Italian Flavio Cobolli boosted his chances for Next Gen ATP Finals qualification after a title run this past week at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Lisbon, Portugal.

The 21-year-old, who is ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Race to Jeddah, dropped just one set all week at the Del Monte Lisboa Belém Open, where he defeated Lebanon’s Benjamin Hassan 7-5, 7-5 in Sunday’s final to earn his second ATP Challenger Tour crown and first of this season.

“The week was tough. I did good work, so I’m really happy about that,” Cobolli said. “I know [Benjamin] very well. At the beginning, it was tough because he played unbelievable the first three or four games. But I was solid, my focus was good so after that moment, I started to play better.”

At a career-high No. 108 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, Cobolli boasts a 32-21 Challenger-match record this season. The Florence native is the fourth #NextGenATP Italian to win a title this year, joining Luca Nardi, Matteo Gigante and Luciano Darderi.

In other Challenger action, Czech Tomas Machac collected his second consecutive title at the Open de Vendée in France. The 22-year-old, who won in Orleans the week prior, defeated Stanford University star Arthur Fery 6-3, 6-4 in the final to earn his sixth ATP Challenger Tour title.

“It was very tough. I’m super happy to win this one because at the beginning of the tournament, I was a little bit tired but my level of tennis was great,” Machac said. “I’m super happy that I’m the winner today.”

Tomas Machac wins the Challenger 100 event in Mouilleron Le Captif, France.” />
^{Tomas Machac wins the Challenger 100 event in Mouilleron Le Captif, France. Credit: Un Oeil Averty}
Having won 14 of his past 15 matches at the Challenger level, Machac is up 17 spots to a career-high No. 79 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

American Zachary Svajda defended his title on home soil at the Tiburon Challenger. The third seed cruised past Adam Walton 6-2, 6-2 in the final to collect his second Challenger title of 2023, having won last month in Cary.

“I feel very comfortable on these courts,” Svajda told commentator Mike Cation. “It’s like a slower court, which I like and it’s usually not too warm here. I like the cooler weather. I think the atmosphere helps too.”

Zachary Svajda wins the Challenger 75 event in Tiburon, California.” />
^{Zachary Svajda wins the Challenger 75 event in Tiburon, California. Credit: Natalie Kim}

The 20-year-old Svajda twice won the USTA Boys’ 18s National Championships in Kalamazoo (2019, 2021) and defeated Ben Shelton last year in the Tiburon Challenger final. On Sunday, the California native avenged his August loss to Walton, who graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2022, to lift his third ATP Challenger Tour title.

“With Adam, I played him last November and even though I won, I was like, ‘This guy is going to be good. This will be his first year coming up.’ I honestly said [he would be] Top 150 by this time and sure enough, he’s around that,” Svajda said. “I tried to be more consistent. My movement too, I thought I moved very well. I hit through my forehand. I kept competing hard.”

Constant Lestienne claimed his third Challenger trophy of the season by winning the Alicante Ferrero Challenger, where he also triumphed in 2021. On Sunday, the 31-year-old survived countryman Hugo Grenier 6-7(10), 6-2, 6-4 to be crowned champion.

“In the first set, we were both struggling with our fitness. I was thinking that this is the last effort of the week, so I will give everything and try to fight. It was really tight,” said Lestienne, who has won 16 of his past 18 Challenger matches. “I played really well this week and the level was hard.”

Constant Lestienne wins the Challenger 100 event in Alicante, Spain.” />
^{Constant Lestienne wins the Challenger 100 event in Alicante, Spain. Credit: equeliteferrero}
Players from France have combined for a record-breaking 24 ATP Challenger Tour titles this season. The previous record was set last season by Argentina. Lestienne is one of 16 different French Challenger champions this season and the only player from his country to win more than two Challenger titles in 2023.

Brazilian Thiago Monteiro won his ninth ATP Challenger Tour trophy and first on home soil when he rallied past Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to triumph at the Campeonato Internacional de Tênis in Campinas.

“It’s an incredible feeling to win my first title at home. It was an incredible week,” Monteiro said. “I’m very happy to get the support and all the energy from the crowd. It was very special. This is going to always be in memory and this is a title that is going to give me confidence for the rest of the year. Hopefully I can keep going with good results.”

Thiago Monteiro celebrates winning the Challenger 100 event in Campinas, Brazil.” />
^{Thiago Monteiro celebrates winning the Challenger 100 event in Campinas, Brazil. Credit: João Pires}
Rain on Saturday forced Monteiro and Ugo Carabelli to play both their semi-final match and final on Sunday. Despite playing two matches in one day, the 29-year-old Monteiro held his nerve to capture his first Challenger title in 13 months.

Carlos Alcaraz overcame a tricky test from Daniel Evans on Monday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, advancing 7-6(1), 6-4 to boost his ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone chances.

The Spaniard, who is making his debut in Shanghai, handled Evans’ court-craft with his own agility and power, prevailing in a series of lung-busting exchanges to improve to 41-1 on the year against players ranked outside the Top 20.

Alcaraz frustrated Evans with his depth and accuracy in the third-round clash and rallied from a break down in the first set to lead. He then committed just two unforced errors in the second set to improve to 4-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“It was a really tough match. It was one of the toughest matches I have played outside of the Grand Slams,” Alcaraz said. “Every time I play Daniel it is a tricky match and I have to play my best to beat him… Both of us played a high quality of tennis and I am really happy to get through.”

With his Tour-leading 63rd win of the season, the 20-year-old has closed the gap on Novak Djokovic to 500 points in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. If Alcaraz reaches the title match he will leapfrog the Serbian into first place.

Alcaraz is seeking his seventh tour-level title of the season this week and third at ATP Masters 1000 level (Indian Wells, Madrid). He will next play 18th seed Grigor Dimitrov following his two-hour, 25-minute win against Evans.

In an entertaining battle that featured a series of cat-and-mouse points, Alcaraz was impressive at the net against Evans, winning 67 per cent (22/33) of points when moving forward.

Ivan Dodig/Austin Krajicek and Wesley Koolhof/Neal Skupski are the first two doubles teams to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. The 2023 season finale will be played from 12-19 November in Turin.

Both pairs are returning to the year-end championships for the second consecutive season after making team debuts at the Pala Alpitour last year. 

Dodig and Krajicek, who became a team in the middle of 2022, have enjoyed a consistent 2023. They won their first major title together at Roland Garros and their maiden ATP Masters 1000 trophy at Monte-Carlo.

They also secured ATP 500 crowns at Rotterdam, Queen’s Club and Beijing, and reached the semi-finals of the US Open. Dodig and Krajicek reached the final at ATP 250 tournaments in Adelaide and Eastbourne.

Dodig has earned his place at the season finale for the ninth time (four different partners) and Krajicek is a two-time qualifier.

Wesley Koolhof/Neal Skupski” />

Koolhof and Skupski have proven a consistent force on the doubles scene since partnering for the first time last year. In 2022 they competed in the Nitto ATP Finals and were crowned ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by Pepperstone.

It has been another standout season for Koolhof and Skupski, who earned their first major title together at Wimbledon. They also triumphed at ’s-Hertogenbosch.

Other notable results include championship match appearances at Indian Wells, Barcelona and Beijing. They also made the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and Roland Garros.

Koolhof won the Nitto ATP Finals title in 2020 alongside Nikola Mektic. This edition will mark his third appearance in the season finale and Skupski’s second.

Diego Schwartzman won three consecutive matches for the first time since May 2022 on Monday when he upset World No. 8 Taylor Fritz 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5) at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

The Argentine wild card has endured a modest season by his standards, arriving in Shanghai 9-22 on the year. However, he has looked close to his best at the hard-court event and backed up wins against Luca Van Assche and Jiri Lehecka with a consistent returning display in his meeting with Fritz.

The 31-year-old won 54 per cent (22/41) of points on Fritz’s second serve to earn his first Top 10 win since April in 2022, when he beat then-World No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime in Barcelona.

“I think since Roland Garros my tennis was changing. I was winning at least one match in every single tournament,” Schwartzman said. “Obviously this is not my year, so that is why that at the end of the year to have these kinds of tournaments is great. Not many tournaments to come, but it is going to make a difference.

Schwartzman, who is up to No. 108 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, will next play Nicolas Jarry in the fourth round after the Chilean defeated Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(4), 6-2.

Fritz’s defeat is a dent to his Nitto ATP Finals hopes. The American is ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, 235 points behind eighth-placed Holger Rune, who is in the final qualification spot.

Andrey Rublev also advanced, brushing aside Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-0 to end the Frenchman’s eight-match winning run. Rublev struck 35 winners and committed just five unforced errors to seal his spot in the fourth round after 63 minutes.

Andrey Rublev” style=”width: 100%;” />
_{^{Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour}}
The fifth seed now holds a 15-6 record at ATP Masters 1000 events this season, highlighted by his title run in Monte-Carlo.

Rublev is aiming to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals and is currently fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. He will next play 11th-placed Tommy Paul, who is seeking a deep run in Shanghai to boost his own hopes.

Tommy Paul boosted his slim Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes on Monday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where he defeated #NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils 6-4, 6-7(7), 6-4 to reach the fourth round.

In a hard-fought clash, the American recovered from squandering two match points in the second-set tie-break, responding with consistent baseline play in the deciding set to advance after two hours and 40 minutes.

Paul is currently 11th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin on 2,525 points, trailing eighth-placed Holger Rune by 585 points. The 26-year-old is aiming to make his debut at the prestigious year-end event.

Paul has advanced to at least the fourth round at all hard-court ATP Masters 1000 events this season (Indian Wells, Miami, Toronto SFs, Cincinnati, Shanghai). He will aim to reach his second Masters 1000 quarter-final of the year when he takes on Andrey Rublev or Adrian Mannarino.

In other action, Grigor Dimitrov reached the fourth round at a Masters 1000 for the first time since Paris in 2022. The Bulgarian moved past World No. 14 Karen Khachanov 7-6(6), 6-4 to earn his sixth Top 20 win of the season.

The 18th seed saved one set point in the first set at 5/6 in the tie-break, before winning 17 of his 19 first-serve points in the second set to advance after one hour and 57 minutes.

Dimitrov now leads Khachanov 3-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Heads series and will next face top seed Carlos Alcaraz or Daniel Evans.

Zhang Zhizhen made more history on Sunday when he became the first Chinese player to reach the fourth round at the Rolex Shanghai Masters in the history of the ATP Masters 1000 event. The World No. 60 overcame 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals champion Brandon Nakashima 7-6(2), 6-2.

Competing on home soil, Zhang struck 18 winners and saved the one break point he faced to advance after one hour and 25 minutes. He also clinched seven consecutive points in the first-set tie-break to lead.

“I didn’t even know I won seven points in a row,” Zhang said. “I just tried to go point by point. It was a very tough match because I couldn’t find any chance on his serve until the second set. I had to be patient and I’m glad I broke him in the end. I’m pretty happy.”

Zhang became the first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finalist from China in May in Madrid and in July rose to No. 52 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, the highest position ever held by anyone from the East Asian country. He beat Casper Ruud at the US Open to become the first Chinese man to beat a Top 5 opponent.

Now into the fourth round at the hard-court event, the 26-year-old will aim to continue his historic run when he plays 16th seed Hubert Hurkacz. Earlier this week Zhang defeated Richard Gasquet and Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Second seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski made a winning start to their Rolex Shanghai Masters campaign on Sunday when they defeated Americans Mackenzie McDonald and Frances Tiafoe 6-7(3), 6-1, 10-3.

The Dutch-British team reached the title match in Beijing last week and quickly adjusted to the hard courts in Shanghai, winning 85 per cent (29/35) of their first-serve points. Chasing their fourth ATP Masters 1000 title as a team, they will next play Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksandr Nedovyesov.

Australians Alex de Minaur and Max Purcell upset top seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek, claiming a dramatic victory to reach the second round.

De Minaur and Purcell edged a tight Match Tie-break to triumph 6-7(3), 6-1, 11-9 after one hour and 32 minutes. De Minaur and Purcell are teaming for just the second time this week, having played once together at the Australian Open in 2017.

Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin boosted their Nitto ATP Final qualification hopes with a 6-7(2), 7-6(10), 10-5 win against Zhe Li and Fajing Sun. Gonzalez and Roger-Vasselin, fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, saved three match points in the second set before eventually advancing after two hours and 14 minutes.

They will next face Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul after the Frenchmen defeated Taylor Fritz and Sebastian Korda 6-3, 6-7(5), 10-4.

Eighth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 7-5, while Robin Haase and Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Astana champions Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow 3-6, 6-3, 10-8.

Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz moved past Nikola Mektic and John Peers 6-4, 4-6, 10-5 and Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos defeated Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler 6-4, 7-6(3).

Jamie Murray and Michael Venus, currently 11th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, beat Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo 6-4, 1-6, 10-6.

Jannik Sinner dug deep to maintain his unbeaten Asian swing on Sunday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where the sixth seed overcame Sebastian Baez 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to book a fourth-round spot at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

Beijing champion Sinner ground down the typically resilient Baez for his seventh consecutive win. He powered 29 winners and made just 11 unforced errors to wrap a two-hour triumph inside the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena.

“I was expecting a very tough match,” said Sinner, who became the third player to reach 20 Masters 1000 wins this year after Alcaraz and Medvedev. “He was playing really well in the first set.

“In the second set I tried to play a bit more aggressive, which worked better. When you start by going a break up immediately in the second it is a little bit easier to get into the rhythm. I’m very proud of how I handled the situation.”

It was a continuation of his recent fine form for Sinner, who lifted his maiden Masters 1000 trophy in August in Toronto and defeated Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev back-to-back to claim the title in Beijing. His opening-round victory in Shanghai against Marcos Giron had clinched his spot at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, and he cut a relaxed figure against Baez despite the Argentine making a fast start in the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

The 25th-seeded Baez led 4-1 early and held firm to claim the opening set, but he could not match Sinner’s increase in level as the match wore on. The Italian was again impressive at the net, an aspect of his game in which he has shown significant recent improvement. Sinner won 68 per cent (15/22) of points moving forwards.

The next test for Sinner as he chases his second Masters 1000 crown is a fourth-round clash with Ben Shelton. The #NextGenATP American defeated Roman Safiullin 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 earlier on Sunday.

“[It will be] the first time that we’ve faced each other,” said Sinner of the Shelton clash. “We’ve never even pracised together. It’s going to be completey new and I’m looking forward to it. He’s a very good player, serving very big, so I’m excited for the challenge. We will see how it goes and hopefully it is going to be a good match.”

One of the players in a strong position to join Sinner in qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals, Andrey Rublev, also claimed victory in Shanghai. The fifth seed downed Quentin Halys 6-4, 7-5 to set a meeting with the in-form Adrian Mannarino, who notched his eighth consecutive tour-level victory by beating Tseng Chun-Hsin 6-2, 6-2. Rublev remains fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.

Hubert Hurkacz and Grigor Dimitrov both boosted their outside chances of making a late charge to Turin. Hurkacz ended qualifier Hsu Yu Hsiou’s dream run with a 6-4, 6-4 third-round triumph, while Dimitrov beat Aleksandar Vukic 6-4, 6-3 in a second-round match postponed from Saturday due to rain. Hurkacz and Dimitrov are 16th and 19th, respectively, in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.