ATP Challenger Tour Pau promises to be as open as it is exciting

With a field mixing established stars, former champions and fast-rising young talents, the eighth edition of the Teréga Open Pau-Pyrénées promises to be as open as it is exciting. Two former winners of the ATP Challenger Tour 125 indoor hard-court tournament will return to Béarn, one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France.

Defending champion Raphaël Collignon comes back to Pau on the back of an outstanding 2025 season. The powerful 24-year-old Belgian claimed two Challenger titles, reached the semifinals of the ATP 250 event in Brussels and, above all, made a strong impression on the big stage. The world No. 69 reached the third round of the US Open with a landmark win over Casper Ruud, helped Belgium qualify for the Davis Cup Finals with an epic victory against Alex de Minaur, and then overturned Corentin Moutet in the quarterfinals to give his country a historic win over France—its first in 28 years.

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Seeded No. 1 this year, Collignon has already beaten two Top 50 players at the start of 2026, with wins over Denis Shapovalov and Grigor Dimitrov in Brisbane. Collignon will open his title defense against a qualifier.

Van Assche faces tough first-round match

Another familiar face for the Pau crowd, Luca Van Assche, champion here in 2023 after the longest final in Challenger history—which lasted three hours and 56 minutes against Ugo Humbert—will also be back. The former world No. 63 arrives in Pau full of confidence, having claimed his fifth Challenger Tour title just two weeks ago in Quimper. In one of the standout first-round matches, the sixth seed will take on Russian Pavel Kotov, another in-form player, who was crowned champion of the Koblenz Tennis Open on Sunday.

Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko leads the bottom half of the draw. The 25-year-old former world No. 45 will be making his first appearance at the Teréga Open Pau-Pyrénées. A recent quarterfinalist at the ATP 250 in Adelaide, he will be looking to regain momentum after a more uneven 2025 season. Shevchenko will play Frenchman Clement Chidekh in the opening round.

Blockx, Nardi round out top four seeds

Among the other seeded players, Alexander Blockx embodies the new Belgian wave. Just 20 years old and standing 1.93 m (6 feet 4 inches) tall, he has won three Challenger titles in the past 12 months, including Canberra, Australia in early January, and reached the final of the ATP Next Gen Finals last December. The No. 3 seed will open his campaign against a qualifier and could face his compatriot Collignon in a potential semifinal showdown.

Italy’s Luca Nardi, who made history by becoming the lowest-ranked player to defeat Novak Djokovic, then world No. 1, at the 2024 Indian Wells Masters 1000, will be seeded fourth. The 22-year-old world No. 106 will take on Jerome Kym of Switzerland in the first round.

Veteran Goffin awarded wild card

Former Top 10 player David Goffin has been awarded a wild card into the main draw of the ATP Challenger Tour 125 event. The fifth-seeded Belgian will make his second appearance on the center court of the Palais des Sports after 2024, taking on Italian Giuliu Zeppieri. A professional since 2009, Goffin has established himself over the years as one of the most consistent and respected players on the ATP Tour. He is known for his all-around game, outstanding movement, tactical intelligence and his ability to compete with the very best on all surfaces. The 35-year-old Belgian has captures six titles on the ATP Tour and recorded more than 350 main-tour victories, including several notable wins over Top 10 players. Goffin reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam on four occasions: at Roland Garros in 2016, the Australian Open in 2017, and Wimbledon in 2019 and 2022.

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Benjamin Bonzi of France and Moez Echargui from Tunisia complete the top eight seeds. Bonzi, doubles champion in Pau in 2020 and champion of the ATP 250 in Metz in 2024, will oppose a qualifier in the first round. Echargui will play Germany’s promising youngster Justin Engel in his opening match.

We have brought this project to life with the ambition of giving something back to my region and my city for all that they have given me over the years. Tournament director Jeremy Chardy

Famous tournament director

“This tournament is the result of a collective effort, driven with passion and dedication by a committed team. Together, we have brought this project to life with the ambition of giving something back to my region and my city for all that they have given me over the years,” says tournament director Jeremy Chardy. The former world No. 25 was born in Pau and launched the ATP Challenger Tour event in 20219 with the idea to give something back to the people of his hometown and bring more tennis to his region.

“For this eighth edition, we will once again have the pleasure of welcoming top-level players, in an environment designed to offer them optimal playing conditions,” Chardy added.