Young and the restless: Former junior champs Alexander Blockx and Rafael Jódar take ATP Challenger titles

Belgian Alexander Blockx captured the Slovak Open Challenger title, defeating France’s Titouan Droguet 6-4, 6-3 in Sunday’s final at the Peugeot Arena of the National Tennis Centre in Bratislava. The 20-year-old from Antwerp sealed victory in just 69 minutes, earning his second Challenger crown of the season following his triumph at the Oeiras Open in Portugal, and the third of his career.

The former junior world No. 1 also secured 125 ATP ranking points, which will lift him to a new career-high ranking just outside the Top 100—surpassing his previous best of No. 116. Blockx becomes the first Belgian player ever to win the Slovak Open in the tournament’s 26-year history.

The opening set featured high-quality tennis from both unseeded finalists, with each holding serve comfortably until the eighth game. Blockx capitalized on his first real opportunity, breaking Droguet in the ninth game before serving out the set 6–4. The Belgian continued his strong form in the second set, breaking early and maintaining control with solid serving and superior consistency. He converted his second match point in the ninth game to clinch the title.

“I think I played a good match,” Blockx said after the win. “It wasn’t my best tennis, but I was efficient. I served well, and with just two breaks in the match, it was pretty tight. I managed to take advantage of a few of his errors. Physically, I didn’t have as much energy as in the previous days, which is normal after four tough matches. My semifinal [against top seed Raphael Collignon] was one of the best matches I’ve ever played, so it’s not easy to keep that level. I’m happy I managed to finish strong.”

The young Belgian faced a major challenge as early as the first round, where he was just two points away from defeat against Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff.

“Honestly, I was just happy to get through that first round,” Blockx admitted. “That gave me confidence, and I played better with every match. The field was very strong. This was one of the toughest and best Challengers I’ve played. Everything here in Bratislava was great—from the organization to the ball kids. I play my best tennis where I feel good, and here in Bratislava, it felt like home.”

Giustino is back in the winners’ circle

Meanwhile in Northern Africa, Italian veteran Lorenzo Giustino has captured his second ATP Challenger Tour career title by winning the inaugural Monastir Open in Tunisia. The 34-year-old defeated Czech teenager Petr Brunclik 7-5, 6-0 in Sunday’s singles final, played under clear blue skies and temperatures exceeding 25 degrees Celsius at the Skanes Family Resort.

Giustino capitalized on five of his 14 break point chances and won 58% of the total points played to prevail after one hour and 52 minutes.

“I played very well. I was very nervous at the beginning, as I was also playing for a ticket to the Australian Open. I was good at the important points and improved throughout the match,” Giustino said.

For Giustino, born in Naples and now based in Barcelona with his Spanish wife and baby daughter, the victory marks another highlight in a long and dedicated professional journey that began in 2007. The win comes six years after his first Challenger triumph in Almaty, Kazakhstan, when he defeated Federico Coria to lift the title during the best season of his career.

Despite past injury setbacks, including an elbow problem that halted his rise toward the Top 100, Giustino remains motivated and passionate about competing.

“I played eight finals this year, but this triumph means a lot to me. I never stopped believing and tried different things. So, it’s great to be here and still running,” the world No. 269 stated with a smile.

“I want to play the Grand Slam tournaments again. But it’s not all about tennis anymore. Traveling for more than 10 years is not easy. Having my family with me on tour recently has been very motivating.”

Giustino earned $8,350 in prize money as well as 50 ATP ranking points.

I want to play the Grand Slam tournaments again. But it’s not all about tennis anymore. ... Having my family with me on tour recently has been very motivating. Lorenzo Giustino

Shimabukuro shines in Seoul

On the hard courts in Asia, Sho Shimabukuro emerged victorious as the champion of the ninth edition of the EUGENE Seoul Open. The 28-year-old Japanese player defeated No. 5 seed Coleman Wong from Hong Kong 6-4, 6-3 in the final. Shimabukuro won 54% of the total points played to succeed in one hour and 11 minutes.

Shimbukuro clinched his fifth ATP Challenger career title, his second of the season after Zhangjiagang in China in late August. He pocketed $22 730 in prize money as well as 100 ATP ranking points.

Jódar triumphs in Virginia

Spaniard Rafael Jódar was crowned champion in Charlottesville by lifting the trophy of the Jonathan Fried Men's Pro Challenger. The 19-year-old beat sixth-seeded American Martin Damm 6-3, 7-6(2) in the title match, which lasted 77 minutes.

“It was the best week possible. I felt at home, not just for the final but for the whole week,” Jodár said afterwards.

The 2024 US Open junor champion captured his third Challenger title of the season following his triumphs in Lincoln and Hersonissos and has now reached a new career-high ranking of world No. 166.

Navone celebrates another title on clay

On the clay in South American, top seed Mariano Navone took the title of the Los Inkas Open in Lima. Due to concerns regarding player safety and tournament operation, the event was moved from Guayaquil, Ecuador to the capital city of Peru.

The 24-year-old from Argentina fought past Italian Marco Cecchinato 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in a hard-fought championship match. After more than two hours and forty minutes of play, Navone hoisted his eighth ATP Challenger career trophy, his second of the season after Braunschweig, Germany. He took away $14,200 in prize money as well as 75 ATP Ranking points.

Global Challenger action this week

The indoor swing in Europe continues this week with the sixth edition of the HPP Open in Helsinki, Finland. The top four seeds in the singles draw of the ATP Challenger Tour 125 event are Croatia’s Grand Slam champion Marin Čilić, Italy’s Luca Nardi, Brandon Holt from the United States, and Serbia’s Dušan Lajović.

2019 champion Emil Ruusuvuori will begin his home campaign against Austrian Lukas Neumayer, while his compatriot Otto Virtanen meets Belgian Gauthier Onclin in the first round. Should both Finns win their opening matches, they would face each other in the second round.

In Asia, the Taiwan Santaizi Challenger in Taipei is fast becoming a signature event on the circuit. Founded in 2014, it has previously crowned champions such as Gilles Müller, Sam Groth, Yuki Bhambri, and home favourite Yen-Hsun Lu. This year’s edition is led by Australian James Duckworth, with Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka as the second seed at the ATP Challenger 100 tournament.

Meanwhile in Japan, the fourth edition of the Unicharm Trophy Ehime International Open Tennis is being held in Matsuyama. Portuguese youngster Henrique Rocha is the top seed, while Hugo Grenier of France leads the bottom half of the draw.

In South America, the ATP Challenger Tour stays for another week of clay-court action in Lima, Peru. Argentine Mariano Navone is the No. 1 seed at the IGMA Open, with Carlos Taberner of Spain, Cristian Garín from Chile, and his compatriot Román Andrés Burruchaga among the other top contenders for the title.

Finally, in North America, the penultimate week of hard-court action takes place at the Goodfriend Indoor Tennis Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. Players gather for the prestigious Knoxville Challenger, where Japan’s James Trotter is the top seed. He will face strong competition from Britain’s James Clarke, Colombia’s Nicolás Mejía, and others.