Fabio Fognini won his first title at any level since 2019 on Sunday when he triumphed at the ATP Challenger Tour 100 event in Valencia, Spain.

The Italian saved two championship points to down home favourite Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6, 7-6(8), 7-6(3) after three hours, 11 minutes in Sunday’s Copa Faulcombridge final. Fognini, who fended off a match point at 4-5 in the second set and another at 7/8 in the second-set tie-break, is the ninth ATP Challenger Tour champion to save at least one match point in a final this year.

Fognini and Bautista Agut, who were competing against each other for the 12th time, combined for the oldest Challenger final in 2023. At 36 years, six months, Fognini is the oldest Challenger champion this season.

A seven-time ATP Challenger Tour champion, Fognini’s victory in Spain marks his first title since his lone ATP Masters 1000 crown at the 2019 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

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In other Challenger action, Chilean Alejandro Tabilo collected his fourth trophy at that level this season by winning the Aberto Da Republica in Brasilia, Brazil. The 26-year-old downed Argentine Roman Andres Burruchaga 6-3, 7-6(6) in the final after winning 81 per cent of his first-serve points.

“I am so happy and speechless with how this weekend has been,” Tabilo wrote in Spanish on Instagram following his triumph. “So thankful for my team for all the work and support they have given me. This is just the beginning and 1701103828 we go stronger.”

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Tabilo is one of four South American players to win at least four Challenger titles in 2023, joining Mariano Navone (5), Facundo Diaz Acosta (4) and Thiago Seyboth Wild (4). Tabilo is the only player of that group with titles on both clay and hard.

Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki won his first Challenger title of the season on home soil at the Yokohama Keio Challenger, where he defeated countryman Yuta Shimizu 7-6(5), 6-4 in the final. The top seed Watanuki was a finalist in Yokohama last year, but he went one step further this week to become the fourth Japanese player to win the Challenger 75 event.

Watanuki and Shimizu are set to face off again on Tuesday in a first-round match at the Yokkaichi Challenger, where the 25-year-old is the defending champion. Watanuki aims at building upon his momentum to finish the season, much like he did last year by earning back-to-back titles and winning 14 of his final 15 matches.

Watanuki, who is coached by his older brother Keisuke, made his Top 100 debut in July shortly after reaching the second round of Wimbledon.

All eight of the competitors at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM were champions on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2023, with Hamad Medjedovic’s trio of titles leading the 21-and-under players. ATPTour.com reviews some of the key moments from each qualifier’s rise through the ATP Challenger Tour this year.

Arthur Fils

The Frenchman kicked off his season in the best way possible, winning nine of his first 10 matches, including an opening week title run at the Oeiras Challenger. Fils, 19, quickly ascended up the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and is currently at a career-high World No. 36. The teenager, who won his maiden tour-level title in Lyon, collected an 11-4 Challenger-match record this year.

Fils joined an exclusive list of French Challenger champions aged 18 and under: Richard Gasquet, Sebastien Grosjean, Gael Monfils, Fabrice Santoro, Corentin Moutet, and Luca Van Assche.

Luca Van Assche
A memorable moment for Van Assche came at the Pau Challenger in March, when he saved two championship points against countryman Ugo Humbert to win the longest Challenger final in history (three hours, 56 minutes). In his next event just a few weeks later, Van Assche returned to the winners’ circle, claiming his third career ATP Challenger crown in Sanremo, where he secured his Top 100 breakthrough.

Dominic Stricker

The Swiss lefty won the Rovereto and Prague Challengers in the first half of the year and now enters the season finale in Jeddah with a 19-12 Challenger-match season record. In September, the 21-year-old made his Top 100 debut following a fourth-round appearance at the US Open, where he stunned seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a five-set, second-round thriller. Stricker is the only Swiss player to win five Challenger titles before his 21st birthday.

Alex Michelsen

The 19-year-old American started the year at World No. 600 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, but has since risen to become the youngest player in the Top 100. Michelsen earned his maiden ATP Challenger Tour triumph in Chicago in July, a week before he was a finalist at the ATP 250 event in Newport. Michelsen enters the Next Gen ATP Finals having won nine of his past 10 matches, including a title run in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Flavio Cobolli

The Italian is one of seven players to win at least 40 Challenger-level matches in 2023. Cobolli, who cracked the Top 100 in October, earned his second career ATP Challenger Tour title in Lisbon and reached the final in Olbia two weeks later. The 21-year-old is one of four #NextGenATP Italians to win a Challenger title this year, alongside Luca Nardi, Matteo Gigante and Luciano Darderi.

Hamad Medjedovic

The 20-year-old is the youngest player to win three ATP Challenger Tour titles this season, with triumphs in Szekesfehervar, Mauthausen and Mallorca. The Serbian, who advanced through qualifying at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, was a semi-finalist at the ATP 250 events in Gstaad and Astana. Coached by former World No. 12 Viktor Troicki, Medjedovic has tallied a 23-12 Challenger-match record this year.

Luca Nardi

At a career-high World No. 115, Nardi has added two Challenger titles to his collection this season. The Italian won the Porto Challenger in August on the same day he was celebrating his 20th birthday. Nardi captured his fourth career Challenger title earlier this month, when he triumphed in Matsuyama, Japan.

Abdullah Shelbayh

The Jordanian made ATP Challenger Tour history in October when he triumphed in Charleston, South Carolina to become the youngest player from an Arab country to win a title at that level. The 20-year-old, who graduated from the Rafa Nadal Academy in 2021, also was a finalist at the Manama Challenger in February. Shelbayh enters the Next Gen ATP Finals at a career-high World No. 185.

The first ATP-sanctioned event ever to be held in Saudi Arabia commences on Tuesday, when all eight players will be in action at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM.

Top seed Arthur Fils will face Italian Luca Nardi in the first Green Group match at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah. Frenchman Fils is No. 36 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, having won his first tour-level title in Lyon earlier this year. Nardi, who was an alternate at the 21-and-under event in 2022, won an ATP Challenger Tour trophy in Japan earlier this month.

Dominic Stricker and Flavio Cobolli will follow Fils and Nardi onto court in the afternoon session. The 21-year-old Swiss Stricker reached the semi-finals on debut at the tournament last year, while 21-year-old Italian Cobolli is one of seven debutants.

In the evening session, Luca Van Assche plays Jordanian star Abdullah Shelbayh, with American Alex Michelsen facing Hamad Medjedoivc in Red Group. Earlier this year, second-seeded Frenchman Van Assche reached the quarter-finals in Hamburg, while Shelbayh became the first Arab man to win an ATP Challenger Tour title.

Newport finalist Michelsen arrives in Jeddah having won nine of his past 10 matches. Serbian Medjedovic won three Challenger Tour crowns this year and is coached by former World No. 12 Viktor Troicki.

ORDER OF PLAY – TUESDAY, 28 NOVEMBER
CENTRE COURT start 3:00 pm
[1] A. Fils (FRA) vs [7] L. Nardi (ITA)

Not Before 4:00 pm
[3] D. Stricker (SUI) vs [5] F. Cobolli (ITA)

Not Before 8:00 pm
[2] L. Van Assche (FRA) vs [8] [WC] A. Shelbayh (JOR)
[4] A. Michelsen (USA) vs [6] H. Medjedovic (SRB)

Matteo Arnaldi has given Italy a 1-0 lead in the Davis Cup final against Australia after staring down eight break points in the deciding set against Alexei Popyrin.

In contrast to the opportunities missed by Popyrin, the 22-year-old seized the moment when presented with his first match point in the 10th game of the decider to emphatically close out a 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 victory in two hours and 27 minutes.

It was vindication for the former Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier, who squandered three match points against Botic van de Zandschulp in Italy’s 2-1 win over The Netherlands.

“I didn’t play much in the last few weeks, so I was happy after the first match even if I lost,” Arnaldi said. “Now I have won one of the most important matches in my life.”

World No. 4 Jannik Sinner will now attempt to clinch the final for Italy when he takes on World No. 12 Alex de Minaur.

Dominic Stricker, Alex Michelsen and Abdullah Shelbayh were among the world’s leading 21-and-under players getting a different view of the press conference room at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM Sunday. Instead of sitting behind the microphone answering questions, players perched in media seats while taking a briefing on the signature rules and innovations in play at the tournament, which will run 28 November-2 December at Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City.

Stricker is the only member of the field who has played the event before, but even he will need to adapt to new conditions as the evolving event continues to serve as a testing ground for rule changes and innovation.

“No warm up will be interesting. Usually you have a few minutes to find your game, so this will be something different,” Stricker said.

“I like the new time rules with eight seconds between first and second serves and also 15 seconds between points when rallies are short. That’s a good one because you can save a lot of time after those short points. Some players may think they need more time, but I feel it’s a really good idea.”

World No. 94 Alex Michelsen, who this time last year was around 600 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and celebrating Thanksgiving in California, said that he also was comfortable with the abbreviated time between first and second serves.

“I just have three bounces, so eight seconds between first and second serves shouldn’t be an issue for me,” he said.

Jordanian Abdullah Shelbayh, who received a wild card into the tournament, said he was looking forward to playing under a different set of rules.

“I think it’s going to be more exciting and more challenging as everyone gets used to the quicker speed of play,” Shelbayh said. “And with the short sets to four games, matches can be decided by just a few points, so I think that will being out the best in us.

“The rule I may find challenging is the free fan movement, because I’ve not had that before. We’re used to people walking around the court at practice, but to do it in a match will be a new experience.”

Arthur Fils” />

Changes for 2023 are set to accelerate the event’s fast-paced format, enhance the fan experience, and enrich data and analytics for players, coaches and fans:

• No on-court warm-up: Matches will start immediately after the coin toss, with a separate practice court available for warm-ups.
• Shot-Clock Reductions: A new maximum of eight seconds will be introduced between first and second serves. This also applies after a let on first or second serve. As in previous editions, time between points will be reduced from 25 to 15 seconds if the previous point includes fewer than three shots.
• Wearables: Players will be able to track and visualise biometric data during matches via wearable devices – providing a comprehensive overview of their physical performance and stress responses.
• Insights: A new Physicality Index, developed by Tennis Data Innovations and Kinexon, will capture physical exertion through player and ball-tracking technology. Existing TDI insights such as Shot Quality will be leveraged in stadium for the first time.
• In-match analytics: The newly launched Tennis IQ platform will be available to coaches sitting courtside along with data-tagged video footage, with match data updated in real time and visualised in stadium.
• Basecamp: A new pre-event, off-court competition, Basecamp, will measure the skills and physicality of players through a series of tests, creating new ways for fans to analyse the game’s rising stars.
• Lower umpire chair to reduce the visual obstruction for fans in the arena. Live Electronic Line Calling remains in place on all line calls.
• Simplified scoreboard for improved fan engagement and understanding.

Continued from previous editions:

• Scoring format will be best of five tie-break sets. Each set will be first to four games with a tie-break played at 3-3. Games will be played using the No-Ad scoring format with the server choosing the service box.
• Free fan movement allowed in stadium, except behind the baselines.
• Reduced changeovers: No change of ends after the first game of a set. At the end of the set, players will sit down for 90 seconds (down from 120 seconds).

The 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM will take place at the King Abdullah Sports City from 28 November-2 December 2023, with a record US $2 million prize money on offer.

The 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM begins on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, but first, the 21-and-under stars visited Al-Balad, the historic old town of Jeddah, for this year’s official group photo.

Ahead of the first ATP-sanctioned event to be held in Saudi Arabia, players took time to visit the historical sites in Al-Balad, which was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.

“We’ve had a really fun time,” said 19-year-old American Alex Michelsen. “Everyone’s been having a lot of laughs. People were great and to see the old city was really, really cool.”

Jordanian Abdullah Shelbayh received a wild card for the event. The Arab star enjoyed spending time with his competitors in Jeddah, where the players spent time exploring the local markets.

“It was exciting to do this with the players, they are pretty funny guys,” Shelbayh said. “It was good to spend some time together outside of competition.”

Frenchman Arthur Fils, who won his maiden tour-level title in Lyon earlier this season, showed off his driving skills in Al-Balad. The 19-year-old drove his fellow stars around in a buggy, receiving cheers of support.

“It was good,” Fils said. “I was driving the boys, it was easy. Everyone was smiling and laughing. It is nice to be with the boys as it is not often. It is a great city. It is nice and the people here are very welcoming. I am liking it.”

Fils’ countryman Luca Van Assche practised for the first time in Jeddah on Saturday before visiting the city.

“It is an incredible experience for us,” Van Assche said. “I have never been here so it is a new country for me and civilisation and I am happy to be here to see some of the city. It is very beautiful.”

Two Italians, Luca Nardi and Flavio Cobolli, will make their debuts at the 21-and-under event. Both had fun sightseeing and playing rooftop tennis at the visitor centre.

“It is very nice here,” Nardi said. “We are having a very good day visiting the city. I like it and the people are very nice. My first time playing tennis on a roof. It was very nice and seeing kids come. It was a nice atmosphere.”

“It was a great day and I’m very happy to be here with the Next Gen class,” Cobolli said.

Green Group consists of Fils, Stricker, Cobolli and Nardi. Red Group consists of Van Assche, Michelsen, Medjedovic and Shelbayh.

Seven of the eight competitors are tournament debutants, with the exception of 2022 semi-finalist Stricker.

“It was a great tour,” Stricker said. “We saw a few things of Jeddah. Seeing the old buildings and taking pictures. It is a good event and I am looking forward to playing.”

Hamad Medjedovic was absent as he was a member of the Serbia team at the Davis Cup Finals.

The Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM’s arrival in Jeddah is set to inspire a generation of young Saudi tennis enthusiasts — and not least those who will be just metres from the action next week at King Abdullah Sports City.

The first ATP-sanctioned event ever to be held in Saudi Arabia will take place from 28 November-2 December. It will be a historic moment for tennis in the Gulf nation and promises to be a particularly memorable one for the 19-strong team of ballkids, aged between 10 and 15, who will be on hand to help ensure the event runs smoothly.

“I’m really excited. I play tennis five or six times a week, so I had ballboy training a couple of times a week too,” ballboy Sulaiman Ashoor told ATPTour.com on Saturday in Jeddah. “I have seen live tennis before at a tournament in Riyadh. I saw Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem. It was really fun. I like seeing the players up close because if they can do it, it means I can do it.”

Sulaiman’s sister Tala Ashoor is one of six ballgirls on the team. A keen tennis fan and player like her brother, Tala is ready to relish the experience of being on court with some of the world’s best young professional players.

“I’m really excited, it’s my first time being a ballkid, but I’m also nervous,” said Tala, who was asked to take part in training for the event via her tennis coach. “The training was a lot, but it’s fun. My friends and family will come to watch when I am on court.”

Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM.” />

_{^{Tala Ashoor is one of the ballkids in Jeddah. Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour}}

Like her brother Sulaiman, Tala enjoys playing tennis and other sports in her spare time and particularly looks up to a trailblazer of the Arab sporting world.

“I play tennis six times a week and my favourite player is (Tunisian WTA star) Ons Jabeur,” said Tala. “I play tennis mainly, but I also like ping-pong.”

Ten-year-old Abdulaziz Aloqibi is hoping that spending time under the lights on the indoor hard court in King Abdullah Sports City will be a small stepping stone on his own path to a future in professional tennis.

“I’m excited because my dream is to become a tennis player and I really want to meet tennis players,” said Abdulaziz. “When I grow up, I want to know what it’s like to be on the court and how it feels to be in front of thousands.

“I play tennis six days a week, for two hours. My favourite player here is definitely Dominic Stricker, I really like him. On the ATP Tour I also like Novak Djokovic.”

Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM” />

_{^{A ballkid at the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM. Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour}}

Regardless of what their future holds, the ballkids standing on court this week will have a unique opportunity to witness top-level pros competing against each other at close distance.

“I’m really excited about this because it is a first-time experience,” said Fares Ayman. “To be on a court where players are playing. I’m really excited but it’s making me nervous at the same time. I only saw tennis on TV before, so that’s making me more nervous.

“I play maybe six days a week and have done for the past two years. I like Rafael Nadal because he’s left-handed like me, and a fighter. He doesn’t leave any ball.”