Following Christopher O’Connell’s second-round appearance at the US Open, where he pushed finalist Daniil Medvedev to four sets, the Australian made the long journey from New York to Shanghai, where he competed at the ATP Challenger 100 event, the Road to the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

Despite the lengthy trip, the 29-year-old did not drop a set en route to the title, which lifted him to a career-high No. 53 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. O’Connell, who is one of six Challenger champions this week, defeated Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki 6-3, 7-5 in the final. Despite Watanuki’s 20 aces, O’Connell held the edge on second serve, winning 68 per cent of his second-serve points, compared to his opponent’s 32 per cent.

“I loved playing here. As soon as I arrived here, I felt pretty comfortable. It was a tough trip coming from the US Open, playing a tough match against Medvedev,” O’Connell said. “I continued playing some really good tennis. I love the conditions here, the humidity. I’ve been training prior to the US Open in Florida with conditions similar to this, so that really helped with how I played this week.”

The ATP Challenger Tour made its long-awaited return to China three weeks ago after a near four-year absence on the calendar. Starting next week, China will host four tour-level tournaments in as many weeks. O’Connell looks to maintain his form in Asia. He will next play the Guangzhou Challenger before competing at the ATP 250 event in Chengdu.

“My goal is to finish the season inside the Top 50. Playing here is going to put me in really good stead for the Masters [1000 event] in a couple weeks’ time,” O’Connell said.

In other Challenger action, Thiago Seyboth Wild captured his second consecutive trophy, extending his winning streak to 10 by winning the AON Open Challenger in Genoa, Italy. The 23-year-old defeated five Italians en route to the title and downed home favourite Fabio Fognini 6-2, 7-6(3) in the final.

Thiago Seyboth Wild wins the Challenger 125 event in Genoa, Italy.” />
^{Thiago Seyboth Wild wins the Challenger 125 event in Genoa, Italy. Credit: AON Open Challenger}

Following his triumph, Seyboth Wild surged to a career-high No. 76 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, marking his Top 100 debut.

“It feels great to be in the Top 100. I started the year outside the Top 400, so this is an important step for me,” said Seyboth Wild, who leads the ATP Challenger Tour with four titles and 38 match wins this season. “I’ve been working hard all year with my team and I hope to continue to climb the rankings.”

The Brazilian No. 1 has enjoyed a standout season, with a breakthrough moment coming at Roland Garros. Seyboth Wild advanced through qualifying and upset Daniil Medvedev in the opening round en route to a third-round appearance. He became the lowest-ranked player (then-No. 172) to beat a second seed in the first round at Roland Garros since 1998.

Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena successfully defended his title on the unique yellow clay at the LX Copa Sevilla. The top seed cruised past Frenchman Calvin Hemery 6-3, 6-1 in the final to lift his 11th Challenger trophy and first of this season.

Roberto Carballes Baena collects back-to-back titles at the Seville Challenger.” />
^{Roberto Carballes Baena collects back-to-back titles at the Seville Challenger. CredIt: Manuel J. Pérez/Copa Sevilla}

The 30-year-old, who in April won the ATP 250 event in Marrakech, joins Arthur Fils as the only players to win a tour-level and Challenger title this season. Carballes Baena is the third player to defend a Challenger crown in 2023, alongside Jurij Rodionov and Hugo Dellien.

Mattia Bellucci is one spot shy of tying his career-high No. 142 following his title run at the Cassis Open Provence by Cabesto in France. The Italian lefty overcame Czech Tomas Machac 6-3, 6-4 in the final to win his third Challenger trophy and first of the year.

“I’m really, really happy because I was not feeling well on court the first six months of the year. I qualified at the Australian Open and really raised my expectations, I was just rushing and not believing in time,” Bellucci said. “This is a good step for me also because I think I played well.”

Mattia Bellucci wins his third Challenger title in Cassis, France.” />
^{Mattia Bellucci wins his third Challenger title in Cassis, France. Credit: All In Group}

Vit Kopriva was crowned champion at the NO OPEN powered by EVN in Tulln, Austria. In the final, the Czech ousted Indian Sumit Nagal 6-2, 6-4 after winning 80 per cent of his first-serve points. The 26-year-old has won 11 of his past 12 Challenger matches, including a title run in Verona in July.

Vit Kopriva wins the Challenger 100 event in Tulln, Austria.” />
^{Vit Kopriva wins the Challenger 100 event in Tulln, Austria. Credit: Manfred Binder}

Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur collected the title at the Istanbul Challenger TED Open, where the 31-year-old defeated Slovakian Lukas Klein 7-6(5), 6-3 in the final to win his first trophy at any level since 2018. A three-time tour-level titlist, the former World No. 23 earned his maiden hard-court Challenger crown by ending his five-match skid in finals at that level.

Damir Dzumhur wins the Challenger 75 event in Istanbul, Turkiye.” />
^{Damir Dzumhur wins the Challenger 75 event in Istanbul, Turkiye. Credit: Istanbul Challenger TED Open}

Dominic Stricker has moved within the qualification cut for the Next Gen ATP Finals after he enjoyed a breakthrough run to the fourth round at the US Open.

The 21-year-old Swiss star, who reached the semi-finals at the 21-and-under event in 2022, is up three spots to seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Jeddah (576 points) after coming through qualifying in New York to reach the last 16. Stricker upset Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round for his first Top 10 win before he lost against Taylor Fritz.

Earlier this season, the lefty earned his first Grand Slam win at Wimbledon, while he clinched ATP Challenger Tour crowns in Italy and the Czech Republic.

Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Jeddah

American Ben Shelton further consolidated his position in the Live Race To Jeddah after soaring to the semi-finals on home soil in New York. The 20-year-old has jumped to third (1,455 points), leapfrogging fifth-placed Arthur Fils (953 points) and fourth-placed Lorenzo Musetti (1,300 points).

Czech star Jakub Mensik has also boosted his chances of competing at the Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held from 28 November-2 December in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The 17-year-old reached the third round at a major for the first time in New York. He is up 11 places to 14th (342 points).

The last major of the season at the US Open threw up more storylines, from Novak Djokovic’s title run to Ben Shelton’s big breakthrough.

ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings as of Monday, 11th September 2023.

No. 19 Ben Shelton, +28 (Career High)
The American has jumped into the Top 20 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time after he advanced to his first major semi-final at the US Open. The 20-year-old defeated countrymen Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe en route to becoming the youngest American semi-finalist in New York since Michael Chang in 1992.

No. 1 Novak Djokovic, +1 (Joint Career High)
The 36-year-old made history again in New York, where he captured a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title, matching Margaret Court’s mark. The Serbian, who has now won the US Open four times, dropped just two sets en route to his fifth trophy of the season. He defeated Daniil Medvedev in the final, avenging his 2021 loss in the title match.

No. 6 Andrey Rublev, +2
Rublev maintained his consistency at majors at the US Open, where he advanced to his third major quarter-final of the season. The 25-year-old, who is 44-18 on the season, fell against Medvedev in the last eight.

No. 10 Alexander Zverev, +2
The German has jumped back into the Top 10 for the first time since last October after he advanced to the quarter-finals at the US Open. The 26-year-old showed signs of his best level in Flushing Meadows, where he earned a statement fourth-round win against Jannik Sinner.

No. 90 Dominic Stricker, +38 (Career High)
#NextGenATP Swiss star Stricker has broken into the Top 100 for the first time following his breakthrough run at the US Open. The 21-year-old came through qualifying to advance to the fourth round at a major for the first time. Stricker had only won one Grand Slam match prior to New York.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, +2
No. 8 Taylor Fritz, +1
No. 22 Nicolas Jarry, +3 (Career High)
No. 28 Sebastian Baez, +4 (Career High)
No. 40 Stan Wawrinka, +9
No. 47 Matteo Arnaldi, +14 (Career High)
No. 49 Daniel Altmaier, +4 (Career High)
No. 53 Christopher O’Connell, +16 (Career High)
No. 73 Dominic Thiem, +8
No. 76 Thiago Seyboth Wild, +30 (Career High)
No. 77 Yosuke Watanuki, +7 (Career High)
No. 81 Michael Mmoh, +8 (Career High)
No. 82 Rinky Hijikata, +28 (Career High)
No. 87 Hugo Gaston, +12

Novak Djokovic boosted his hopes of securing the ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone for a record-extending eighth time when he clinched his 24th major title at the US Open on Sunday.

Djokovic entered the final in New York knowing defeat against Daniil Medvedev would leave him trailing Carlos Alcaraz in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. His advantage against third-placed Medvedev would have also been cut to 755 points.

The Serbian has now given himself some breathing room, though, with his straight-sets victory against the 27-year-old Medvedev lifting him to first in the Live Race To Turin on 8,945 points, 770 points ahead of second-placed Carlos Alcaraz (8,175). The 36-year-old is 2,355 points clear of Medvedev (6,590), who qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals following his fourth-round win at the US Open.

Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin

Andrey Rublev has also climbed one place to fifth (3,640) in the Live Race To Turin after reaching the quarter-finals at the hard-court major. The 25-year-old is aiming to qualify for the prestigious year-end event for the fourth consecutive year.

Two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev has moved to within the qualification cut after jumping to eighth (3,030). The German, who lost against Alcaraz in the quarter-finals, is 20 points ahead of ninth-placed Taylor Fritz (3,010).