Alexander Bublik and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard have both secured ATP Challenger Tour 175 titles, setting the stage for their upcoming match in the opening round of the Bitpanda Hamburg Open.
Bublik won his seventh Challenger title at the Piemonte Open Intesa Sanpaolo in Turin, defeating Buyunchaokete from China with a score of 6-3, 6-3. According to Infosys ATP Stats, Bublik dropped just three points behind his first serve in each set during his 73-minute victory. Following this win, he has moved up 25 places to No. 51 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “I wasn’t expecting anything but to win,” Bublik stated. “For me, it was just keeping my level to get back to where I belong where I stayed most of my career.”
Meanwhile, Mpetshi Perricard claimed victory on home soil at the BNP Paribas Primrose Bordeaux by overcoming former No. 16 Nikoloz Basilashvili with scores of 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-5. The Frenchman served 26 aces and saved 11 out of 12 break points during the final match. Despite entering the week on a six-match losing streak, Mpetshi Perricard relied on local support to secure his fifth Challenger title.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard wins the Bordeaux Challenger. Credit: Pierre Mercier
Mpetshi Perricard will face a challenge against Turin champion Bublik in their next match-up as they are tied at one win each in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
In other news from the Challenger circuit, Croatian Dino Prizmic emerged victorious at the Zagreb Open after Luca Van Assche retired due to injury when trailing by a set. Prizmic’s win marks his first Challenger trophy since August 2023.
Chilean Cristian Garin captured his second consecutive title by winning the Oeiras 5 Challenger following his previous success in Mauthausen.
Hungarian Zsombor Piros also achieved back-to-back titles by winning at the KIA Tunis Open without dropping a set throughout the tournament.
American Patrick Kypson secured victory at the KIA Open in Bogota for his fourth Challenger title this season.