Year-End Top 100 At Stake In Final Week Of Challenger Season

  • Posted: Nov 20, 2017

Year-End Top 100 At Stake In Final Week Of Challenger Season

Nov202017

Six players are in contention for year-end Top 100 spots in Rio de Janeiro and Bangalore

When Grigor Dimitrov lifted the trophy on Sunday at the Nitto ATP Finals, it marked the conclusion of the ATP World Tour season. But one week remains on the tennis calendar in 2017, with the ATP Challenger Tour finale featuring four tournaments on three continents.

Critical Emirates ATP Rankings points are up for grabs, as players jockey for position to cement themselves in the year-end Top 100. In fact, six players are poised to battle for coveted Top 100 spots this week, as they hope to secure direct entry into ATP World Tour events in 2018.

The eight-week South American swing concludes at the Rio Tennis Classic in Rio de Janeiro. Top seed Rogerio Dutra Silva eyes a title on home soil, while Saturday’s Santiago champion Nicolas Jarry looks to cap his season with back-to-back victories. Jarry became the first Chilean to feature in the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings since Paul Capdeville in 2011. At No. 99, the 22-year-old is also one of the biggest movers to the Top 100 this year, having opened his campaign at No. 303.

Jarry is joined by fellow Rio de Janeiro competitors Dutra Silva (No. 101), Roberto Carballes Baena (No. 107) and Gastao Elias (No. 114) as players in contention for year-end Top 100 berths. Elias opened the eight-week South American swing with a title in nearby Campinas, Brazil.

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Two events feature on Asian soil, with the inaugural Bengaluru Open in Bangalore set to cap a two-week Indian swing and the $150,000 EA Hua Hin Open Challenger, in Hua Hin, Thailand. In Bangalore, last week’s Pune champion Yuki Bhambri looks to go back-to-back on home soil as he continues to push towards a Top 100 return. 

The third seed is up 352 spots since the start of the year to No. 122, in his comeback from an elbow injury. He is joined by top seed and World No. 102 Blaz Kavcic as players vying to secure their Top 100 standings. #NextGenATP Swede Elias Ymer is also in the field, on the heels of his first hard-court title in Mouilleron-le-Captif, France.

In Hua Hin, top seed Matthew Ebden is up to No. 80 after clinching the title in Toyota, Japan. The Aussie is guaranteed to finish in the year-end Top 100, completing a stunning 615-spot climb after concluding 2016 at No. 695 following knee surgery. Countrymen Akira Santillan and John Millman are other contenders in Hua Hin.

Andria, Italy, maintains its traditional season-ending tournament on the indoor hard courts of the ASD Pro Tennis Andria. The event has been a staple of the final week of the season since its debut in 2013. Home hope Stefano Travaglia is the top seed, with 2014 champion Ricardas Berankis seeded second.

ATP Challenger Tour 

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