Golubev Saves 4 MP For Jonkoping Title; Bagnis Retains Santiago Crown

A LOOK BACK
RC Hotel Open (Jonkoping, Sweden): The ATP Challenger Tour returned to Sweden for the first time in 20 years and the final did not disappoint. Andrey Golubev saved four match points to deny Next Generation star Karen Khachanov 6-7(9), 7-6(5), 7-6(4) in a pulsating two hours and 44 minutes. 19-year-old Khachanov did well to fight back from 2/5 down in the first set tie-break and served for the match at 6-5 in the second. Golubev turned aside a pair of match points at 40/15 and another two points later, before forcing a tie-break and extending the encounter to a decider. In the third set, the Russian teen was once again denied when serving for the championship at 5-3 and he would hold a fourth match point three games later. But this was the Kazakh veteran’s day, taking the deciding tie-break for his seventh Challenger crown and first in two years. Watch Golubev Save 4 MP

It was the longest final on the circuit this year and first to feature three tie-breaks since 2012, when Lukas Rosol edged Bjorn Phau 6-7(3), 7-6(5), 7-6(6) in Bratislava. Also, the last time at least four match points were saved in a final was in Tiburon (USA) last year, when Tim Smyczek also saved four in beating Denis Kudla.

Read: Challenger Tennis Back In Sweden

ATP Challenger Zhuhai (Zhuhai, China): Another tournament made its ATP Challenger Tour debut last week, as the sparkling state of the art Hengqin International Tennis Centre in Zhuhai, China, hosted a $50,000 event. Almost 2,500 people filed in to see fourth seed Thomas Fabbiano lift the trophy, downing home hope Zhang Ze 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 in two hours and one minute on Sunday. The Italian claimed six of 17 break points for his second Challenger title, having earned his maiden victory in 2013 on home soil in Recanati. Zhang, meanwhile, was appearing in his second final in three weeks following a runner-up finish in Kyoto, Japan. He was the third Chinese finalist on the Challenger circuit already this year, with Wu Di notching its first title in Maui.

Read: Zhuhai Venue Feature | Wu Di’s Coach Shaves Head After Title

Cachantun Cup (Santiago, Chile): Top seed Facundo Bagnis solidified his return to the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, notching his third ATP Challenger Tour title of the year and eighth overall. The Argentine overcame Brazil’s Rogerio Dutra Silva 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-3 in Sunday’s Santiago final, joining Gerald Melzer and Mikhail Youzhny as three-time Challenger champions in 2016. Bagnis also prevailed on the South American clay courts of Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro earlier in the year. The champion in Santiago in 2013 and 2015 as well, he is the first player to successfully defend a title this year. Only two players had retained a crown last year – Jiri Vesely (Prostejov) and Somdev Devvarman (New Delhi).

Abierto de Puebla (Puebla, Mexico): The inaugural edition of the Abierto de Puebla featured a battle of unseeded finalists vying for the title. Colombia’s Eduardo Struvay topped Pedja Krstin of Serbia 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 for his second ATP Challenger Tour crown. Struvay had won his first title in November with victory on home soil in Bogota. For Krstin, it was his breakout tournament, having entered with the week with a 1-8 Challenger win-loss record since July. He had previously never reached the semis on the circuit, but on this occasion the Serb stunned top seed Benjamin Becker in a deciding tie-break.

What The Players Said
Golubev: “I’m happy to win, but a little bit tired. The match was strange. The first set I should have won, then in the second I had more chances in the beginning and then he had much more chances. He was serving for the match, had match points in the second set and in the third set again. It was up and down. I’m happy that I won.

“Just play in that moment (on the four match points saved). I had some bad luck with the net on break point and I was going a little bit crazy. But in tennis that can happen, so it’s an unbelievable sport for that. Maybe he got tense.”

Fabbiano: “I am very happy to win the title here in Zhuhai, especially in this beautiful venue. I felt some pressure today, because there are so many fans on site and they are all cheering for Zhang, but I still managed to win the match after I lost the first set. I am very happy about my performance today.”

Bagnis: “I’d like to thank my team and all my friends and family in Argentina. They gave me strength. This week was great. I won again here, it feels like a second home for me.”

WHAT’S AHEAD
There are five tournaments on three continents this week, with premier $125,000 events in Irving (USA) and Guadalajara (Mexico) set to commence on Tuesday. In Drummondville (Canada), Felix Auger Aliassime returns to the site of his historic run through qualifying a year ago, becoming the first player born in the 2000s to earn a point in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Yuichi Sugita is the top seed, with Austin Krajicek seeded second. American teen Tommy Paul is also in the draw.

In Guangzhou (China), another Japanese is a top seed with Taro Daniel leading the charge. Second seed Dudi Sela is bidding for a 20th title, while eighth seed Kimmer Coppejans looks to retain his crown. Finally, in Kazan (Russia), Ricardas Berankis is the No. 1 seed with home hope Aslan Karatsev returning as the defending champion.

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