Brouwer, Munar save MPs en route to Challenger title runs

  • Posted: Sep 24, 2024

Gijs Brouwer and Jaume Munar saved match points en route to lifting trophies this past week on the ATP Challenger Tour.

While the 28-year-old Brouwer advanced through qualifying and went all the way to claim his maiden Challenger title, Munar triumphed at that level for a record-extending eighth consecutive season.

The Dutchman Brouwer downed home favourite and former World No. 10 Lucas Pouille 6-4, 7-6(2) in Sunday’s Saint-Tropez Open final. Brouwer saved two match points in the quarter-finals against Benjamin Bonzi, who was the only player all week to take a set off the lefty.

“It feels unbelievable. I was really trying for years to get [a Challenger title] and now I finally have one. I’m super happy,” Brouwer said. “The key this week was the mentality, being good in my head, always staying positive throughout the week. I just kept playing and didn’t think too much of the score. Just with a clean head every point and fight for every point.”

Munar, 27, won his 10th Challenger trophy at the Bad Waltersdorf Trophy in Austria. The top seed defeated Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-2, 6-1 in the final, a day after Munar fended off three match points to outlast American Nicolas Moreno De Alboran in the last four.

<img alt=”Jaume Munar is crowned champion at the Bad Waltersdorf Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/09/24/14/34/munar-badwaltersdorfch-2024.jpg” />
Jaume Munar is crowned champion at the Bad Waltersdorf Challenger. Credit: Bad Waltersdorf Trophy

In other Challenger action, Naoki Nakagawa survived an all-Japanese marathon final to be crowned champion at the Columbus Challenger. After three hours and 16 minutes, Nakagawa overcame James Trotter 7-6(8), 5-7, 7-6(5) to secure his maiden Challenger title.

Nakagawa, who upset top seed Christopher Eubanks in the quarter-finals, entered the week with a career 4-29 record in Challenger main-draw matches and had not won a main-draw match at that level since October 2023. Following his title run, the 27-year-old is up 94 spots in the PIF ATP Rankings to World No. 335, one spot shy of tying his career high.

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Frenchman Valentin Royer won the BCR Sibiu Open in Romania, where he defeated countryman Luka Pavlovic 6-4, 6-0 in the final. The 23-year-old Royer, who was competing in his second Challenger final of the year, is up to a career-high World No. 182.

Argentine Juan Pablo Ficovich returned to the winners’ circle at the KIA Open in Cali, Colombia. The 27-year-old needed a deciding set in his first four matches before cruising past #NextGenATP Gonzalo Bueno 6-0, 6-4 in the title match. Ficovich avenged this past April’s Concepcion Challenger final loss to the 20-year-old.

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