Players from Argentina and France continue to battle atop the ATP Challenger Tour leaderboards. Argentines won a record 23 Challenger titles last season, with France just one behind. Both countries now find themselves in another race for history in the final quarter of the season.

Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli captured his fourth ATP Challenger Tour title and first of this season on Sunday to earn his country’s 17th trophy at that level in 2023. France leads the way with 23, one shy of breaking the all-time record, after Constant Lestienne scored his second Challenger crown of the season.

The 24-year-old Ugo Carabelli returned to the winners’ circle by winning the Challenger Dove Men+Care Antofagasta, where he rallied past American Tristan Boyer 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 in the final. Boyer, 22, played college tennis for two years at Stanford University before turning pro last season.

“I am very happy to win, I have been working hard to get a result like this and luckily I got it,” Ugo Carabelli said in Spanish. “I felt comfortable all week, that was important. I want to thank Horacio [de la Pena] and his team for giving us the chance to have many tournaments in South America. That’s very important for us as we are close to home and can travel with more members of our team.” 

Lestienne triumphed at the Saint-Tropez Open after avenging this year’s Wimbledon first-round loss to Liam Broady in the final, defeating the Briton 4-6, 3-6, 6-4.

“It means a lot to me because it’s my first title in France, on home soil,” Lestienne said. “Today I managed my feelings well and that helped me stay in the match because Liam played really well. It was [long] rallies, so I was just trying to stay solid and go for when I could. I was also trying to mix the game, high balls, drop shots.”

At World No. 94 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Lestienne has won 10 of his past 11 Challenger matches, having also won the Golden Gate Open in California last month.

Constant Lestienne wins the Challenger 125 event in Saint-Tropez.” />
^{Constant Lestienne wins the Challenger 125 event in Saint-Tropez. Credit: Saint-Tropez Open}
The 31-year-old Lestienne is one of seven French players to claim more than one title at the Challenger level this year, joining Luca Van Assche, Benoit Paire, Ugo Humbert, Hugo Grenier, Hugo Gaston and Terence Atmane.

Following Broady’s run to the final, the 29-year-old has climbed 10 spots to World No. 93, setting him up for a Top 100 debut.

In other ATP Challenger Tour action, Nerman Fatic defended his title at the BCR Sibiu Open. The 28-year-old Bosnian defeated countryman Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-4 in a rematch of last year’s final at the event, where Fatic won his maiden Challenger title.

“It’s totally crazy for me to win this tournament two years in a row. I can’t even tell you how I feel right now,” Fatic said.

Tell me you’re a champion without telling me you’re a champion 😉

Nerman Fatic 💪#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/jlZEBbYVm8

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) September 24, 2023

Dzumhur, 31, was riding a nine-match winning streak at the Challenger level entering Sunday’s final after winning in Istanbul two weeks ago.

“Damir is an exceptional player,” Fatic said. “He is my friend and it is never easy to play against him. We have played the final in Sibiu twice and I hope to play the final together every week in the circuit.”

Italian Andrea Pellegrino won the LAYJET-Open in Bad Waltersdorf, Austria, where he downed home hope Dennis Novak 1-6, 7-5(5), 6-3 to capture his third ATP Challenger Tour trophy.

“It’s the biggest title for me for my whole career, I’m very happy about that,” Pellegrino said. “It was an unbelievable week, very tough matches. It means a lot to me and I hope to continue like this.”

Andrea Pellegrino wins the Challenger 125 event in Bad Waltersdorf, Austria.” />
^{Andrea Pellegrino wins the Challenger 125 event in Bad Waltersdorf, Austria. Credit: GEPA Pictures}
The 26-year-old Pellegrino trailed Novak 1-6, 0-4 before mounting a comeback. Another pivotal moment came when Pellegrino won three consecutive points from 4/5 in the second-set tie-break to stay alive.

“At the beginning, he started very well,” Pellegrino said. “He was playing unbelievable but then he made mistakes and I started to believe. Until the end, it was a very big fight. I started to play much better.”

In Bad Waltersdorf doubles action, Germans Constantin Frantzen and Hendrik Jebens won their season-leading fifth Challenger title, defeating Italians Marco Bortolotti and Francesco Passaro 6-1, 6-2 in the final.

American Denis Kudla dropped just one set all week to win the Columbus Challenger and earn his first title at that level since March 2022. The second seed cruised past Canadian Alexis Galarneau 6-2, 6-1 in 62 minutes to lift the trophy.

The 31-year-old Kudla ended his four-match skid across all levels to start the tournament and went the distance to claim his ninth ATP Challenger Tour title.

Denis Kudla wins the Challenger 75 event in Columbus, Ohio.” />
^{Denis Kudla wins the Challenger 75 event in Columbus, Ohio. Credit: Top Notch Management}

Former Top 3 stars Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem could meet in the second round at the Astana Open, where top seed Tallon Griekspoor leads the field.

The Swiss Wawrinka is the eighth seed at the ATP 250 hard-court event and opens against American Marcos Giron. If he advances, he could play debutant Thiem in the second round if the Austrian can overcome Juan Pablo Varillas.

Wawrinka and Thiem have not met since 2017, when the former triumphed in a deciding-set tie-break in Indian Wells. Three-time Grand Slam champion Wawrinka leads Thiem 3-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Home favourite Alexander Bublik is also in the same quarter. The third-seed Kazakhstani, who reached the semi-finals in Astana in 2021, opens against Marton Fucsovics or Sebastian Ofner. Second seed Sebastian Baez is chasing his fourth title of the season. He is in the bottom half of the draw and is seeded to meet eighth seed Adrian Mannarino in the quarter-finals.

Dutchman Griekspoor faces Roberto Carballes Baena or a qualifier in his opening match, while fourth seed Jiri Lehecka meets Bernabe Zapata Miralles or a qualifier. Griekspoor and Lehecka are both in the top half.

Wild card Hamad Medjedovic will be aiming for a deep run to boost his Next Gen ATP Finals qualifications chances. The Serbian, currently ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Jeddah, plays seventh seed Laslo Djere in the first round.

Alexander Zverev repeatedly kept his cool under pressure to down Grigor Dimitrov on Monday at the Chengdu Open to move within one match of his second ATP Tour title of the season.

The top seed at the Chinese ATP 250 saved all five break points he faced in his 6-3, 7-6(2) semi-final victory. Zverev fired 21 winners, including nine aces, as he delivered a classy all-round showing to improve to 7-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
After pulling through three-set battles against Pavel Kotov and Miomir Kecmanovic in his first two matches in Chengdu, the World No. 10 believes he is gaining momentum as he prepares to face Roman Safiullin in Tuesday’s championship match.

“For sure it was the best match I’ve played [in Chengdu],” said Zverev after his one-hour, 50-minute win. “Even though I think yesterday’s match was a very high level and Kecmanovic was playing extremely well. I’m very happy to be in the final, that’s what I came here for and hopefully it’s going to be another high-level match tomorrow.”

Zverev is now 45-21 for the season and seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin as he seeks to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, where he is a two-time champion. His next hurdle in Chengdu is a second tour-level meeting with Safiullin, who will be competing in his maiden ATP Tour final. The German is all too aware of Safiullin’s improvement since he defeated the now-World No. 55 in straight sets at Roland Garros in 2021.

“I think this tournament he has been one of the most dangerous players,” said Zverev of Safiullin. “He is somebody that plays very fast, hits the ball extremely hard and he is somebody that maybe sometimes lacks consistency. This week obviously he’s playing extremely well, and when he’s playing like that, he’s one of the most dangerous players.”

Safiullin earlier dismantled second seed Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-4 with a razor-sharp display of ballstriking in Sichuan province. He outhit the Italian by 30 winners to 20 to reach the final and ensure he will surpass his previous career-high of No. 43 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. After his semi-final win against Musetti, the 26-year-old is No. 41 in the Live Rankings, having started the event at No. 55.

Karen Khachanov snapped a five-match semi-final losing streak on Monday at the Huafa Properties Zhuhai Championships, where he defeated Sebastian Korda 7-5, 6-4 to reach his first title match of the season.

The top seed, who last competed in a tour-level final in Adelaide in January 2022 (l. to Monfils), red-lined the ball throughout the one-hour, 47-minute clash. He edged a tight first set, gaining the crucial break at 5-5 when Korda could only find the net with a drop shot.

Khachanov then put his foot down in the second set, hitting the ball with greater depth, weight and precision to dominate the baseline exchanges and improve to 3-2 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

The 27-year-old was competing for just the fourth time in singles since his quarter-final match at Roland Garros, where he suffered a stress fracture in his back. He fell in the first round at the US Open, but has recorded three wins in Zhuhai, also defeating Alex Bolt and Mackenzie McDonald.

The World No. 15 will meet Japanese star Yoshihito Nishioka or Aslan Karatsev in the championship match on Tuesday. Khachanov is aiming to win his first title since 2018 and fifth overall. He has tasted success on Chinese soil before, lifting the trophy in Chengdu in 2016.

Korda was competing in his eighth tour-level semi-final and was aiming to reach his sixth final. The 23-year-old American is up five spots to No. 28 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings following his results at the ATP 250 hard-court event.

ATP and Tennis Data Innovations (TDI) have announced the launch of Tennis IQ, a brand-new performance analytics platform that democratises access to cutting-edge data and insights for players on the ATP Tour.

Launching today, Tennis IQ gives ATP singles players access to advanced match analytics, all in one simple and intuitive platform. Tennis IQ combines rich historical datasets and live in-match data to provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date insights – helping players optimise their preparation, on-court performance, and post-match analysis. The creation of TDI, the joint-venture between ATP and ATP Media for the central management of data across the ATP Tour, has been critical in facilitating this.

Ross Hutchins, ATP Chief Tour Officer, stated: “Never before have high-quality analytics been as readily available to so many players, as it is with this platform. Tennis IQ will help create a level playing field across the Pepperstone ATP Rankings – enabling more players and their teams to perform at their best. It also reflects the emphasis we are putting on data innovation as a business. We’re thrilled to see Tennis IQ in action and to continue advancing the product.”

Tennis IQ’s features set includes interactive court graphics, allowing players to easily visualise their own performance data. This empowers deep dives into their most and least successful patterns of play during matches, helping drive informed decisions on the court. Metrics include the full suite of TDI-developed insights such as Shot Quality, In Attack and Steal Score.

The scout section enables players to access detailed information on upcoming opponents. This unlocks comprehensive analysis of player tendencies and patterns. Players are also able to compare performance against individual players or see how they stack up against ATP Tour averages, facilitating a deeper understanding of their strengths and areas for improvement.

Tennis IQ, built together with TennisViz, forms part of the sport’s strategic push to capture the value of official match data, spearheaded by TDI. Its live in-game capabilities are also set to add a fascinating new dimension to off-court coaching, first introduced across the ATP Tour in 2022, which enables coaches to interact with their players during matches.

David Lampitt, TDI CEO, said: “Tennis IQ is the latest step in our journey to unlock the power of tennis data. It brings the sport’s incredible data richness to life for players – adding another layer of analysis and strategy to the on-court action. Our investment in capturing deep data from every court across the ATP Tour has enabled the delivery of Tennis IQ and we’re going to continue pushing these capabilities even further in years to come.”

Tennis IQ will be accessible to ATP Tour players via both mobile and desktop. Subsequent iterations of the platform are already in development for 2024.

The tables have well and truly turned for Team World in the history of the Laver Cup.

After four defeats in the first four editions of the annual team event, John McEnroe’s men backed up their 2022 triumph in London with a resounding 13-2 victory against Team Europe this weekend in Vancouver. Yet team captain McEnroe is already thinking about further success.

“On behalf of Team World, I am proud of these guys,” said the American ATP Tour legend at his team’s post-event press conference. “We brought together a great group of some youth and experience, guys that have been here before. Everybody played well. It was an awesome week. We kicked some ass, baby. That’s what we did.

“We’re already thinking about next year because winning is a whole lot better than losing. We struggled the first couple years, and now we have tasted winning, and it feels good.”

Three members of McEnroe’s six-strong roster had not played a Laver Cup match prior to this week. Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton and Francisco Cerundolo contributed to eight of the 13 points won by Team World and all three spoke about the thrill of making their debut at Roger’s Arena.

“Playing for Johnny Mac, it’s been amazing,” said #NextGenATP Shelton, who won one singles and two doubles clashes across the three days. “I really enjoyed this weekend and being able to be chosen for this team. It’s been a dream.

“To be able to put points on the board for Team World, it’s something that I couldn’t have imagined. I really appreciate both the captains for putting their trust in me, and being able to get it done at the end of the week is a great feeling.”

Team World’s triumph in Vancouver was of particular significance to Felix Auger-Aliassime, who revelled in front of his home fans in Canada. The 23-year-old has struggled for his best form this season but rose to the occasion for the second year in a row for Team World, who next year will try to make it three victories in a row in Berlin, Germany.

“I feel good. Every time I play for a team, I feel really good, and I feel like I played good levels,” said Auger-Aliassime. “Of course I had a great time. Playing singles all the time, the Tour can get a bit lonely, I guess, at times. To have teammates to win as a team, for me it’s really special. I’m having a great time again this year.

“Like Mac said, to win is the best feeling. It’s nice to come back a year later after what we had done in London to come back and win here in Vancouver. That’s what we wanted a week ago when we arrived. We did it. We backed it up and stepped up to the challenge and made it happen.”

Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe put the finishing touches on Team World’s convincing Laver Cup victory Sunday.

The Americans held their nerve to defeat Team Europe’s Hubert Hurkacz and Andrey Rublev 7-6(4), 7-6(5) and secure the Laver Cup 13-2, claiming the event for the second consecutive year. The Vancouver crowd was treated to exciting rallies, with both teams demonstrating quick reflexes and deft touch in the forecourt throughout the one-hour, 37-minute clash.

Shelton and Tiafoe relied on their firepower and were dominant on serve, winning 40 of their 48 first-serve points to clinch the title. A key moment came when Shelton and Tiafoe won three consecutive points from 4/5 in the second-set tie-break to close the match.

“It’s been crazy for me and I’ve enjoyed being in a team environment,” Shelton said. “I’ve enjoyed playing for Johnny Mac. Team World really brought the energy this week. It’s easy for me to play when I’m amped up and hyped and the bench has done a great job of hyping me up all week. I hope I’ve done a good job of hyping them up too. Playing with Frances speaks for itself, easiest guy to play with, most fun guy to be on court with.”

Tiafoe said, “Being a part of it last year and clinching it last year was so emotional, first time. John [McEnroe[ was super excited. Now, being able to do it again in doubles with Ben was a lot of fun.” 

Led by captain John McEnroe, Team World has now won the past two editions of the Laver Cup after falling in the first four.

“It felt unbelievable to kick their a** baby!” McEnroe said. “They kicked ours many times. It was a battle to the end when we won last year and we came in, great team spirit, good combination of youth and experience. I felt it from the word go and we stepped up. I thought all the guys played great.”

Trailing a set and gasping for breath after several lung-busting rallies against Mackenzie
McDonald, Karen Khachanov posed to soak in the Zhuhai applause on Sunday. The competitiveness of his 4-6 6-4 6-4 triumph over McDonald and the crowd’s response
throughout their Huafa Properties Zhuhai Championships quarter-final delighted him.

It is these experiences the World No. 15 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings missed the most during his absence from the Tour following a semi-final loss to Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros.

“I was missing the energy of the crowd. Here today, it was almost full, and I always enjoy
playing in front of people in full stadiums, so I was really missing it,” Khachanov said. “I am mentally ready. I had a kind of unexpected vacation and now I’m motivated, determined, excited to be back playing and trying to bring on this game again.”

The top seed will next experience a similar challenge and atmosphere when he meets American Sebastian Korda in Monday’s semi-finals. It will be the fifth Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between the pair. If their history and recent form in Zhuhai is a guide, it shapes as an intriguing clash in a tournament resplendent with exciting matches.

The 27-year-old Khachanov edged Korda in a thrilling five-set encounter at Wimbledon in 2021 and was
leading their Australian Open quarter-final this year when the American retired due to injury.
Korda, who claimed his second victory in as many months over Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-
1 6-2 in Sunday’s quarter-finals, defeated Khachanov in Cincinnati and Antwerp last year.

Khachanov and Korda have experienced similar seasons, playing at a high level at times only to
be stricken with significant injuries when within range of career-best achievements.
Khachanov said his rival, who hopes to break into the Top 20 by the end of the season, is an
astute tactician who dissects matches well when at the peak of his game.

“When he is on and he brings his flat shots and his A-game, he has a really, really great
perspective and is a tough opponent,” Khachanov said. “He serves well. He moves well. He returns well. It is tough to find a weakness. But that is what I will have to look for tomorrow against him.”

Korda, who is also in the doubles semi-finals alongside McDonald, has loved his first trip
to China and is revelling on the quick courts at the Hengqin International Tennis Center.

“We’ve had some good matches so far. I am sure tomorrow will be another good, fun
match,” Korda said. “We have a 2-2 record so far, so it is a big one for us. A spot in the final is where we want to be and I am very excited for it.”

Khachanov, who returned to the Top 10 briefly in June and resumed with an opening-round
loss at the US Open, has enjoyed a busy week since his arrival in Zhuhai. Aside from his victories over Alex Bolt and McDonald, the father-of-two participated in a school visit and has also offered advice to talented young Chinese players.

The angular right-hander said he enjoyed mixing with young people and hoped that he might
be able to provide an insight or example that could help their careers.

“It was really, really cool. I have two kids now as well and I think if I can inspire more kids
around the world, I’m just really happy to be able to deliver and to do it,” Khachanov said. “I think that’s most important. The next generation, they like to see tennis on the court… but
it is not only about winning or losing.

“It is the way you act, being polite, these things are the most important. If I can deliver this
and be… not an idol, but a person they can look to, I would be very happy.”

Ahead of Sunday’s Laver Cup action, Rod Laver answered fan questions on Twitter. The Australian was asked questions related to the past, present and future of tennis.

Who is Laver’s favourite young player?

Shelton is the new player on the tour. We’re going to see him winning a Slam, he’s got one of the biggest serves, a big left-hander, he doesn’t make many mistakes. He sees an opening and he goes for it.

— Rod Laver (@rodlaver) September 24, 2023

The 20-year-old Ben Shelton, who is No. 19 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, is one of the fastest rising stars in the sport. This time last year, Shelton was World No. 177. The lefty has enjoyed a breakthrough season, with a career-best run coming at his home Slam, where he was a semi-finalist.

Shelton was also a big part of Team World’s convincing Laver Cup victory against Team Europe. The 2022 NCAA singles champion earned a singles victory in his Laver Cup debut and also earned two doubles wins, alongside Felix Auger-Aliassime and Frances Tiafoe. The 25-year-old Tiafoe is another player who Laver anticipates great success from.

Any of the top 10 could come out and win it, but we could see a surprise finalist such as Tiafoe. He’s certainly capable.

— Rod Laver (@rodlaver) September 24, 2023

Laver also shared what he enjoys the most about the Laver Cup.

The players realise the importance of what the event is. The Laver Cup is now established. Before it was an idea, now it’s a reality. The players feel a great identity with the region that they are representing. It’s the competition. They are trying so hard.

— Rod Laver (@rodlaver) September 24, 2023

I’m honoured that the Australian has my name on the centre court. Roger Federer was instrumental in naming the Laver Cup after me. I’m honoured he felt that way about my career.

— Rod Laver (@rodlaver) September 24, 2023

What’s the biggest difference between tennis now and when Laver played?

The rackets. The wooden rackets were great to play tennis with, but you have to generate all your own power. It made the game too tough for people. Metal rackets exposed the whole game, and made it more popular for women to play. They got their kids into the sport.

— Rod Laver (@rodlaver) September 24, 2023

Probably the most important was against Rosewall in the WCT final in ’72. Back then, tennis wasn’t exposed to the public. The NBC televised the event and it really took off. All the tennis courts were full that year. Interest in the game exploded.

— Rod Laver (@rodlaver) September 24, 2023

Is the 11-time major champion still playing tennis?

Not any more. I had to replace my hips and a knee, so I don’t want to wreck them again. It was worth every bit it. I play a lot of golf these days.

— Rod Laver (@rodlaver) September 24, 2023