Thompson Triumphs In Cherbourg For Maiden Title

A LOOK BACK
Challenger La Manche (Cherbourg, France): Sixth seed Jordan Thompson rallied from an early deficit to claim his first ATP Challenger Tour title on Sunday. The 21 year old needed one hour and 42 minutes to complete the 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 comeback over Adam Pavlasek, firing nine aces. It was the first final in Cherbourg to not feature a Frenchman since 2003, when Argentina’s Sergio Roitman defeated Rafael Nadal.

The second Australian to lift a Challenger trophy in 2016, joining 19-year-old Blake Mott, Thompson broke through after three previous defeats in finals. The Sydney native will rise to a career-high World No. 123 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

Shimadzu All Japan Indoor Tennis Championships (Kyoto, Japan): For the sixth time in the 20-year history of the Kyoto Challenger, a home grown champion emerged. Top seed Yuichi Sugita rallied from a set down to deny China’s Zhang Ze 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in Sunday’s final, notching a second Kyoto title and sixth overall on the ATP Challenger Tour. Also the champion in 2010 (d. Ebden), Sugita will crack the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time, rising to a career-high World No. 99.

What The Players Said
Thompson: “It feels great to have won my first Challenger title. I’m really pumped. The Top 100 is my goal for sure!”

WHAT’S AHEAD
The lone event on this week’s schedule is the sixth edition of the prestigious event in Quimper, France. A Frenchman has taken home the trophy the past two years, with Pierre-Hugues Herbert winning in 2014 and Benoit Paire prevailing in 2015. This week, Herbert is seeded fifth with Paul-Henri Mathieu leading the pack. A potential blockbuster all-Russian teen clash between Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev looms in the second round.