favourite in France.

Finally, the Asian swing continues with the Hyogo Noah Challenger in Kobe, Japan, where Chun-Hsin Tseng of Chinese Taipei is the top contender for the title.