Savannah Remains Popular Stop On Challenger Tour

Bjorn Fratangelo can’t quite put his finger on what he enjoys so much about the Savannah Challenger, the weeklong tournament hosted at The Landings Club on Skidaway Island, about 12 miles outside Savannah.

It might be the club’s 32 Har-Tru courts, a familiar surface for Fratangelo. Maybe, Fratangelo said, it’s the tournament’s friendly people and laid-back atmosphere. Or perhaps he likes coming back to a place where he’s done well; Fratangelo made the semi-finals in Savannah last year. He does know that it’s one of his favorite ATP Challengers.

“I just feel very at home here,” said Fratangelo, who’s playing in his fifth Savannah Challenger this week. “Everyone’s really friendly. The town is really cool. I like Savannah a lot.”

The Pittsburgh native has company in his admiration for the $50,000 event. Other players expressed similar satisfaction about their annual trip to the Georgia coast.

Denis Kudla has been impressed with the draw at the Savannah tournament this year. Kudla, No. 63 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, is the No. 1 seed but has tough competition throughout the bracket. Former World No. 38 Donald Young and former World No. 52 Brian Baker also made the trip to Savannah, as have a few up-and-coming Americans, including Frances Tiafoe, Jared Donaldson and Fratangelo.

“It’s probably one of the toughest $50,000 events you’re going to play… There’s so many guys who should be Top 100 or have been Top 100,” said Kudla, who’s making his fourth appearance in Savannah. “It’s a tough tournament that we love coming back to.”

The high-quality draw also helped tournament officials promote the event, said Chris Kader, Savannah Challenger tournament director. “I’ve been telling everybody, ‘This has got to be one of the greatest, strongest Challenger fields that I can remember seeing,’” he said.

Fan interest might be what Donald Young appreciates the most about the Savannah Challenger. Young, who’s returned to Savannah this year to gain some confidence on clay, has noticed area tennis fans especially welcome good tennis. “The fans come out, and they really treat it like a big tournament,” Young said.

He also appreciates the abundance of practice courts available for players. The Landings Club offers 20 courts on its main campus, where the ATP Challenger matches are played. But matches have been held on fewer than a handful of them, leaving the majority of courts available for practice time. “The guys like it,” Young said.

The private club and its members also relish when the ATP Challenger visits their courts. The tournament even helped the club land its its new director of court sports.

Last summer, Kader was the director of tennis at The Beach Club in Palm Beach, Florida. But the prestige of a $50,000 ATP Challenger helped draw him to The Landings Club, where he started last September.

“I looked at it and I saw opportunity, big time,” Kader said of the opening. “Knowing that there was an event like this in place, that’s pretty cool to be a part of this… It was definitely a motivation to get here.”

There is one downside to the tournament being held at the club, Kader said: Members can’t use the main campus courts while the tournament is being played. But, he said, they overlook this slight inconvenience and appreciate the professionals taking the courts.

Kader said, “It’s a pretty cool event to have in your own backyard.”