This week’s $100,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Aptos, California, has been full of upsets, but college tennis star Cameron Norrie has been the one to take full advantage of it.

The 20-year-old from Great Britain came through qualifying to reach his first ATP Challenger Tour final on Saturday, ousting American and fellow qualifier Eric Quigley, 3-6 6-2, 6-4. Norrie’s run is even more impressive because he had never reached a Challenger quarter-final prior to this week.

“It means a lot. It’s a lot of money and [Emirates ATP Rankings] points, but mainly it’s just about improving your game,” said Norrie. “I’ve always known that I can compete with these guys and it’s nice to have a result that proves that.”

Norrie peaked at No. 10 in the ITF Junior Rankings in 2013 before deciding to play college tennis at Texas Christian University. He compiled a 28-8 record this past season and established himself as one of the top college players in the U.S. But Norrie has also continued to play pro events when he can and has been competing all summer.

“When you’re around the pro guys, you’re going to start adapting to their game a little more,” said Norrie. “I’ve learned a lot from it. It’s a big difference from college matches because they have a little bit more time and focus on their game.”

Norrie is guaranteed to move to around No. 305 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday, while a win will put him around No. 260. He admitted his current success means he may consider taking a semester off from college tennis in order to focus on the ATP Challenger Tour, but is making the most of his week in Aptos for now.

“This tournament has been great. I really like the organisation and they set me up with housing this week,” said Norrie. “I’m playing my best tennis now, so I just want to keep it going for one more match.”

The Indian tandem of Purav Raja and Divij Sharan notched their second team ATP World Tour title on Saturday evening, downing Jonathan Erlich and Ken Skupski 7-6(4), 7-6(3) at the Abierto Mexicano Mifel.

“This is our second ATP title and we absolutely love Los Cabos,” said Sharan. “We had a great week. The crowd was amazing, playing in front of so many people that came out to watch us. It was a very tight match and I’m glad we pulled it through.”

Raja and Sharan finished strong after dropping their first set of the tournament earlier in the week, reeling off six in a row to lift the trophy in Los Cabos. Erlich and Skupski fought back from 5-2 down in the second set to force a tie-break, but 30-year-old Raja and 30-year-old Sharan would prevail after one hour and 42 minutes.

“We did well to hold our nerves and come out strong when it mattered,” said Raja. “It’s our strategy against theirs and who executes it better. Doubles has become so competitive these days. We deserve this after the work we’ve put in.”

Raja and Sharan’s lone previous title came in Bogota in 2013, where they also triumphed after two tie-breaks. It is a special time of year for the Indian duo, with Bogota being the predecessor to Los Cabos on the calendar.

Individually, Raja was appearing in his third career ATP World Tour final, while Sharan was contesting his second. They earn 250 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $38,940 in prize money. Erlich and Skupski, meanwhile, were teaming for the first time. The Israeli drops to 18-18 in tour-level finals, while Skupski falls to 3-5.

At 37, Ivo Karlovic continues to take the ATP World Tour by storm. The big-serving Croat claimed his eighth career title, downing top seed Feliciano Lopez 7-6(5), 6-2 on Saturday at the Abierto Mexicano Mifel.

“It was a difficult match in the beginning,” said Karlovic. “He was playing really well. I was a little lucky at the end of the first set, but that gave me confidence for the rest of the match. I realised what he was doing and took my opportunities.

“Everyone here is really nice to me. The venue is unbelievable. I hope to come back next year.”

Third-seeded Karlovic took the matchup of elder statesmen after one hour and 22 minutes, firing 21 aces while saving his lone break point faced. He claimed his second ATP World Tour title in
less than two months (Newport), while 34-year-old Lopez was denied in going back-to-back after emerging victorious on the clay of Gstaad. With a combined age of more than 72 years, it was the oldest final on the ATP World Tour since Hong Kong 1977, between Ken Rosewall and Tom Gorman (74 years, 8 months). In fact, Karlovic has featured in the three oldest finals since then…

Oldest Tour-Level Finals Since 1977

After capturing the opener in a tie-break, the Croat would pull away with his first break in the sixth game of the second set. A Lopez double fault and perfectly executed drop volley from Karlovic would give him the lead for good at 4-2. Two games later, he lifted his arms in triumph after another double fault from the Spaniard sealed the victory on his first match point.

“I thought I could have won, but I committed a few unforced errors in the tie-break and two big double faults in the second set and was broken twice,” Lopez said following the match. “It was
complicated because he does not give you many chances on his serve.

“It’s difficult to take positives today, but I believe that these recent weeks have been great for me. It’s another final and I have great memories from Cincinnati and New York, so I hope to play well.”

Karlovic, who became the first 37-year-old to lift an ATP World Tour singles trophy in 27 years, with his title on the grass of Newport last month, is the inaugural winner in Los Cabos. It marks
the second time Karlovic has won multiple titles in a season, having previously done so in 2007. He extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head lead over Lopez to 6-3, reeling off four straight wins
since last conceding defeat 11 years ago in Indian Wells.

The 6’11” right-hander takes home 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points and is projected to rise three spots to World No. 21 on Monday. He earns $128,200 in prize money, while Lopez emerges with $67,515 and 150 Emirates ATP Rankings points. The Spaniard, who saw his eight-match winning streak snapped, was bidding for a sixth ATP World Tour title in his 15th final.