In the 45-year history of the ATP Challenger Tour, Lithuania had never hosted a Challenger tournament. That all changed this week, as the Challenger circuit turned its eyes to the country’s capital city, Vilnius.

Lithuania, located in the Baltic states, is the 91st country to host a Challenger tournament. Tournament director Ramūnas Grušas, who is the Lithuanian Tennis Federation president, spoke with ATPTour.com about the process it took to build the Vilnius Open by kevin.

“We started to think about having a Challenger in 2013,” Grušas said. “We made a trip to some Challengers in Europe and talked to the organisers there and finally, we are doing it. We are really happy and excited.”

The host venue, the SEB Arena, provides world-class facilities to the Challenger 80 event. Boasting 28 indoor tennis courts, the SEB Arena is the largest indoor tennis complex in central Europe. Squash and badminton courts can also be found at the state-of-the-art facility. A recent expansion project included the construction of a stadium court for the debut tournament.

“During the Covid time, we built a new facility, including a centre court with 1,500 capacity,” Grušas said. “We built an extra six practice courts. Throughout the past year, we’ve made the venue really good for the players and spectators.

“It’s really important to show people that we are here. We have high-quality facilities, I think it’s showing that we are going in a good direction. This week, a lot of kids are coming to see the tennis and are enjoying it.

“We are not looking at this tournament for a really commercial side. We are looking to have good quality.”

The Vilnius Challenger marks the first time that Ricardas Berankis, who turned pro in 2007, has competed on home soil.

“I think it’s one of the best Challengers in the world,” The former World No. 50 said. “Not because I’m from here but overall I didn’t see or hear any unhappy players. I hope it will bring more attention from higher-ranked players in the future.”

Home favourite Ricardas Berankis in action at the 2022 Vilnius Challenger. Credit: Saulius Čirba

After initially submitting a tournament application in 2018 and patiently waiting through the Covid break, Grušas said that working closely with the ATP turned the dream of staging a tournament into reality.

“We have good relations with the ATP office,” Grušas said. “They helped us a lot with all of our questions because it was the first time for us.

“They [The ATP Challenger Tour] put the players first. You can feel it from the first step when you are talking with the ATP office and referees. You need to do all the best for the players.”

Frenchman Antoine Escoffier, seeded eighth, has strong impressions of the Vilnius Challenger.

“The event is really well organised,” Escoffier said. “The hotel and food are on site. The physio and practice courts are also on site. I think it’s one of the best conditions to have a tournament. It’s really impressive here.”

With a population approaching 600,000, Vilnius is the largest city in Lithuania. The city is known for its architecture in ‘Old Town’, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Vilnius was named the EU’s European Capital of Culture in 2009 and is one of the fastest growing and developing cities in Europe.

Not only is Vilnius establishing deep roots as a cultural centre in Europe, it’s proving to be a great location for the ATP Challenger Tour.

Dominic Thiem produced an escape act of the highest order Friday at the European Open in Antwerp, where the Austrian saved three match points before downing top seed Hubert Hurkacz with a thrilling 3-6, 7-6(9), 7-6(4) victory.

Thiem saved those match points in a pulsating second-set tie-break, including one with a powerful backhand that crept over the net via a net cord at 5/6. The former World No. 3 then held his nerve to clinch the set and repeated the trick in the decider, surging to an unassailable 6/2 lead in the tie-break to claim his first win against Hurkacz in four ATP Head2Head meetings.

“This victory especially is unbelievable because it’s my first victory over an almost-Top 10 guy in my comeback process,” said Thiem, who returned to the Tour in March after missing nine months due to a wrist injury. “It was unbelievable to play, a great atmosphere and a great match.”

Despite his stroke of luck with the second-set net cord, Thiem kept a high level throughout the two-hour, 55-minute encounter. He struck 36 winners to Hurkacz’s 47, with his trademark backhand a particularly potent weapon.

“Indoors, especially against someone who is serving that great, it’s about little details and margins,” said Thiem. “Today the luck was on my side on that match point. The match could easily have been gone, but it’s like that at the highest level and I’m very happy in general to even get to those close situations again. Today it went my way and I have to enjoy it.”

Thiem’s next opponent will be Sebastian Korda, who wasted no time booking his semi-final spot with a 6-0, 6-2 triumph against Yoshihito Nishioka. Korda converted five of six break-point opportunities to seal a 52-minute win and extend his indoor record for the season to 11-3.

Holger Rune notched another impressive win on the indoor hard courts of Europe on Friday, when the 19-year-old took out second seed Cameron Norrie in the quarter-finals at the Stockholm Open.

The World No. 27 responded strongly to dropping the first-set tie-break to charge to a 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3 win. He struck 38 winners, including 11 aces, to claim his first victory against the Briton in four ATP Tour meetings this year.

“It was an unbelievable match, I think we both played pretty well,” said Rune after the victory. “Obviously I’ve lost three times in a row to Cam, so I knew it was going to be difficult and the result today showed it was a lot of hard work, so I’m just super happy that after a tough and very long first set, I could stay composed and find a way.”

Having reached the final in Sofia three weeks ago, Rune’s run in Stockholm so far has lifted him to No. 25 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as he prepares to meet Alex de Minaur in the semi-finals. The Australian notched an impressive win of his own in Sweden on Friday, downing Denis Shapovalov 6-2, 7-6(4) to reach his fifth tour-level semi-final of the season.

Matteo Berrettini continued to look comfortable on the seaside hard courts of the Tennis Napoli Cup on Friday, when the home favourite delivered a dominant 6-2, 6-3 quarter-final victory against Taro Daniel.

The second seed picked up where he left off in his second-round win against Roberto Carballes Baena in Friday’s quarter-final clash, breaking Daniel’s serve in the opening game. Berrettini barely looked back thereafter, cruising to an 84-minute win to reach his fifth tour-level semi-final of the season.

“I think I was aggressive [from] the very first game and I got the break early in the first set and I felt confident,” said Berrettini after the match. “I didn’t give him the time to organise or [let him] make me move too much. We played each other many times, so I kind of knew what to expect from him, and my plan worked really well.”

A FIFTH semi-final of the year for Matteo Berrettini! 🙌

The home favourite defeats Taro Daniel 6-2 6-3 in Naples.#TennisNapoliCupbyBCP pic.twitter.com/nKtJlnGLIo

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 21, 2022

Berrettini fired 36 winners, including seven aces, to extend his ATP Head2Head series lead against Daniel to 3-1. The Italian was particularly happy to put on a strong showing in front of his parents, who were watching on from the stands.

“It’s super important and I’m super proud that they’re here,” said Berrettini. “Obviously without them I wouldn’t be here… When I started playing tennis, they were the ones that brought me everywhere, so I’m so happy that they’re here, that they can enjoy this atmosphere, and hopefully they’re proud of me.”

The 26-year-old will take on Mackenzie McDonald, a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 winner against Zhang Zhizhen, in the semi-finals as he looks to win his first ATP Tour title in his homeland. Berrettini can also stay within touching distance of a qualification spot for November’s Nitto ATP Finals with a good result in Naples. Friday’s win lifted him one spot to 14th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.

Berettini’s countryman Lorenzo Musetti enjoyed a similarly emphatic quarter-final triumph as he downed Daniel Elahi Galan 6-3, 6-0. Musetti broke the Colombian four times en route to a 78-minute win to cruise into his third consecutive tour-level semi-final.

The 20-year-old Musetti, who is third in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan, has already qualified for November’s Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals. He will next take on fifth seed Miomir Kecmanovic, who upset top seed Pablo Carreno Busta 7-5, 6-2 to reach his third tour-level semi-final of the season.

Carreno Busta was seeking his second win of the day, having halted the run of home hope Fabio Fognini with a 6-1, 6-1 second-round victory on Friday morning. The Spaniard could not back that win up against Kecmanovic, however, as the Serbian converted four of seven break points to extend his ATP Head2Head series lead against Carreno Busta to 2-0.

The best was saved for last on Thursday at the Stockholm Open, particularly for Frances Tiafoe. In the lone three-setter of the day across both singles and doubles, the American came back from a set and 0-4 down to edge home favourite Elias Ymer in a late-night thriller.

With the 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(2) victory, Tiafoe advanced to his seventh ATP Tour quarter-final of the season and denied the Ymer brothers a famous sweep of seeded opposition in their native Sweden. Earlier in the day, Mikael Ymer was a 6-2, 6-3 winner against eighth seed Tommy Paul.

“It was an unbelievable effort, a big growth win for me, to come back and win that,” Tiafoe said post-match. “He got a little nervous there and I started upping my level. He still played well in the third. He served well, but I was able to get it done. Elias is a hell of a player.”

From 0-4 in the second set, Tiafoe won five straight games to turn the tables, then raced out to a 6/0 lead in the tie-break as he forced a decider. The third seed flirted with danger again in the final set, saving a break point at 1-2 and 2-3 before once again dominating the tie-break.

“I definitely didn’t deserve to win today,” Tiafoe added. “Elias was playing really well. In the beginning I was really flat, really negative. It’s been a long year and it’s tough, I’m pretty tired.”

After improving to 2-0 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head, with the previous meeting also in Stockholm last season, Tiafoe was full of praise for his World No. 129 opponent, a wild-card entry into the ATP 250 event.

“He just needs to believe in himself,” he said of Ymer, who was seeking his third career tour-level quarter-final. “I think he strikes the ball just as good as anyone. He moves so fast. He’s just got to believe in himself. Today, I think the only reason I won is because he just didn’t believe it in the end. If he believes in himself he can be really good.”

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Tiafoe will next face Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori, a 6-2, 6-2 winner against #NextGenATP Czch Jiri Lehecka. Mikael Ymer, who converted on five of seven break chances in his upset win against Paul, set a quarter-final meeting with top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas on Friday.

Fifth seed Alex de Minaur also advanced to the quarters on Thursday with a 6-4, 6-2 win against J.J. Wolf. The Aussie converted on four of five break points to book a showdown with fourth seed Denis Shapovalov.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame’s annual Fan Voting returns for 2022, with seven accomplished ATP and WTA players among this year’s candidates for the Class of 2023. From 20 October through 30 October, 2022, tennis fans around the world can cast their ballots for the candidates they believe are worthy of tennis’ ultimate honour: induction into the Hall of Fame.

The seven nominees in the Player Category for the Class of 2023 are:

• Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain, 2003 Roland Garros champion and former World No. 1
• Carlos Moya of Spain, 1998 Roland Garros champion and former World No. 1
• Daniel Nestor of Canada, a 12-time Grand Slam champion in doubles and mixed doubles and former doubles World No. 1
• Cara Black of Zimbabwe, former doubles World No. 1 and an 11-time Grand Slam champion
• Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, former World No. 1 and 2008 Roland Garros champion
• Flavia Pennetta of Italy, former doubles World No. 1 and 2015 US Open singles champion.
• Lisa Raymond of the United States, winner of 11 Grand Slam titles in doubles and mixed doubles, and a former doubles World No. 1

Fans can learn more and weigh in with their ballots at vote.tennisfame.com during the voting period. While fans can only vote once, they may vote for as many candidates as they deem deserving.

How The Vote Works:
The ITHF Player Voting Group, comprised of approximately 140 tennis journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers, will submit their vote.

The top 3 vote-getters in the Fan Vote will receive bonus percentage points on their result from the Voting Group. The candidate with the highest result in the Fan Vote will receive three additional percentage points, while second and third place will receive two and one additional percentage points, respectively.

To be elected, a candidate must receive an affirmative vote in 75% or higher of ballots submitted from the Voting Group or a combined total of 75% or higher from their Voting Group result and Fan Vote bonus percentage points.

Nestor makes his debut as an ITHF candidate this year, while Ivanovic, Ferrero, Black, Pennetta, Moya, and Raymond are all returning nominees to the ballot. ITHF policy states that a nominee remains on the ballot for up to three consecutive years, unless voted in. The six nominees are all eligible in the Hall of Fame’s Player Category for the Class of 2023.

“The nominees to the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023 ballot represent tennis’ greatest achievements, across multiple disciplines of the sport,” said Katrina Adams, chairperson of the ITHF’s Enshrinee Nominating Committee. “As a former player, I appreciate the hard work and professionalism each of these world-class athletes possess. Being recognised as candidates for tennis’ highest honour, induction into the Hall of Fame, is a momentous accolade.”

The International Tennis Hall of Fame is one of just two sports halls of fame where fans’ votes can have a direct impact on a candidate’s induction. The results of the ITHF Fan Vote will be announced at the conclusion of the voting period. The Class of 2023 inductees will be announced in early next year, with the Induction Ceremony slated to take place 23 July 2023.

For additional information on the Class of 2023 Fan Vote and the ITHF’s induction process, visit tennisfame.com.

Zhang Zhizhen is approaching history.

The 26-year-old on Thursday reached the quarter-finals of the Tennis Napoli Cup to climb to No. 96 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, putting himself in position to become the first Chinese man to crack the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings (since 1973) on Monday.

“I think it is a tough road to be Top 100,” Zhang said. “I’m so happy for today because I played two matches today and it is a small step, but it’s also a big step for Chinese men’s tennis.”

If Zhang defeats Mackenzie McDonald on Friday in the quarter-finals, he will be break into the Top 100 on Monday regardless of other players’ results for the rest of the week.

A win against McDonald would also make Zhang the second Chinese man to advance to a tour-level semi-final in the Open Era (since 1968). Pan Bing made the Seoul semi-finals in 1995.

“[I will] just be prepared like a normal match again because it is just a tennis match,” Zhang said. “So I’ll try to be better because I need to be recovered [from] today. I’ll do everything to prepare and be ready for tomorrow.”

Did You Know?
Zhang won two matches on Thursday to reach the last eight in Naples. He completed a 6-4, 7-6(8) victory against Hungarian Marton Fucsovics before eliminating Sebastian Baez 7-6(5), 7-6(11).

Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara moved up one place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings on Thursday by reaching the Stockholm semi-finals. The British/Finnish duo climbed to sixth in the Race, one spot ahead of Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios, courtesy of a 6-2, 6-3 win against the Czech pair of Roman Jebavy and Adam Pavlasek at the Stockholm Open.

The third seeds won each set by a single break of serve, saving both break points against them in the contest. The victory sets a matchup against Maxime Cressy and Albano Olivetti, who earned a 6-4, 6-4 win against Colombians Diego Hidalgo and Cristian Rodriguez.

With 3,180 points in the Doubles Race, Glasspool/Heliovaara are 220 points clear of Tim Puetz and Michael Venus in eighth place, with a Top 7 finish needed to guarantee qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals. This year’s Hamburg champions would finish the week on 3,340 points by claiming their second title of the season at the ATP 250 in Naples.

Dodig/Krajicek Advance In Naples
In need of a late surge to reach the Nitto ATP Finals, Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek progressed to the Naples semi-finals with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win against Pedro Cachin and Roberto Carballes Baena. The top seeds remain in 12th place in the Doubles Race, but could move into 10th with a title at the Tennis Napoli Cup. It would be their second ATP Tour trophy of 2022 (Lyon).

They will next face Italians Lorenzo Sonego and Andrea Vavassori, who defeated Tomislav Brkic and Gonzalo Escobar 6-4, 7-5 in the quarters.

Bopanna/Middelkoop Reach Antwerp SFs
Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop are also chasing a spot in Turin and have moved up to 15th place in the Doubles Race this week with a run to the Antwerp semi-finals. The second seeds scored a 6-4, 6-1 victory against the British duo of Daniel Evans and Jonny O’Mara on Thursday at the European Open.

Two other Antwerp doubles matches were decided in Match Tie-breaks: Fourth seeds Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin edged Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski 2-6, 6-1, 10-6, while the Dutch team of Sander Arends and David Pel upset third-seeded Germans Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies 4-6, 6-3, 10-4.