Challenger

Coric completes Challenger hat-trick with home triumph

Borna Coric has delivered plenty of thrilling moments for Croatian fans throughout his dozen years as a professional and on Sunday, the 28-year-old earned a special milestone in front of their eyes.

The former No. 12 in the PIF ATP Rankings captured his third consecutive ATP Challenger Tour title and first pro-level trophy on home soil at the Falkensteiner Punta Skala Zadar Open. The Croatian overcame windy conditions and the in-form Valentin Royer 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the final, extending his winning streak to 15 matches. The Frenchman Royer, like Coric, was seeking a third straight Challenger crown after winning two titles in Rwanda.

“It feels great. I’m very happy that I was playing very good tennis. It was not easy conditions today," said Coric, a six-time Challenger titlist. "I’m just happy to be through and to celebrate this title.”

Boasting a 16-4 season record across all levels, Coric is up to No. 98 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. Just a month ago, he was World No. 143. Coric is the only player with three Challenger titles this season. He won on the indoor hard courts of Lugano, Switzerland and Thionville, France earlier this month before transitioning to the Croatian clay.

Asuncion
In other Challenger action, American Emilio Nava won his third trophy at that level, all of which have come on clay. The 23-year-old triumphed at the Paraguay Open - Babolat in Asuncion, where he ousted top seed Thiago Monteiro 7-5, 6-3 in the final.

Since the Australian Open, Nava has competed solely on South American clay, tallying a 17-7 match record across all levels. Nava is No. 204 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

^{Emilio Nava during the Asuncion final. Credit: Paraguay Open - Babolat}

Murcia
Carlos Taberner needed a deciding set in four of his five matches at the Costa Calida Region de Murcia, where the Spaniard fought off second seed Jesper De Jong 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2 in the final.

An eight-time Challenger champion, the 27-year-old’s triumph in Murcia marks his first on Spanish soil. At No. 144 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, Taberner is aiming to return to the Top 150 for the first time since October 2022.

Merida
Brazil’s Felipe Meligeni Alves captured his fourth Challenger trophy and first since June 2023 by winning the Yucatan Open in Merida, Mexico. Seeded fourth, the 27-year-old Meligeni Alves defeated third seed Juan Pablo Ficovich 6-2, 1-6, 6-2 in the championship match.