Student Tien, Jacob Fearnley continues hot form with Challenger titles | ATP Tour

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Tien, Fearnley continue hot form with Challenger titles

Kopriva saves 5 MPs in Szczecin semi-final en route to title

September 17, 2024

American teenager Tien and Briton Jacob Fearnley are two of the dominant players on the ATP Challenger Tour right now.

#NextGenATP Tien added his name to the elite club in American tennis history on Sunday when he won his second Challenger title at the Las Vegas Tennis Open. Fearnley, 23, lifted his third trophy in his fourth appearance at that level this year.

Tien, seeded third, defeated Tristan Boyer 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 in the final of the Las Vegas Challenger, where Tien won 65 percent of his second return points, compared to 37 percent Boyer’s.

“I place a lot of importance on the return points. “I know how much pressure winning a few points in service games can make him feel,” Tien told analyst Bryan Fenley.

With the victory on the hard courts of Las Vegas, Tien became the fifth youngest American to win multiple Challenger titles, behind Taylor Fritz, Andy Roddick, Frances Tiafoe, and Sam Querrey.

Youngest Americans to Win Second Challenge Title

“I’m glad I was able to get through this week,” Tien said. “It’s tough conditions here because of the altitude and the wind. Sometimes I didn’t play as well as I wanted, but I’m happy that I was able to solve the problem and finish the week.”

In May, Tien was No. 432 in the PIF ATP Rankings, but the 18-year-old has moved up to No. 151 in his career. The youngster claimed his first Challenger title at Bloomfield Hills in June during his 28th appearance. consecutive wins – including four ITF World Tennis Tour titles – at all levels.

Tien is ranked seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. He is aiming for his first trip to the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, which runs from 18-22.

Briton Fearnley beat three of the top 4 seeds at the Open Blot Rennes, including fourth seed and home favorite Quentin Halys in the final, where Fearnley won 0-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 after saving -12 in the final. 15 break points faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Fearnley completed his five-year collegiate career at Texas Christian University this year and has risen rapidly on the ATP Challenger Tour, boasting an 18-1 season record at that level. As high as 129 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Fearnley won his first major tournament at Wimbledon, where he pushed Novak Djokovic to four sets in the second round.

Medal time in Rennes 🏆#ATPChallenger | @jakefearnley01 | @OpenBlotRennes pic.twitter.com/27GrrhAYL5

– ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) September 15, 2024

In another Challenger event, Vit Kopriva went a step further than last year by finishing second at the Invest In Szczecin Open to claim his fourth title. The Czech avenged last year’s final defeat to Federico Coria in dramatic fashion, earning five match points in the semi-finals to survive Argentina. Kopriva cruised past Andrea Pellegrino 7-5, 6-2 in the final.

“The whole week was very special. It’s very difficult for me to come back after last year’s final,” said Kopriva. “I’ve been really happy all week. Today’s final was up and down. It was windy. We both struggled a bit at the beginning, losing service games. The first set was decisive and luckily I won.”

Vit Kopriva wins the Szczecin Challenger.”>
^{Vit Kopriva wins the Challenger 125 event in Szczecin, Poland. Credit: Invest In Szczecin Open}

Guy Den Ouden didn’t drop a set all week at the IZIDA Cup in Dobrich, Bulgaria, where the 22-year-old beat Jelle Sels 6-2, 6-3 in the final. Following the Dutchman’s first Challenger title, Den Ouden rose to a career-high number 277 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Christopher O’Connell won his sixth Challenger title and first of the season at the Guangzhou Huangpu International Tennis Open. The 30-year-old Australian, who has won the trophy on Asian hard courts for the past three seasons, defeated Sho Shimabukuro 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5) in the championship match. O’Connell was competing in her first tournament since reaching the third round of the US Open and falling to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

Christopher O’Connell in action at the Guangzhou Challenger.”>
^{Christopher O’Connell playing in Guangzhou Challenger. Credit: Guangzhou Huangpu International Tennis Open}