‘Crazy’ Sunday: Dellien, Klein Survive Marathons To Win Challenger Titles

Hugo Dellien endured double duty Sunday to triumph at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Curitiba, Brazil while Lukas Klein saved two championship points to claim the title in Ortisei, Italy.

After rain forced Dellien to play his semi-final and final match on Sunday, the 30-year-old survived two deciding-set matches to return to the winners’ circle. The Bolivian rallied past Argentine Guido Andreozzi in a two-hour, 47-minute semi-final before returning to court to collect his 10th title at the ATP Challenger Tour level and second of this season. Dellien defeated American Oliver Crawford 7-6(6), 4-6, 7-6(1) in the Festval Challenger final.

“What a crazy Sunday, six hours on court! They were worth the trophy!’ Dellien wrote in Spanish on Instagram.

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Klein won seven matches in eight days as he advanced through qualifying en route to winning the Sparkasse Challenger Val Gardena in Ortisei, Italy. In the final, Klein saved two match points to escape Poland’s Maks Kasnikowski 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 7-6(6) after two hours, 38 minutes.

“I’m extremely happy that I managed to win. Very, very close final,” Klein said. “A few points decided the final so I guess I’m lucky it fell my way. It’s a great feeling and I hope it boosts my confidence and my level.”

A three-time Challenger champion, Klein’s triumph in Italy marks his first trophy of the season. He became the 14th qualifier to make a title run at the Challenger level in 2023.

Kasnikowski, 20, became the youngest Pole to reach a Challenger final since Jerzy Janowicz in 2010.

Australian James Duckworth earned his second consecutive ATP Challenger Tour title by winning the City of Playford Tennis International. In a rematch of last week’s Shenzhen Challenger final, the 31-year-old Duckworth downed Hong Kong’s Chak Lam Coleman Wong 7-5, 7-5 to be crowned champion.

James Duckworth wins the Challenger 75 event in Playford, Australia.” style=”width: 100%;” />^{James Duckworth wins the Challenger 75 event in Playford, Australia. Credit: City of Playford Tennis International}
“It was a really difficult match. It was kind of cool that we played each other in the final last week. He came out all guns blazing and I thought the quality of the match was really high,” Duckworth said. “Tight breaks at the end of each set and I was able to sneak through so I’m really happy.

“I’ve never gone back to back before. To consistently put together 10 good matches is a real confidence boost, especially with all the injuries I’ve had.”

Duckworth is the most decorated Australian champion in ATP Challenger Tour history with 14 titles. The Sydney native collected his third crown in Playford, where the past six champions have all been Aussies. Duckworth also won the event in 2016 and 2019.

Spaniard Pedro Martinez collected his fourth ATP Challenger Tour trophy and first of this year at the Open Brest-Credit Agricole, where he defeated home favourite Benjamin Bonzi 7-6(6), 7-6(1) in the final. The title in France marks Martinez’s maiden hard-court trophy at any level.

With Bonzi’s final appearance in Brest, it marked the 50th ATP Challenger Tour final for Frenchmen in 2023 (26-24).

Pedro Martinez wins the Challenger 100 event in Brest, France.” />
^{Pedro Martinez wins the Challenger 100 event in Brest, France. Credit: Un Oeil Averty}