Borna Coric wins fourth ATP Challenger Tour title in fantastic fashion, over Stan Wawrinka

The ATP Challenger Tour delivered world-class tennis last week, highlighted by the Open Aix Provence Crédit Agricole. The tournament is one of just six prestigious Challenger 175 events held during the second week of the longer ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, such as Indian Wells, Madrid and Rome.

Despite early defeats for Top 50 players Alexei Popyrin from Australia and Italy’s Lucian Darderi, the clay-court action in southern France remained of the highest caliber. In the end, there were two big names who faced off in the final: Borna Coric and Stan Wawrinka.

After more than three hours of battle, Coric triumphed 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (4).

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“I’m happy to start to play better tennis in the past couple months,” said Coric, who has climbed to No. 84 in the ATP Rankings. “I’ve been working hard, that’s the most important thing for me—and to stay healthy.”

The 28-year-old Croatian now holds a 22-3 season record at Challenger level. Between February and March, Coric captured three consecutive ATP Challenger titles and compiled a 16-match winning streak—which was ended by Wawrinka in Naples, Italy. Five weeks later, Coric turned the tables with a hard-fought victory, for just his second win over the 40-year-old Swiss in six encounters across all levels. Wawrinka was aiming to become the oldest Challenger champion in history.

Read more: Borna Coric: Players on the ATP Challenger Tour are hungrier!

Michelsen claims biggest career title in Estoril

In Portugal, American Alex Michelsen secured the biggest title of his career, winning the 10th edition of the Millennium Estoril Open by defeating Italian qualifier Andrea Pellegrino 6-4, 6-4 in Sunday’s final. The match lasted 74 minutes.

It was the 20-year-old Californian’s third career title on the ATP Challenger Tour following victories in Chicago and Knoxville two years ago, and his first on clay. Impressively, he didn’t drop a set during the entire tournament. With this victory, Michelsen moves up to a career-high No. 32 in the ATP Rankings.

Michelsen prevailed in a strong field led by Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, who was upset by Pellegrino in the second round.

The final followed a similar pattern in both sets: Michelsen broke serve in the fifth game, was broken back, but regained the lead in the seventh game. The American showcased his aggressive style and powerful serve, getting broken just four times across the entire tournament.

With this win, Michelsen became the first player from the United States to lift the trophy at Clube de Ténis do Estoril. Frances Tiafoe had previously finished runner-up in 2018 and 2022. Michelsen also surpassed Stefanos Tsitsipas as the youngest champion in tournament history, winning the title 14 days younger than the Greek star did in 2019.

The Millennium Estoril Open was held this year as an ATP Challenger event, but will return to the ATP Tour calendar in 2026.

Garin returns to winners' circle in Mauthausen

In Austria, Cristian Garin made a resounding comeback. The 28-year-old Chilean won the Danube Upper Austria Open powered by SKE, defeating compatriot Tomas Barrios Vera in the final, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. The 2:31 victory at the ATP Challenger 100 event in Mauthausen marked Garin’s first title since March 2021.

With the victory, the former world No. 17 not only lifted the trophy, but also jumped from No. 214 to No. 153 in the ATP Rankings.

“I’m really exhausted, but this victory means so much to me,” Garin said after the match. “Last year was mentally very tough for me, I played very few tournaments. Over the winter I promised myself to work more professionally, to stay focused—and I’ve kept that up these past few months. Today I’m proud of myself.”

It was Garin’s fifth Challenger career title, adding to his five trophies on the ATP Tour

Piros victorious in Ostrava

Meanwhile, Zsombor Piros claimed the title at the Ostra Group Open by Purposia in Ostrava, Czech Republic. The 25-year-old Hungarian defeated eighth seed Hady Habib of Lebanon, 6-3, 6-2, in under an hour.

Rodríguez Taverna triumphs in Porto Alegre

In Brazil, Santiago Rodríguez Taverna lifted the Ano II—Brasil Tennis Open trophy in Porto Alegre. Under clear skies and in front of a full crowd, the 25-year-old Argentine overcame Spain’s Nikolas Sánchez Izquierdo in a dramatic ATP Challenger 50 final, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (6).

“I’m very happy to have won here in Porto Alegre—at this wonderful club, in front of these great fans,” Rodríguez Taverna said. “I’ve had a good start to the season with consistent results, and now a Challenger title as well. My goal is to keep improving my weaknesses, build my strengths, and climb higher in the rankings.”

Rodríguez Taverna earned 50 ATP Ranking points and $8,350 in prize money, returning to the Top 200 at No. 196.

Atmane claims another title in Guangzhou

Finally, in China, Terence Atmane captured the 2025 Guangzhou Nansha International Challenger title. The fourth-seeded Frenchman defeated defending champion and No. 3 seed Tristan Schoolkate, 6-3, 7-6 (4), in the final of the ATP Challenger Tour 75 hard-court event.

It was Atmane’s second triumph in Guangzhou, having previously won there two years ago. En route to the final, he defeated local wildcard Rigele Te, Russians Marat Sharipov and Ilia Simakin, as well as second seed Brandon Holt of the United States.

In the final, Atmane fired nine aces and won 82 percent of his first-service points to seal victory after one hour and 40 minutes. It was his fourth Challenger career title and his second of the season after winning in Busan last month.

“It’s a very good feeling. The hard work is paying off,” said Atmane. “I give my best every day and I will try to keep this mentality throughout my career and see how it goes. My secret here in Guangzhou is to go to UniPark every day, having a very nice ice tea. I like the conditions here. The balls and the courts are very fast. This is good for my tennis. I have now a 10-0 record here. It’s a very special place for me.”

Alongside 75 ATP Ranking points, Atmane earned $14,200 in prize money. He was also able to enrich his Pokémon collection in Guangzhou.

“I am a big fan. I have one of the biggest Pokémon cards collections in France. I have like an entire room full of Pokémon cards. I bought some stuff in Uni Park. My mum is here with me this week and luckily, she has some extra luggage to take it back home.”

Challenger Tour action continues across three continents

The ATP Challenger Tour continues this week with four tournaments across three continents:

• 🇨🇳 In China, the Wuxi Open will feature Australian Adam Walton as the top seed, with Tristan Schoolkate and Terence Atmane also competing.
• 🇧🇷 In Brazil, the Santos Brasil Tennis Cup extends the clay-court swing, headlined by top seed Alvaro Guillen Meza of Ecuador. Other title contenders include Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas and Gonzalo Bueno, as well as Chile’s Matias Soto.
• 🇪🇺 In Europe, players will battle for points at the Abruzzo Open Francavilla al Mare in Italy, where Frenchman Kyrian Jacquet is the No. 1 seed, and at the Advantage Cars Prague Open in the Czech Republic, led by Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki.