ATP Challenger Tour: History made for Felipe Meligeni Alves

Felipe Meligeni Alves has continued his impressive run of form! The 27-year-old Brazilian lifted the trophy at the prestigious Mexico City Open ATP Challenger 125 on Sunday, securing his second title in just four weeks. His victory at the historic Estadio Rafael ‘Pelón’ Osuna marked the culmination of a successful Mexican swing and sees him climb to a new career-high ranking of World No.119.

In the final, Meligeni Alves delivered a commanding performance, defeating France’s Luka Pavlovic 6-3, 6-3 and writing a new chapter in the tournament’s history books. He became the first Brazilian to ever win the singles title in Mexico City.

“I’m extremely happy. Two titles in four weeks - that’s never happened to me before,” said Meligeni Alves after his win. “I’m so thankful to everyone who came out to support me. The atmosphere was beautiful. To leave with the title from such a big and special tournament means so much to me.”

Read more: ATP Challenger Tour reveals global broadcast expansion with Tennis Channel partnership

Meligeni Alves’ path to the title was marked by consistent and focused performances. He began with a win over Kazakhstan’s Beibit Zhukayev, followed by a straight-sets victory against US-American Darwin Blanc. In the quarterfinals, he overcame Alfredo Pérez before eliminating Swiss left-hander Marc-Andrea Huesler in the semis. In the final against Pavlovic, he left no room for doubt.

“Luka is a big server, a very strong player, but I took advantage of the chances I had,” Meligeni Alves explained. “I stayed mentally strong the entire time. I knew my opportunities would come, and I was ready to take them.”

Meligeni Alves doesn’t have much time to celebrate. Just two days after his title win, he will be back on court at the San Luis Potosí Challenger, the final stop of his Mexican tour before heading to Europe for the clay-court season.

This shows that all the work we’re doing is paying off. I’m full of confidence. There are still many things I want to achieve, and I know good things are on the way. Now it’s about keeping up the fight.

With his current form and fighting spirit, Felipe Meligeni Alves is definitely a name to watch on the road to Roland Garros.

Mexico City Open voted Best Challenger Tournament of 2024

During the week, the Mexico City Open was officially named the Best ATP Challenger Tournament of the 2024 season. The highly coveted award is based on player feedback, with participants from over 200 Challenger events in 48 countries casting their votes.

“We couldn’t be happier or more thankful,” said Jorge Nicolín, Director of the Centro Deportivo Chapultepec, the tournament’s host venue. “This recognition highlights the growth and dedication behind this event. In 2025, we’ve now hosted this tournament for the fourth time.”

A very special thank you goes to the ATP and the Challenger Tour team for valuing the work being done here in Mexico - with passion, commitment, and a whole lot of heart.

Triple crown for Nava in Sarasota

Across the border in the United States, Emilio Nava extended his hot streak with a third Challenger title in as many tournaments. After lifting trophies in Asuncion, Paraguay and Concepción, Chile, the 23-year-old US-American claimed his third straight title at the Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open in Florida.

In the final, Nava defeated Canada’s Liam Draxl 6-2, 7-6(2), securing his fifth ATP Challenger title overall, all of them on clay. His run further solidifies his status as one of the breakout players of the 2024 clay swing.

Collignon dominates debut edition in Monza

In Europe, it was Belgium’s Raphael Collignon who made headlines. The top seed at the Atkinsons Monza Open delivered a near-flawless week to clinch the title at the inaugural edition of the tournament held at the Villa Reale Tennis Club.

After several days of rain delays and tightly contested matches, Collignon proved too strong for Ukrainian Vitaliy Sachko in Sunday’s final, winning 6-3, 7-5. Sachko, who had spent nearly nine hours on court in earlier rounds, visibly struggled with a hip injury and required a medical timeout during the match.

“Coming in as the No. 1 seed, there were a lot of expectations,” said Collignon. “But it was a tough week with many strong opponents. I was able to play my best tennis consistently and stay mentally composed. That made the difference.”

Ich bin glücklich über diesen Sieg, der mir einen Platz im Hauptfeld von Roland Garros und Wimbledon sichert. Wenn ich die Möglichkeit bekomme, würde ich sehr gerne nach Monza zurückkehren – es ist selten, ein so gut organisiertes Turnier zu finden, besonders in seiner Erstauflage.

Majchrzak outlasts rain and Cilic in marathon Madrid final

At the Comunidad de Madrid Challenger, Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak battled through long delays and a formidable opponent in Marin Cilic to capture his first title of the season.

The final, which began at 12:30 p.m. and ended nearly six hours later due to persistent rain interruptions, saw Majchrzak defeat the Croatian veteran 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

“I feel incredibly tired - physically and mentally,” Majchrzak said. “I had a really late match on Thursday, and since then I’ve barely left the club. But I kept pushing myself. That was the key.”

To share the court with Marin, a tennis legend, and to beat him in a final that meant so much to both of us. It feels amazing.

The win marks Majchrzak’s eighth Challenger title and makes him the first Polish champion in Madrid’s Challenger history. He also earned 100 ATP ranking points and €20,630 in prize money.

Cilic, meanwhile, continues his comeback with another strong run, having hit 50 aces in the tournament and now reaching two Challenger finals in Spain within three weeks.

Read more: Marin Cilic is embracing the challenge

Next up on the ATP Challenger Tour: Oeiras, San Luis Potosí, Tallahassee, Busan, and Abidjan

In the coming week, the Challenger Tour continues its global circuit by returning to Oeiras, Portugal for the fourth time this season. This time, the Oeiras Open, however, is held as an outdoor clay event. Defending champion Francisco Comesana from Argentina leads the draw, joined by Russian Roman Safiullin, Raphael Collignon of Belgium, and Thiago Monteiro from Brazil.

The legendary Banorte Tennis Open San Luis Potosí Challenger in Mexico - second only to Tampere in age - welcomes players for the 2025 edition. Australian James Duckworth, French veteran Adrian Mannarino, in-form Brazilian Felipe Meligeni Alves, and Juan Pablo Ficovich of Argentina are among the title contenders.

The Tallahassee Challenger in Florida will be dominated by home players, including Eliot Spizzirri and Jenson Brooksby, the latter receiving a wild card after celebrating his maiden ATP Tour title at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston.

In Asia, the Busan Open makes its return, led by Adam Walton of Australia, US-American Christopher Eubanks, and former champ Yasutaka Uchiyama of Japan. Wild cards were granted to locals Hyeon Chung and Gerard Campana Lee, while Soonwoo Kwon makes a rare appearance during military service thanks to a special exemption.

In Africa, the brand-new Côte d’Ivoire Open in Abidjan joins the calendar. Following successful events in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo and the Rwanda Challenger swing in Kigali this $60,000 hard-court tournament is also organized by the French team behind the Quimper Challenger. Aziz Dougaz of Tunisia, Michael Geerts from Belgium, and Frenchman Robin Bertrand headline the field.