Draper Makes Challenger History With Fourth Title Of 2022

Jack Draper is making the ATP Challenger Tour his personal playground in 2022. There is no stopping the 20-year-old from Sutton, England, and he would add yet another piece of silverware to his growing haul on Sunday.

In front of a packed crowd at the Open Harmonie Mutuelle, he battled to his fourth title of the year, outlasting Zizou Bergs 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 after two hours and 30 minutes. The victory secures Draper’s place in the history books, becoming the first player to win four Challenger crowns in the first quarter of a season.

Draper, who claimed his maiden title in Forli, Italy, in January, added two more trophies there in February. This week, he proved that his domination of the Challenger circuit extends beyond the Italian border, blitzing former Top 50 stars Illya Marchenko and Robin Haase, as well as Frenchmen Evan Furness and Antoine Escoffier, before edging Bergs.

Sunday’s title puts Draper at a staggering 22-2 mark on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2022. He has soared to a career-high No. 124 in the ATP Rankings and is up to third in the ATP Race To Milan, continuing his pursuit of a debut appearance at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals.

In other action…
Another budding #NextGenATP star added a title on Sunday, as 18-year-old Luca Nardi triumphed on the indoor hard courts of Lugano, Switzerland. The Italian teen rallied from a set down for the second time this week, overcoming home hope Leandro Riedi 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 for the crown.

It is Nardi’s second title of the year, joining Jannik Sinner as the youngest Italians to lift multiple Challenger trophies. He rises to a career-high No. 231 in the ATP Rankings and sits in 10th position in the ATP Race To Milan.

On the clay of Marbella, Spain, victory was sweet for home hope Jaume Munar. The Spaniard finally prevailed at the AnyTech365 Andalucia Open after runner-up finishes in both 2020 and 2021. It was his seventh ATP Challenger title, refusing to drop a set all week.

Gastao Elias also prevailed on home soil, lifting the trophy in Oeiras, Portugal. He became the most decorated Portuguese player in Challenger history with his ninth career title. The 31-year-old did not drop a set in the quarter-finals, semis and final.

Pereira, Colombia, returned to the Challenger circuit this week, with former World No. 28 Santiago Giraldo leading the charge as tournament director. In the end, it was 32-year-old Facundo Bagnis clinching his 15th Challenger title, dominating all week to secure the trophy.