From 0-6 to lifting the trophy, Chidekh wins first Challenger title

Clement Chidekh bounced back from a nervy start to enjoy an unforgettable triumph Sunday, when he captured his maiden ATP Challenger Tour crown in Glasgow, Scotland.

Competing in his first final at that level, the 22-year-old Frenchman dropped the opening set to Paul Jubb 0-6, having won just 13 of 41 total points. But Chidekh then found his best form to rally past the 2019 NCAA singles champion 0-6, 6-4, 6-1 to win the Lexus Glasgow Challenger.

“The result is over my expectation but I have been working hard recently. I started the year with not a lot of wins, but the work has paid off this week. I’m really happy,” said Chidekh, who played two years (2020-2022) at the University of Washington.

“It’s my first Challenger win so it’s great, a milestone I wanted to meet. My main goal has been to stay healthy and play as much as I can and keep improving, so it’s just great to win here.”

One of four Challenger champions this week, Chidekh is up to No. 375 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The Lyon native was competing in just his 10th event on the ATP Challenger Tour.

While that level may be fairly new to Chidekh, two tour-veterans faced off in the second oldest final in ATP Challenger Tour history. Mikhail Kukushkin ousted Richard Gasquet 7-6(5), 6-4 at Bahrain Ministry of Interior Tennis Challenger, where the Kazakh did not drop a set all week to lift the trophy.

“It’s a special feeling. It was a great week for me and a very difficult tournament, a lot of really good players,” Kukushkin said. “To win such a big event is always a special feeling. The way I was playing all week was fantastic.”

^{Mikhail Kukushkin celebrates winning the Manama Challenger. Credit: Bahrain Ministry of Interior Tennis Challenger}

In a rematch of the Moscow ATP 250 final from 2013, Kukushkin denied Gasquet’s quest to become the fifth oldest Challenger champion. The 36-year-old Kukushkin now holds 15 Challenger titles, second most among active players, only behind Facundo Bagnis, who won his 17th trophy last month. Kukushkin is also the oldest Kazakh to triumph on the ATP Challenger Tour.

Hungarian Zsombor Piros claimed his fifth Challenger title at the Challenger Cherbourg La Manche, where he marched past home hope Matteo Martineau 6-3, 6-4 in the final.

Piros, now No. 110 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, is one spot shy of tying his career high. Despite falling short in his first two Challenger finals, the 24-year-old has made a statement by winning each of his past five title matches.

^{Zsombor Piros is crowned champion at the ATP Challenger 75 in Cherbourg, France. Credit: Azelie Languille}

Italian Stefano Napolitano returned to the winners’ circle for the first time since 2016 at the Bengaluru Open. The 28-year-old survived South Korea’s Seongchan Hong 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 after two hours, 23 minutes to earn his second Challenger title, ending his four-match final skid. En route to the title, three of Napolitano’s five matches went to a decider.

“It feels amazing. I’m exhausted because the matches have been very tough. I had a Wednesday start for the tournament, so I had to play every day,” Napolitano said. “It took a lot mentally, but also for this reason I really enjoyed the win. It means a lot to get back to winning a tournament.”

^{Stefano Napolitano in action at the Bengaluru Open. Credit: Deepth Indukuri/KSLTA}

In the semi-finals, Napolitano downed second seed Sumit Nagal 7-6(2), 6-4. The home favourite Nagal was riding an eight-match winning streak and had just become India’s first Top 100 player since 2019.

Napolitano is up to World No. 160, eight spots of tying his career high, which he reached in June 2017.

Did You Know?
With Facundo Diaz Acosta's title in Buenos Aires, he became the third player who triumphed on the ATP Challenger Tour in the final month of 2023 to capture his first ATP Tour title in the first seven weeks of 2024. The Argentine joins Alejandro Tabilo (Brasilia Challenger & Auckland) and Luciano Darderi (Lima Challenger & Cordoba).

Local cuisine like no other 👨‍🍳🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Hamish Stewart and @charliertennis give us a taste of some Scottish delicacies#ATPChallenger | @tennisscotland | @the_LTA pic.twitter.com/Jp1YgVwB9o

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) February 18, 2024