Alafia Ayeni may not be a household name on the ATP Tour, but that is not stopping him from making an impact by giving back to the sport.

The 23-year-old, who is competing at this week’s ATP Challenger Tour event in Astana, Kazakhstan, started his own brand Team 3x, designed to inspire and empower minorities in sports to overcome structural barriers and social stigmas. The former University of Kentucky star Ayeni launched Team 3x in 2022.

“Growing up, I think one of the biggest barriers to entry for this sport is the financial aspect of it, buying equipment, buying shoes, strings, those are all very high costs,” Ayeni told ATPTour.com recently at the NCAA championships in Lake Nona, Florida. “And for someone, even a middle class family, it’s very difficult to make it because of those things.”

Originally from San Diego, California, Ayeni played four seasons at Cornell University before transferring to the University of Kentucky, where he went 18-9 in dual-season singles and earned ITA All-American honours this year. Thanks to the ATP/ITA Accelerator Programme, Ayeni’s hard work is rewarded with up to eight qualifying spots at select ATP Challenger Tour events in the next year.

World No. 427 Ayeni is inspired to use his platform to provide opportunities to minority children. His father, Anthony, hails from Nigeria but moved to the United States at age 17 and now works as a lawyer. Alafia’s mother, Pamela, is a software engineer, which he said helped spark his interest in game design and coding.

Ayeni is a self starter. While he was at Cornell University in New York, he taught himself to play piano. When he began Team 3x, he launched a clothing line with profits being used to assist juniors in his stomping grounds of southern California. The goal is to ignite aspiring athletes’ careers by helping them travel to national junior tournaments.

“I think that the sport has been a little bit stigmatised within the minority community, especially the African-American community,” Ayeni said. “Growing up, playing tennis, even in high school, you tell people you play tennis and they’re kind of really surprised. They don’t view it as a viable option to get to college or to make a living. Whereas they view basketball, football, or track as very viable options. I think that’s a cultural stigma. That’s something that my company is working to overturn.”

The first merchandise release consisted of 68 sweatshirts. Why an arbitrary number like 68? The late Arthur Ashe won his first major in 1968, when he became the only African-American man to triumph at the US Open.

Just one year into Team 3x, Ayeni quickly found support on and off the court while spending his graduate season in Lexington, Kentucky.

“The University of Kentucky has helped me out a lot,” Ayeni said. “Having an entire university at your back will really help you gain reach, you can connect with the right people, and it really helps your brand grow.”

Under the tutelage of head coach Cedric Kauffmann at Kentucky, Ayeni helped the Wildcats claim their first SEC title since 1992. Ayeni is one of 21 players to benefit from the all-new ATP/ITA Accelerator Programme, which aims to increase the development pathway for top players in the American Collegiate system.

“I think he had a big growth year,” Kaufmann said. “He’s a lot more stable mentally, physically also, feels really good. He’s just a very tough player, very aggressive player. He comes to the net; not a lot of players come to the net anymore that much. He has the power and athletic ability to play some very good points at the big moments.”

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Though the American is not using an Accelerator spot at this week’s President’s Cup in Astana, fans will continue to see Ayeni on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“This accelerator program is going to help a lot with a lot of the internationals in terms of competing and taller status and raising the level of college tennis for years to come,” Ayeni said.

The seventh seed Ayeni will meet qualifier Evgeny Philippov in the Astana Challenger opening round Tuesday. Fans can stream all ATP Challenger Tour matches live and on demand for free at Challenger TV.

Eight years ago, a 21-year-old Dominic Thiem claimed his second ATP Tour title in Umag. On Monday, the Austrian won his first match at the Croatian ATP 250 event since that victory.

Thiem battled past Argentine qualifier Facundo Bagnis 6-4, 7-5 to reach the second round of the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag.

“I knew that it was going to be hard work against him. He’s a great player, especially on the clay court,” Thiem said in his on-court interview. “He had two victories here already in the qualies, which is never easy. It was his third day in a row, so he knows the conditions, he knows how to play at night, how the balls are bouncing. So it was a lot of hard work today, but now I’m super happy that I won that match.”

The former World No. 3 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings saved all six break points he faced — including two on set points at 4-5 in the second set — against the lefty to advance after two hours and three minutes. Thiem will try to reach his first tour-level quarter-final since April when he faces top seed Jiri Lehecka.

“We just practised yesterday together,” Thiem said. “It’s his best year by far. He’s a great player, very young still, playing so fast. So [I will] try to use my experience, try to play a great match.”

In other action, 17-year-old Dino Prizmic earned his first ATP Tour win. This year’s Roland Garros boys’ singles champion eliminated another Croatian wild card, Duje Ajdukovic, 6-1, 6-2 under the watchful eye of national icon Goran Ivanisevic.

“The feeling is amazing,” Prizmic said. “I want to say thanks to everyone who came here to support this match. It means a lot to me and this is a big experience for me.”

Marcelo Melo celebrated a milestone in style on Monday when he partnered John Peers into the second round of the Atlanta Open.

The victory over Luis David Martinez and Reese Stalder marked the Brazilian’s 1,000th tour-level match. Melo now owns a 608-392 record.

“It means a lot. I think it means I’ve had so far a very good career, long term, many years on Tour winning of course a lot of matches,” Melo said. “It is huge for me actually to be able to play 1,000 matches so far.”

Marcelo Melo” />
^{Photo: Alex Smith/Atlanta Open}
It is just the latest of several achievements for Melo, a 37-time tour-level titlist who has reached No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings. Beyond the accolades, the 39-year-old loves what he does.

“I think that’s why I’m still playing,” Melo said. “I always say the day I stop enjoying tennis, I [will] stop playing. So I’m really enjoying coming out like today, we played on centre court, lots of people watching the match. [I got] this cake after the match for the 1,000th [match]. This recognition means a lot to me.”

Melo became the only active player to reach 1,000 tour-level matches and the 14th on record, joining an elite group led by Daniel Nestor (1,550), Mike Bryan (1,523) and Bob Bryan (1,468). Melo’s partner, Peers, shared praise for the Brazilian.

“It’s one hell of an effort,” Peers said. “It shows his longevity and commitment to the sport. It shows how good he’s been, his resilience over the years. It’s a real credit to him.”

Will players from France combine to break Argentina’s ATP Challenger Tour record from last year?

Argentines combined for 23 Challenger titles in 2022, marking the most titles by a single country in a season. The Frenchmen were just one short of tying the record. This year, players from France are on track to make history in a league of their own.

On Sunday, Hugo Gaston and Hugo Grenier claimed their second Challenger titles of the season to extend France’s lead to 17 Challenger crowns this year, with Argentina in second at 12.

Gaston, 22, survived a marathon week at the Citta di Trieste Challenger in Italy, where he needed a deciding set in four of five matches to seal back-to-back Challenger titles. In the final, the fourth seed defeated sixth seed Italian Francesco Passaro 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 to extend his winning streak to 10 after triumphing in Iasi, Romania last week.

The lefty Gaston, who rose to World No. 92 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday, competed at the 2021 Next Gen ATP Finals and reached a career-high No. 58 last year. The Toulouse-native is one of 12 Frenchmen in the Top 100. His triumph in Trieste marks his third Challenger title.

Passaro rallied from 3-6, 2-4 against Fabian Marozsan in the semi-finals, which was completed Sunday after being suspended due to darkness Saturday. The 22-year-old Italian mounted a comeback and then returned to court to compete in his first Challenger final of 2023.

A few hours after Gaston’s title, the 27-year-old Grenier was crowned champion at the Open de Tenis Ciudad de Pozoblanco in Spain. The top seed escaped Argentine Juan Pablo Ficovich 6-7(4), 6-2, 7-6(3) in a marathon three-hour, 13-minute final.

Hugo Grenier wins his fifth ATP Challenger Tour title in Pozoblanco, Spain.” />
^{Hugo Grenier wins his fifth ATP Challenger Tour title in Pozoblanco, Spain. Credit: Open de Tenis Ciudad de Pozoblanco}

Grenier has played his best tennis in Spain this season, having triumphed at the Les Franqueses Del Valles Challenger in March and making a third-round appearance at the Mutua Madrid Open as a qualifier.

In other Pozoblanco action, Spaniard Adrian Menendez-Maceiras bid farewell to his 18-year pro career. The 37-year-old, who reached a career-high No. 111, was given a main draw wild card and was honoured with a plaque from the tournament.

Sumit Nagal captured his second Challenger title of the season at the Tampere Open, which is the longest-running tournament (41 years) on the ATP Challenger Tour. Seventh seed Nagal ousted #NextGenATP star Dalibor Svrcina 6-4, 7-5 in the final.

Sumit Nagal wins his fourth ATP Challenger Tour title in Tampere, Finland.” />
^{Sumit Nagal wins his fourth ATP Challenger Tour title in Tampere, Finland. Credit: Tampere Open}

Earlier this season, Nagal returned to the Challenger winners’ circle in Rome, Georgia after four difficult years that saw the 25-year-old undergo hip surgery and fight Covid multiple times. The World No. 178 continued his resurgence in Finland, where he earned his fourth Challenger trophy and became the first Indian to win two Challenger singles titles in Europe.

Canadian Alexis Galarneau ascended to a career-high No. 162 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings following his title on home soil in Granby. The 24-year-old downed Australian teen Philip Sekulic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the final.

Galarneau played college tennis at North Carolina State University, where he was a two-time ITA All-American (2020, 2021) and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in finance. He is the first Canadian Challenger champion of 2023 and the second player from N.C. State to win a Challenger title (John Sadri, 1984).

Alexis Galarneau wins his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in Granby, Canada.” />
^{Alexis Galarneau wins his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in Granby, Canada. Credit: Sarah-Jäde Champagne}

Galarneau is one of five Canadians to win the Granby Challenger, joining Frank Dancevic, Vasek Pospisil, Peter Polansky and Gabriel Diallo.

Maximilian Marterer collected his first Challenger title since 2020 by winning the Van Mossel KIA Dutch Open in Amersfoort. The 28-year-old lefty defeated Frenchman Titouan Droguet 6-4, 6-2 in the final and did not a drop set all week at the clay-court event.

Marterer capped his perfect week by winning 76 per cent of first-serve points and fending off all three break points against the eighth seed Droguet.

The German Marterer boasts an 8-3 record in Challenger finals and has enjoyed a standout month, having reached the third round at Wimbledon as a qualifier.

Back in the winners’ circle 🏆

Maximilian Marterer wins the 8th #ATPChallenger title of his career and the first since 2020! pic.twitter.com/nLJD95IfK2

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) July 23, 2023

#NextGenATP Frenchman Luca Van Assche made a winning start on debut at the Hamburg European Open on Monday when he overcame countryman Alexandre Muller 7-6(3), 6-4 to reach the second round.

The 19-year-old won 50 per cent (31/62) of points on Muller’s first serve and rallied from a double break down in the second set, winning five consecutive games from 1-4 to clinch victory after two hours and 15 minutes.

Van Assche is into the second round at a tour-level event for the sixth time next season and will aim to reach the third round for the first time when he meets seventh seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or Gstaad champion Pedro Cachin at the ATP 500 clay-court event.

Van Assche is currently sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Next Gen Race on 521 points. The Frenchman is seeking to make his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals at the end of the season.

American Alex Michelsen’s quest to compete at the Next Gen ATP Finals gathered pace last week when he advanced to his first tour-level final at the ATP 250 event in Newport.

Competing in just his second tour-level event, the 18-year-old earned standout wins against Maxime Cressy and John Isner at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open to rise four spots to seventh (416 points) in the Pepperstone ATP Live Next Gen Race.

Michelsen, who is aiming to make his debut at the 21-and-under event, clinched his first ATP Challenger Tour crown in Chicago earlier this month.

Serbian Hamad Medjedovic has jumped two spots to eighth (398 points) after advancing to his first tour-level semi-final at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad. The 20-year-old came through qualifying at the ATP 250 clay-court event before he downed former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem.

Andrey Rublev, Adrian Mannarino and Pedro Cachin captured trophies in Bastad, Newport and Gstaad, respectively, in a three-tournament week on the ATP Tour.

ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings as of Monday, 24th July 2023.

No. 49 Pedro Cachin, +41 (Career High)
The Argentine has cracked the Top 50 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time after he captured his maiden tour-level title at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad. The 28-year-old, whose best tour-level result prior to Gstaad was a quarter-final appearance in Cordoba in 2019, rallied past Albert Ramos-Vinolas in three sets in the final.

No. 27 Adrian Mannarino, +11
The 35-year-old has climbed 11 places to No. 27 following his run to the trophy at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open in Newport. Mannarino, who lost his first six tour-level finals, overcame #NextGenATP American Alex Michelsen in the championship match to claim his third crown.

No. 65 Albert Ramos-Vinolas, +14
The Spaniard advanced to his first final of the season in Gstaad, moving past seeds Lorenzo Sonego and Miomir Kecmanovic en route. The 35-year-old is up 14 spots to No. 65 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

No. 140 Alex Michelsen, +50 (Career High)
One year ago this week, Michelsen was tied for No. 1,081 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The 18-year-old is now No. 140 after enjoying a breakthrough run to the final on home soil at the ATP 250 in Newport. Michelsen defeated Maxime Cressy and John Isner en route to the title match.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 40 Miomir Kecmanovic, +4
No. 52 Sebastian Ofner, +6 (Career High)
No. 63 Jordan Thompson, +6
No. 87 Fabian Marozsan, +6 (Career High)
No. 92 Hugo Gaston, +28

Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers due to fatigue, tournament organisers announced on Sunday.

“I have always enjoyed my time in Canada but after speaking with my team, we believe this is the right decision to take,” Djokovic said in a press release. “I would like to thank Karl Hale, the Tournament Director, for understanding this decision. I really hope I can return to Canada and Toronto in the coming years to play in front of great fans there.”

The Serbian has won Canada’s ATP Masters 1000 event four times, tallying a 37-7 record. The last time he competed in the tournament was in 2018.

Djokovic last competed at Wimbledon, where he fell short in a memorable championship match against Carlos Alcaraz. The 36-year-old is 33-5 in 2023 and has won titles at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Adelaide.