In the South American nation of Uruguay, sports are an integral part of its vibrant culture. Its stars are a closely knit group and that fraternity was on display on Saturday at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Montevideo.

Diego Forlan, a former legend of Uruguayan football and one of the greatest players in the world, attended the draw ceremony at the $75,000 clay court event. Alongside countryman and top seed Pablo Cuevas and former champion Guido Pella, Forlan helped make the singles draw for the 13th edition of the tournament.

“It´s a great chance to help this tournament, which is held in my home club, the Carrasco Lawn Tennis Club,” said Forlan, an avid tennis fan. “I actually started playing tennis here and it’s where I spend a lot of my free time playing (with Davis Cup captain Enrique Perez).”

Forlan competed for Uruguay’s national team from 2002-2014, scoring 36 international goals. He received the Golden Ball as the best player at the 2010 World Cup.

The 38-year-old will team up with Cuevas on Wednesday night in an exhibition match against Pella and Argentine actor Martin Bossi. Cuevas is a two-time titlist at his hometown Uruguay Open, having prevailed in both 2009 and 2014. Pella won the title in 2015.

VIEW DRAW

Hoy @DiegoForlan7 junto a los primeros cabezas de serie, @PabloCuevas22 y @guido_pella , en el sorteo del cuadro. ???@ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/rKEGClRjXA

— Uruguay Open (@uruguayopen) November 4, 2017

Tim Smyczek took the ninth edition of the Charlottesville Men’s Pro Challenger on Sunday, downing countryman and top seed Tennys Sandgren 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2 in exactly two hours. The American had his back against the wall, trailing by a set and a break, but would storm back to hoist the trophy. It was a significant victory for the 29-year-old, who claimed his first ATP Challenger Tour title in more than two years (Tiburon 2015). He rises 31 spots to No. 158 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

The Wisconsin native is the ninth different American to prevail on the circuit this year. He joins Sandgren, Frances Tiafoe, Ryan Harrison, Noah Rubin, Michael Mmoh, Kevin King, Mackenzie McDonald and Stefan Kozlov in the winners’ circle.

It was an extra special week for Smyczek, who also claimed his first doubles match win in three years, since the Napa Challenger in 2014. He reached the second round with countryman Marcos Giron.

Smyczek on what his victory means in the big picture. #USTAProCircuit pic.twitter.com/E9HwsJsLtm

— C-Ville Challenger (@CMPChallenger) November 5, 2017

It’s been two years since your last trophy. Is that the bigger accomplishment, or winning a doubles match for the first time in three years?
If we’re going on sheer number of days between wins, the doubles is pretty impressive. But I was really happy with the week. I knew coming in that I was playing well, but that doesn’t always guarantee you to win a tournament. I was happy with the way I competed and I was on the ropes a few times. I was down a set and a break today and I just knew that the margins were really small, so if I kept fighting I’d get a look. And I got on a roll there.

When Sandgren lost his focus in the second set, how important was it for you to put your foot down?
I made a little adjustment in the second and it may have looked like he lost focus, but I was doing some things to make him uncomfortable. I had a change in tactics and luckily he had a little valley in his game and gave me a few free points. I’ve seen him come back from big deficits before, so even when I got the second break in the third, it wasn’t quite over yet.

You have gone through a lot in the past couple years. What has changed for you?
I was always planning on playing next year and I’ve done a lot better of thinking my way through matches. It gives you a lot of confidence to feel that you have an objective every time you step out on the court. Especially on the practice court, knowing you have a job to do. I’m really thankful to be here and hopefully I’ll keep it rolling.

How hard is it to be out there without a traveling coach?
Some guys are better at it than others. I really thought I could handle it. I’m really self-motivated and good and getting the work done when nobody is looking. I thought it was going to be ok, but really it’s a matter of the constant feedback. I’m not my best critic and sometimes I walk off the court scratching my head after a match. It’s helpful to have somebody day in and day out to provide feedback and figure out how I can become a better tennis player.

Some people, when they think of indoor tennis, they think of huge servers. That is, players who can blitz through a tournament quickly. But four of your six Challenger titles are indoors. What does it say about your strength on these fast surfaces?
I’m from Wisconsin and grew up playing at least six months a year indoors. It’s something I’m comfortable with. And the other thing is that the indoor courts aren’t always very fast. In Knoxville next week, the courts are historically really slow. This week, the courts are fast and while I served well, I also returned quite well. I thought I did a pretty good job of picking my spots and getting these guys to not serve their best. There’s no doubt that you have to make adjustments on a quicker court and I feel like I’m moving really well right now and taking my angles. I’m not going to beat guys with pace. I have to either take time away or give time. That goes back to working with [coach Dustin Taylor]. It’s really useful on a court like this.

It’s a tough turnaround with a Tuesday start in Knoxville. You have Stefan Kozlov in the first round and you just had a pretty epic match a few days ago. How do you get refocused? You’re also in the lead for the USTA’s Australian Open wild card.
I’ll take the rest of the day to pause and reflect a little bit. It’s going to be a long two weeks and I’ll try to win several more matches. I won’t think about the wild card too much, but I have more work to do. I’ll have a light hit tomorrow night and another hit on Tuesday and get back to work.

A LOOK BACK
Apis Canberra International (Canberra, Australia): The Australian summer of tennis kicked off last week with Jason Kubler hoisting his first ATP Challenger Tour trophy in three years. Another Aussie would end a title drought on Sunday, as Matthew Ebden claimed his first Challenger crown since 2015 with a 7-6(4) 6-4 victory over second seed Taro Daniel. Ebden, who reached the final at the ATP World Tour event in Newport in July, is back in the Top 100 for the first time since 2014 after undergoing knee surgery. On the comeback trail, the 29-year-old ascends to No. 100 in the Emirates ATP Rankings with his seventh Challenger title in total.

Charlottesville Men’s Pro Challenger (Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.A.): Tim Smyczek took the ninth edition of the indoor hard court event in Charlottesville, marking the third straight year an American has prevailed on home soil. Smyczek downed countryman and top seed Tennys Sandgren 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2 in exactly two hours, rallying from a set and a break down. It was a significant victory for the 29-year-old, who claimed his first ATP Challenger Tour title in more than two years (Tiburon 2015). He rises 31 spots to No. 158 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

Bauer Watertechnology Cup (Eckental, Germany): Maximilian Marterer is sprinting to the finish line in 2017 with a bevy of strong results on the ATP Challenger Tour. A title in Banja Luka in September was followed by victory in Monterrey in October, and the German was not done. He lifted his third trophy in as many months on Sunday on home soil in Eckental, defeating Jerzy Janowicz 7-6(8), 3-6, 6-3. Marterer rises to a career-high No. 90 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. It was a hard-fought run to the title, which included a pair of comeback wins from a set down in the first and second rounds.

Challenger Ciudad de Guayaquil (Guayaquil, Ecuador): Austria’s Gerald Melzer won ATP Challenger Tour titles in consecutive weeks, going back-to-back in Lima, Peru and Guayaquil, Ecuador. He defeated Facundo Bagnis 6-3, 6-1 for the trophy in Guayaquil on Saturday, dismissing the Argentine in just 56 minutes. Melzer is set to return to the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time since January.

Another week, another ? for @GeraldMelzer. The ?? goes back-to-back on South American soil, prevailing @atpguayaquil and returning to the Top 100. pic.twitter.com/JrtXDJEC4z

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 6, 2017

Shenzhen Longhua Open (Shenzhen, China): Third seed Radu Albot clinched his sixth ATP Challenger Tour title and first of the year, defeating qualifier Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(6), 6-7(3), 6-4 in Shenzhen. Albot finished runner-up to Miomir Kecmanovic in last week’s final in nearby Suzhou, but would go one step further to cap the Chinese swing. The Moldovan rises 17 spots to No. 86 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, just five positions off his career-high.

A LOOK AHEAD
Five events are on the calendar this week, including two prestigious European tournaments. A stacked Slovak Open in Bratislava welcomes defending champion Norbert Gombos, fifth seed and 2004 winner Marcos Baghdatis, top seed Mikhail Kukushkin and #NextGenATP Felix Auger-Aliassime and Sebastian Ofner. Meanwhile, in Mouilleron le Captif, France, 2015 champ Benoit Paire and Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk lead the charge. Marterer looks to add a fourth title in three months, while Alexander Bublik and Elias Ymer highlight the #NextGenATP contenders.

On the clay of Montevideo, home hope and top seed Pablo Cuevas returns in search of a third title (2009, 2014). Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Michael Mmoh and Stefan Kozlov lead the teen charge on the indoor hard courts of Knoxville, U.S.A. Finally, Albot and Ebden look to go back-to-back as they descend on Kobe, Japan, where eighth seed John Millman lifted the trophy in 2015.

Jack Sock won’t be swinging golf clubs next week.

Instead, after a tremendous run to the Rolex Paris Masters title, which sent the American soaring up the Emirates ATP Race To London standings and into the final qualifying spot for the Nitto ATP Finals, Sock will be swinging his racquet at The O2 in London from 12-19 November.

The 25-year-old was supposed to accompany friend and Paris semi-finalist John Isner to Augusta National Golf Club, a famous golf course that is the home of The Masters, near Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. But with Sock’s London qualification, he will no longer be able to make the trip — the tennis racquets will stay out while the golf clubs remain in their bag.

“I had a golf trip with Isner next week in Augusta, which would have been pretty special,” Sock said. “But I’ll look forward to seeing him at his wedding in a couple months.”

The American duo did not get the rare tee time the way one might think. Jay Berger, who is Sock’s coach, has a son, Daniel Berger, who is a professional golfer. Berger finished 10th at The Masters in 2016. The round of golf at the historic club did not come courtesy of him.

Isner is getting married to longtime girlfriend Madison McKinley, whose father is a member at the prestigious Augusta National Golf Club, and helped Isner and Sock get a chance to play there.

“Big thanks to John’s fiancée’s father. Madison’s dad is a member at Augusta so that was how we were going to be able to play,” Sock said. “It was going to be fun. Obviously it was a win-win. It would’ve been fun, him and I playing today to battle it out for who doesn’t go to Augusta, but I’ll see him at his wedding in December, so that’ll be fun.”

Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo are the team to beat as the ATP World Tour shifts its focus to the Nitto ATP Finals. The Polish-Brazilian pair backed up their bid to finish the year as the No. 1 duo, notching a sixth title in total and third at the Masters 1000 level on Sunday at the Rolex Paris Masters.

Kubot and Melo won a final battle over Ivan Dodig and Marcel Granollers 7-6(3), 3-6, 10/6, rallying from a 2/5 deficit in the Match Tie-break. They failed to convert on all six break points earned, but came up clutch in the big moments to claim victory after a marathon one hour and 55 minutes.

“We are the team that played the most Match Tie-breaks this year and we know how to play until the last point,” said Melo. “We have been playing really well and we did that at the right moment today.”

Dodig and Granollers did well to fight back after conceding the opening tie-break. The Croatian produced a pair of sensational shots to grab the lone break of the match for 4-2 in the second set. A return winner on a second serve into the body and a perfectly executed lob over Melo’s head gave them the lead and eventually the set. 

But Kubot and Melo would storm back to capture the Match Tie-break, rallying from 2/5 down. And they claimed two straight points with Granollers serving at 6/7, eventually notching their first match point on a Melo volley winner.

6 ATP Titles in ’17 ☑️
3 Masters 1000 titles in ’17 ☑️

The amazing year of Lukasz Kubot and @marcelomelo83 continues in Paris! ? pic.twitter.com/aPKI5qYhY8

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 5, 2017

“We know what we are here for and we’re always trying to work on our game,” added Kubot. “It’s going to be a great end to the season in London and we’re happy to reach that goal that we wanted to reach. We still want to improve and we look forward to the first match there.”

Kubot and Melo conclude the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London as the top team, with 8,740 points, and split €253,950 in prize money. They have won six titles thus far in 2017, adding to crowns at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 stops in Miami and Madrid, as well as on the grass of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Halle and Wimbledon.

It marks the fifth straight year in which a team has lifted at least three Masters 1000 trophies, with Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan doing so from 2013-15 and Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut achieving the feat last year.

Individually, 34-year-old Melo has won 28 doubles titles in his career, while 35-year-old Kubot has claimed a total of 20. It was Melo’s second Paris crown, having triumphed with Dodig in 2015.

Meanwhile, Dodig and Granollers will make the trip to London for the season finale despite the loss. They punched their ticket earlier in the week in Paris.

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