ATP Challenger Tour: Jay Clarke wins first title in three years

While French Open qualifying was in full swing at Roland-Garros in Paris, other top-tier players were competing on the ATP Challenger Tour, with two tournaments taking place last week.

Britain’s Jay Clarke was crowned champion of the 2025 Macedonian Open on Saturday, capping off a strong week with a commanding 6-2, 6-3 victory over Bosnian qualifier NermanFatić in the final. The ATP Challenger 75 clay-court showdown in Skopje lasted just 84 minutes, marking Clarke’s shortest match of the week. With the win, he secured 75 ATP Ranking points and €1,920 in prize money, while Fatić earned 44 points and €7,620 as runner-up.

Clarke, 26, came out strong, breaking Fatić in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead. Although Fatić responded with a break of his own, Clarke immediately regained control and broke again for 4-2. He wrapped up the first set with a third break to take it 6-2. In the second set, Clarke broke early once more, racing to a 3-0 advantage. He held firm on serve throughout the set, though it took him five match points to finally close it out.

Following the win, Clarke reflected on a fulfilling week in the North Macedonian capital.

“This is my second time playing in Skopje at the Macedonian Open. Last year, I lost in the first round, so I’m very pleased with my performance this time,” he said.

It was a tough week, especially the final, which was delayed due to rain. But I managed to come through strong matches against Hugo Dellien (top seed), Joel Schwaerzler (defending champion), Pedro Cachin, and of course Nerman Fatić, who played an excellent tournament.

Clarke credited his success to solid preparation and mental focus throughout the event. The title is his fourth career ATP Challenger Tour title and his first since Morelos, Mexico, in May 2022. Notably, he won all his matches in straight sets over the course of the week.

Purtseladze claims maiden Challenger title on home soil in Tbilisi

Saba Purtseladze of Georgia clinched his maiden title on the ATP Challenger Tour, celebrating the triumph on home soil by winning the Mziuri Cup in Tbilisi. The No. 4 seed of the $60,000 hard-court event defeated eighth-seeded Italian teenager Federico Cina 7-6(5), 6-4 in Saturday’s singles final.

Purtseladze reached the title match with wins over British qualifier Giles Hussey, Uzbek qualifier Sergey Fomin, Danil Glinka of Estonia, and U.S. qualifier Martin Damm. The 23-year-old Tbilisi native saved all three break points he faced in the final and capitalized on one of his four break-point chances to secure victory in one hour and 33 minutes.

Following 10 title wins on the ITF World Tennis Tour, five of them in 2025, Purtseladze lifted his first trophy on the Challenger circuit. The World No. 286 earned $7,530 in prize money and 50 ATP Ranking points, reaching a new career-high on Monday.

The second edition of the Mziuri Cup was held at the Alex Metreveli Tennis Complex, one of Georgia’s premier tennis venues. Named after the country’s most renowned tennis legend - Wimbledon finalist and Soviet-era star Alex Metreveli - the complex is located in the heart of Tbilisi and serves as a hub for professional tournaments, youth development, and recreational tennis. With several outdoor and indoor clay and hard courts, the venue meets international standards and regularly hosts ATP Challenger events, national championships, and junior competitions.

Challenger Tour continues with three events

While the spotlight is firmly on the second Grand Slam of the year at Roland Garros, ATP Challenger Tour action continues across three tournaments this week.

🇲🇩 Chisinau hosts Moldova’s first-ever ATP Challenger Tour event. The inaugural Moldova Open is being held on hard court at the Arena Chisinau Tennis Club and offers a total prize purse of €54,000. Last week’s champions, Jay Clarke and Saba Purtseladze, are both in the field. World No. 247 Ilia Simakin of Russia leads the draw.

🇮🇹 Meanwhile, clay-court specialists have gathered in the Veneto region of Italy for the 10th edition of the Internazionali di Tennis Città di Vicenza. Chun-Hsin Tseng of Chinese Taipei is the top seed at the ATP Challenger 75 tournament. Switzerland’s Jérôme Kym, Chris Rodesch of Luxembourg, and young Peruvian Ignacio Buse round out the top four contenders for the title.

🇺🇲 In the United States, the UAMS Health Little Rock Open is underway in Arkansas’ capital. The ATP Challenger 75 hard-court event is the region’s only professional tournament. Defending champion and top seed Mitchell Krueger leads the field, with stiff competition expected from Canadians Liam Draxl and Alexis Galarneau, as well as Japan’s Yuta Shimizu.