A LOOK BACK

Stockton ATP Challenger (Stockton, California): In a battle of American #NextGen stars, third seed Frances Tiafoe picked up his second ATP Challenger Tour title of 2016 by defeating Noah Rubin, 6-4, 6-2. This was the fifth all-#NextGen final of the year, four of which involved Tiafoe.

The Maryland native will make his debut in the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday, joining World No. 71 Taylor Fritz as the second 18-year-old American. At 18 years and eight months, No. 100 Tiafoe overtakes his countryman as the leader for the ATP Star of Tomorrow Award presented by Emirates. The youngest player in the year-end Top 100 will receive the special honour during the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Should Tiafoe remain in the Top 100, he will have a strong chance to win the award.

The title represents the ninth won by teenagers this year. Also the winner in Granby, Canada, Tiafoe is the first teen to win multiple titles in a single season since Fritz did so exactly one year ago in Sacramento and Fairfield.

.@FTiafoe has a special message for his fans after winning the #ATPChallenger title in Stockton and breaking into Top 100 for the first time pic.twitter.com/yUZeOvtVIO

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 9, 2016

Ethias Trophy (Mons, Belgium): Sixth seed Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany sprinted to his second Challenger title of the year with a dominant win over Vincent Millot of France, 6-2, 6-0. The 48-minute match was tied for the fastest Challenger final of the year, matching the amount of time it took Tiafoe to defeat Marcelo Arevalo in Granby, Canada. Struff also prevailed last month at the Dutch Challenger in Alphen.

Despite the loss, Millot has posted a 9-3 record in his past three Challengers.

In the doubles final, former Grand Slam doubles champions Julian Knowle and Jurgen Melzer of Austria reunited to take the title over fourth seeds Sander Arends and Wesley Koolhof, 7-6(4), 7-6(4).

Mons Champion ???? @EthiasTrophy @Hydrogenjeans @warsteiner @IFSworld pic.twitter.com/n3ddwRCm3T

— Jan-L. Struff (@Struffitennis) October 9, 2016

Campeonato Internacional (Campinas, Brazil): It’s back-to-back Challengers for third seed Facundo Bagnis of Argentina after top seed and fellow Argentine Carlos Berlocq was forced to retire with a right adductor strain. Bagnis was leading the final 5-7, 6-2, 3-0. This is his fifth Challenger title of 2016, more than any other player, with all his wins coming on South American clay courts.

Bagnis also prevailed last week in Medellin, Colombia. He is 35-8 in Challengers in 2016, with 30 of those wins coming in South America.

Morocco Tennis Tour (Mohammedia, Morocco): Second seed Gerald Melzer of Austria won his fourth Challenger of 2016 by rallying to defeat wild card and top-ranked junior Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. The Austrian prevailed in three Challengers in the first two months of 2016, with titles in Mendoza, Argentina, Bucaramaga, Colombia, and Morelos, Mexico. Melzer will move to a new career-high Emirates ATP Ranking on Monday.

Tsitsipas is just the third player from Greece to reach a Challenger final, joining Konstantinos Economidis and Vasilis Mazarakis.

WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID

Struff: “I wanted to play well here in Mons to get back into the Top 100, so it means a lot. I played my best match of the year in the final and served well all week.”

“This is really one of the best Challengers in the world. I enjoy coming here because everything goes well and the organisation is top notch. It’s a pleasure to be here.”

Knowle: “It means a lot to me to win a tournament because it has been a long time. Julian and I started playing together again last week. We haven’t been playing together for a long time and now we win here. It’s great to have an old partner back. It feels good to know what to expect.”

G. Melzer: “I’m really happy with the week. I didn’t feel too great the previous weeks, but I’ve been working really hard with my team and that makes me even more happy that it paid off with a win!”

A LOOK AHEAD

This week is sure to be busy with six Challenger events on the calendar. The $125,000+H event in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, takes top billing as it returns for the ninth straight year. Five players inside the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings are in the draw, with World No. 52 Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic taking the top seed and World No. 79 Jeremy Chardy of France earning the second seed. Last year’s runner-up and 2014 champion Lukas Lacko of Slovakia is the sixth seed, while local favourite and defending champion Denis Istomin is the seventh seed.

The $100,000 Challenger in Monterrey, Mexico, is back for the second consecutive year. Last year’s runner-up Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic is the top seed and Benjamin Becker of Germany is the second seed. American #NextGen star Ernesto Escobedo holds the fifth seed.

California gets its third straight Challenger as the $100,000 event in Fairfield returns for the second year. American #NextGen star Tiafoe is the top seed and Santiago Giraldo of Colombia is the second seed. The tournament features a slew of rising stars including Canadian Denis Shapovalov, American Reilly Opelka, #NextGen player Quentin Halys of France and Rubin, who looks to continue his form from Stockton.

The always-popular $50,000+H tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina, returns for the 13^th year. Local favourite and 2009 champion Horacio Zeballos is the top seed, while Bagnis looks for another title as the second seed. Two-time champion and local star Berlocq is the third seed and Thiago Monteiro of Brazil is the fourth seed.

The $50,000 Challenger in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, is back for the second straight year. Four players inside the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings are in the draw, with World No. 50 Malek Jaziri of Tunisia taking the top seed and world No. 69 Dudi Sela of Israel holding the second seed. Last year’s runner-up, Australian Jordan Thompson, is the fourth seed. Defending champion Saketh Myneni of India is also in the draw.

Lastly, the $50,000 Challenger in Casablanca, Morocco, returns for the fifth year. World No. 77 Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia is the top seed and Melzer looks for another title in Morocco as the second seed. Tsitsipas is also in the draw and aims to go one better than last week for his first ATP Challenger Tour title.

View Draws & Watch Free Live Streams

ATP CHALLENGER TOUR ON TWITTER: New in 2016, the ATP Challenger Tour has launched a dedicated Twitter account for the latest news and information about players and events. Follow @ATPChallengerTour at twitter.com/ATPChallengerTour.

Shanghai Rolex Masters (Shanghai): The eighth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament of the season features a star-studded field, including 17 of the Top 20 in the Emirates ATP Race To London. This is the eighth year of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament at the Qizhong Tennis Center, which was the site of the Tennis Masters Cup from 2005-08. World No. 1 and three-time champion (2012-13, 2015) Novak Djokovic and 2010-11 titleholder Andy Murray are the former champions. There are five finalists in the field: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2015), Gilles Simon (2014), Juan Martin del Potro (2013), David Ferrer (2011) and Rafael Nadal (2009). Murray was also runner-up in 2012.

Emirates ATP Race To London: There are valuable Emirates ATP Race To London points at stake and players will add to their total for each round reached. Players with a bye and a loss in their opening match (2R) will receive 10 points. Here is the rest of the breakdown: first round (10), second round (45), third round (90), quarter-finals (180), semi-finals (360), finalist (600), winner (1000). Seventeen of the Top 20 players are the draw. The three missing are Kei Nishikori, Dominic Thiem and Roger Federer. Here is the updated Top 20 Emirates ATP Race To London going into finals in Beijing and Tokyo on Sunday:

2016 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Finals: The Big Four have accounted for six of the seven ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles this season, with Djokovic leading the way with four crowns and Murray and Nadal with one. Here is a look at this year’s finals:

2016 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Wins Leaders: Here is a look at this year’s ATP World Tour Masters 1000 match wins leaders:

Big Four Dominance: The Big Four of Djokovic, Federer, Murray and Nadal have won 54 of the past 59 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, which dates back to Nadal’s triumph at Monte-Carlo in 2010. The only other players to emerge with an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title are Robin Soderling (2010 Paris), David Ferrer (2011 Paris), Stan Wawrinka (2014 Monte-Carlo), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2014 Toronto) and Marin Cilic (2016 Cincinnati). Here is a breakdown of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles won during that time: Djokovic (25), Nadal (13), Federer (eight) and Murray (eight).

World No. 1/Top Seed: World No. 1 and three-time champion Djokovic is making his seventh Shanghai appearance in eight years (except ’11), and he comes in with a 24-3 career record. The reigning champion is the top seed in Shanghai for the fourth straight year. He’s won 18 of his past 19 matches in Shanghai with his only loss coming to Federer in the semi-finals in 2014. Djokovic has compiled a 56-6 match record (38-3 on hard) this season. He’s also won an ATP World Tour-best seven titles, including crowns at the Australian Open and Roland Garros and at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Toronto. Monday will mark the 220th week overall he has been ranked No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, which is fifth most since 23 August 1973. Djokovic has held No. 1 every week since 7 July 2014, a streak of 119 consecutive weeks. He is trying to finish No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the third straight year and fifth time in six years (except ’13).

Novak Dominates in China: Djokovic comes into Shanghai having won 38 of his past 39 matches in China. He’s won six titles in Beijing, 2009-10 and 2012-15. Djokovic captured the Shanghai crown in 2012-13 and 2015. His 28-match winning streak in China ended in 2014 when he lost to Federer in the semi-finals in Shanghai. Overall, Djokovic has won 10 career titles in China (six in Beijing, four in Shanghai, including the 2008 Tennis Masters Cup). He has never lost at the China Open in Beijing (29-0) and is 24-3 at the Shanghai Rolex Masters (since 2009). He also went 4-4 at the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai in 2007-08, winning the title in 2008. Djokovic has never lost in a final in China (10-0).

Del Potro Returns: The leading candidate for ATP Comeback Player of the Year, Juan Martin del Potro, makes his return to Shanghai for the first time since reaching the final in 2013 (l. to Djokovic in three sets). The 28-year-old Argentine has compiled a 23-13 match record this season and climbed to No. 64 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after reaching the quarter-finals at the US Open (l. to eventual champion Wawrinka). He is No. 66 as of 3 Oct. Prior to that, he earned a silver medal at the Rio Olympics (d. No. 1 Djokovic in 1R, No. 5 Nadal in SF, l. to Murray in four sets). He also helped his country to the Davis Cup final by beating No. 2 Murray in a five-set marathon in the semi-finals last month. The former World No. 4 was ranked as low as No. 1,045 on 8 Feb.

Top 10 Doubles Teams: Seven of the Top 10 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Team Rankings are in the draw, led by top seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares, who are the No. 2 team behind Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut. Here are the Top 10 ranked teams entered in Shanghai:

2) Jamie Murray/Bruno Soares

3) Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan

5) Feliciano Lopez/Marc Lopez

6) Raven Klaasen/Rajeev Ram

7) Treat Huey/Max Mirnyi

8) Henri Kontinen/John Peers

10) Oliver Marach/Fabrice Martin

ICYMI

Andy Murray joined the “40 Titles Club” in Beijing. Read

#NextGen star Nick Kyrgios won the biggest title of his career. Read

London is calling Milos Raonic. Read

Spaniards captured the China Open doubles crown. Read

The Tokyo Open doubles champions’ journey began with a text message. Read

Fabio Fognini advanced to the second round in Shanghai, where he’ll face the World No. 1. Read

Who’s your favourite ATP World Tour player? Voting has begun

Birthdays

16 October – Raven Klaasen (34)

16 October – Philipp Kohlschreiber (33)

16 October – Michael Venus (29)

Fabio Fognini extended his dominant FedEx ATP Head2Head over Albert Ramos-Vinolas to 7-0 with a 7-5, 6-3 win on Sunday at the Shanghai Rolex Masters.

Fognini’s reward? A second round date with top seed and three-time champion Novak Djokovic, who owns a 7-0 mark of his own against the Italian. Fognini prevailed over Ramos-Vinolas in one hour and 33 minutes, converting six of 13 break chances.

The 29 year old joins Kevin Anderson, Janko Tipsarevic and Di Wu as first-round winners on Day One of the penultimate ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event of the year. Anderson will face sixth seed Gael Monfils after routing China’s Zhe Li 6-1, 6-3, while Tipsarevic continued his comeback campaign with a 6-2, 6-4 win over fellow 32-year-old Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Tipsarevic, who is battling back from foot surgery and a knee injury, has soared from outside the Top 600 of the Emirates ATP Rankings to his current position of World No. 173. He most recently reached the semi-finals at the Shenzhen Open, his first appearance in the final four of an ATP World Tour event in nearly four years.

Di Wu, meanwhile, scored one of the biggest upsets of the year on the ATP World Tour in edging 16th seed Pablo Cuevas 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2). It was the Chinese wild card’s first win in six main draw appearances in Shanghai. The World No. 184 became the first Chinese to win an ATP Challenger Tour title earlier this year in Maui, U.S.A. (d. Edmund). He awaits either Gilles Simon or Pablo Carreno Busta next.

#NextGen Stars Edmund, Fritz Qualify
Kyle Edmund and Taylor Fritz will make their debut appearances at the Shanghai Rolex Masters after advancing through qualifying on Sunday. 18-year-old Fritz, the youngest player in the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, opens against 36-year-old Stephane Robert, the second-oldest member of the Top 100. Edmund, a 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 winner over Dusan Lajovic, will face Federico Delbonis.

Also qualifying for the main draw were Mikhail Youzhny, Mischa Zverev, Vasek Pospisil, Yuichi Sugita and Lukas Rosol.

Tsonga/Zimonjic Win Doubles Opener
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Nenad Zimonjic won the lone doubles match on Sunday, defeating Americans Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey 6-4, 6-4. They advance to face fifth seeds Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram. Tsonga lifted the doubles trophy with Julien Benneteau in 2009, while Zimonjic finished runner-up with Michael Llodra in 2011.