Guillen Meza, 20, Becomes Youngest Ecuadorian Challenger Champion Since ’03

Winning the title in just your third ATP Challenger Tour event of the year?

No problem for Ecuador’s Alvaro Guillen Meza, who was crowned champion Saturday at the Lima Challenger, where he defeated Jamaica’s Blaise Bicknell 7-6(3), 6-1 in the final. The 20-year-old, who is one of four Challenger titlists this week, is the youngest champion from Ecuador since Giovanni Lapentti in 2003.

Competing in his eighth Challenger tournament, Guillen Meza’s ability to hold his nerve in pressure moments throughout the week helped him lift the trophy. He fended off 10 of 16 break points faced in the second round to upset fifth seed Gustavo Heide and against the 21-year-old Bicknell, Guillen Meza saved all three break points faced.

“I had to stay focussed all week and I managed to win. The truth was [I was] quite calm, I don’t know why,” Guillen Meza said in Spanish. “It is a very special day for me and I am very happy.”

Now at a career-high No. 384 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Guillen Meza is the first NextGenATP Challenger winner from South America in 2023 and the first Ecuadorian champion this year. He is the second-lowest ranked champion of the season, only behind then-unranked Kei Nishikori, who won the Palmas del Mar Challenger in June.

In other Challenger Tour action, Spaniard Carlos Taberner collected his sixth title at that level when he downed countryman Oriol Roca Batalla 6-4, 6-4 in the Schwaben Open final in Augsburg, Germany.

Carlos Taberner wins the Challenger 50 event in Augsburg, Germany.” />
^{Carlos Taberner wins the Challenger 50 event in Augsburg, Germany. Credit: Andreas Schebesta/Schwaben Open}

Saturday marked the 26-year-old’s Taberner first Challenger title since March 2022. Last year, Taberner reached a career-high No. 85.

A pivotal moment for Taberner came against Oliver Crawford in the second round, when the Valencia native rallied from 0-4 in the final set to stay alive.

“It’s amazing because to win titles is very, very difficult in tennis because every week, only one guy wins the title,” Taberner said. “It’s a very good feeling for me because not only was it a year-and-a-half since I last won a title, but also that long since I made the semi-finals. So I’m very happy for this week and I just want to enjoy it.”

Frenchman Arthur Weber became the fourth-oldest player to win his maiden Challenger crown at the Hengqin International Tennis Challenger. The 31-year-old survived two deciding-set matches to close the week, defeating Chinese Taipei’s Jason Jung 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in the final.

At a career-high No. 307 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Weber is the oldest player to win a Challenger title in his debut. The lefty came into Zhuhai having won two ITF World Tennis Tour trophies this season.
 Arthur Weber is crowned champion at the Zhuhai Challenger.” />
^{Arthur Weber is crowned champion at the Zhuhai Challenger. Credit: Hengqin International Tennis Challenger}

Weber is the 15th different Frenchman to add to his home country’s season-leading 20 Challenger titles, within three of tying Argentina’s record from last year.

The Challenger 50 event in Zhuhai marked the first tournament at that level held in China since October 2019. 

German Rudolf Molleker did not drop a set all week to be crowned champion at the IBG Prague Open by Moneta Money Bank. The fourth seed cruised past 17-year-old Frenchman Gabriel Debru 6-2, 6-2 in the final to win his first Challenger title since May 2018.

Rudolf Molleker (middle) poses during the Prague Challenger trophy presentation.” />
^{Rudolf Molleker (middle) poses during the Prague Challenger trophy presentation. Credit: IBG Prague Open by Moneta Money Bank}