The Top 5: Late-Season Challenger Standouts

While some of the top players on the ATP Tour jockeyed for a spot in the field of the recently completed season-ending championships over the past couple of months, another race has been going on, with the prize a payoff in 2023.

The ATP Challenger Tour has been an all-out battleground as players try to lift their rankings in order to gain direct acceptance into next year’s Australian Open, which is only a couple of months away.

Here’s a look at the recent standouts who’ve put themselves in prime position:

Ben Shelton
When the 20-year-old American played his first Challenger event of the year back in May, he was ranked in the 500s and managed to reach the semifinals. Shelton, the reigning NCAA champion from the University of Florida, showed he was a quick study and reached three finals at that level from then till the beginning of October. What he’s accomplished, though, over the past few weeks has been history-making as he picked up three straight titles in three weeks. Those victories have landed him a spot in the Top 100, all but assuring a direct berth in the Melbourne draw.

Christopher Eubanks
Over two of those finals Shelton recently contested, he went head-to-head with Eubanks, another former college star. While the 26-year-old got off to a slow start in 2022, he’s definitely stepped it up over the past six months. Battling through qualifying draws on some occasions, while advancing to his seeded place in the draw in others, he’s played some of the most consistent tennis of his career. Eubanks reached consecutive title bouts in Charlottesville and Knoxville against Shelton and just missed out on a third in Champaign, Ill., where he made it to the semifinals. Over that time, he reached a career-high No. 120 in the standings and is in prime position for the USTA wild card for the Australian Open.

Marton Fucsovics
Reaching the fourth round or better on four occasions at three different majors since 2018, Hungary’s top player had established himself as a consistent member of the Top 50. A slip in form, though, through most of the summer and a good chunk of the fall had caused his ranking to drop out of the Top 100 at one point. Playing only his second Challenger event of the year in Slovakia a few weeks ago, the second seed stormed to the title with the loss of only one set. The result brought Fucsovics’ ranking back to the double digits, with his sights set on a third career second-week showing in Melbourne.

Michael Mmoh
Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Reilly Opelka and Tommy Paul have led the next wave of American male prospects for the past few years. If not for injuries, Mmoh possibly could have found himself right there with them. Though it’s been four years since Mmoh was last in the Top 100, the 24-year-old has gotten himself within striking distance of his career-high ranking of No. 96 after a strong fall. He’s gone 19-5 since September, with two Challenger titles and a final last week in Drummondville, Canada.

Vasek Pospisil
The player that beat Mmoh in Canada—much to the delight of the home fans—has experienced a similar struggle with injuries over the past few years. However, Pospisil, the former world No. 25, is now back in the Top 100 for the first time in 13 months, and provided he stays healthy, could find himself going even higher. Pospisil has been on a solid run since September, reaching the quarterfinals at the ATP 250 tournament in Tel Aviv from qualifying, reaching the final of a Challenger in France, then picking up the victory in Drummondville for his first title since January. He’s long been a threat with his all-court game, and if he makes it to Melbourne with fresh legs, could be a player that top seeds will approach with caution.