There is no denying that the final weeks of the season are as riveting as they come on the ATP World Tour. The drama is intense as players look to conclude their campaigns on a high note, competing at elite events throughout Europe.
On the ATP Challenger Tour, the action is just as gripping. Players will have their mettle tested after a long, grueling season, with the months of October and November a trial of endurance and durability.
For those competing on the Challenger circuit, critical ATP Rankings points are up for grabs, as players battle to hit the year-end Top 200 and Top 100 milestones. Hitting those thresholds is essential as they prepare for 2019 and potential ATP World Tour appearances. It can also be the difference between competing in Australian Open main draw and qualifying.
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Nicolas Jarry was a prime example last year. Entering the month of November, the 23-year-old Chilean was sitting at No. 118 in the ATP Rankings and on the outside looking in of a main draw berth at Melbourne Park. But, thanks to a title on home soil in Santiago, Jarry made his Top 100 debut and assured himself of a spot in the first major of the year. He has not looked back since, rising to a career-high No. 42.
A bevy of players will look to replicate the feat and follow in Jarry’s footsteps as 2018 winds to a close. Plenty of opportunities are available, with tournaments contested on five continents, on clay and indoor and outdoor hard.
Starting this week, the South American swing puts the region in the spotlight with four tournaments in four countries. The action is underway in Lima, Peru, before weaving to Guayaquil, Ecuador and Montevideo, Uruguay. It all concludes in Buenos Aires in the penultimate week of the season. The Argentine capital is one of 12 cities to host both ATP World Tour and ATP Challenger Tour events.
Montevideo, Uruguay
Pune and Shenzhen are two other cities on that list and feature in a seven-week tour of Asia in October and November. Denis Istomin prevailed in Almaty, Kazakhstan, followed by Felix Auger-Aliassime’s victory in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and Thomas Fabbiano’s triumph in Ningbo, China. This week, they are down to the final four in nearby Liuzhou. Kobe, Japan and Bangalore, India will feature in November.
Bangalore, India
The Australian summer of tennis is off and running with its traditional October start on the ATP Challenger Tour. All roads to Melbourne Park begin in Traralgon and Canberra, with back-to-back $75,000 events. Last year, Jason Kubler’s victory in Traralgon led to a breakout 2018 campaign and a Comeback Player of the Year nomination in the ATP World Tour Awards presented by Moët & Chandon.
The European indoor season isn’t exclusive to the ATP World Tour. Jaume Munar booked his spot at the Next Gen ATP Finals with a quarter-final run in Brest, France, where French favourite Julien Benneteau is playing his last singles tournament. The swing then moves to Eckental, Germany and features prestigious events in Bratislava, Slovakia and Mouilleron-le-Captif, France. It all concludes in the final week of the season in Andria, Italy.
From the Northern California swing in late September to the bright lights of Las Vegas and season-ending indoor stretch, there is plenty of Challenger action in the United States. The Andre Agassi Foundation co-sponsors the tournament in his hometown of Las Vegas, which is followed by indoor events in Charlottesville, Knoxville and Champaign. And a new Oracle Challenger Series event at Rice University in Houston will make its debut.
