Eliakim Coulibaly makes ATP Challenger Tour history as first champion from Ivory Coast

Eliakim Coulibaly, a 22-year-old left-hander, has become the first player from Ivory Coast to win an ATP Challenger Tour tournament—and he did it at the inaugural edition of his home tournament in Abidjan.

In an all-African final at the Côte d'Ivoire Open, which was temporarily interrupted by rain, Coulibaly overcame top-seeded Tunisian Aziz Dougaz, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4. Despite Dougaz firing 12 aces, the home favorite kept his composure, broke his opponent’s serve three times—and collapsed joyfully on the fully packed Court Central Kaydan after two hours and 43 minutes of play, amid deafening cheers.

“For moments like this, I work so hard. It’s just a reward, so I’m very happy," said Coulibaly, currently ranked No. 324.

Tournament Director Arzel Mevellec also expressed enthusiasm about the success of the event: “The spectators are very excited about the competition—it’s fantastic. People have embraced the new event very well, and that's good. We are at the beginning of something special.”

After Brazzaville and Kigali, Abidjan marked the grand finale of this year's Challenger series in Central Africa, a finale that leaves everyone wanting more.

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Home Victory for Gigante

Matteo Gigante claimed the title at the Roma Garden Open. The seventh seed from Italy defeated top-seeded Lithuanian Vilius Gaubas 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in a rain-interrupted final at the ATP Challenger Tour 50 event on Sunday.

Gigante had gone the distance in all his previous matches before advancing to the final after Austria’s Sandro Kopp withdrew from their semifinal. In front of a packed crowd at Tennis Club Garden, the 23-year-old Roman won 71 percent of his first service points and broke Gaubas five times to secure the win after two hours and 13 minutes.

With his fifth career title on the ATP Challenger Tour, his first in his hometown, Gigante earned €7,530 in prize money and 50 ATP Ranking points.

Gaubas, who also finished as the runner-up last year, collected €4,420 in prize money and 30 ATP points.

“Last year, I came through qualifying and made the final. I think people like the way I play, and I really enjoyed the atmosphere,” the Lithuanian said.

Barrena Celebrates Breakthrough Win

In South America, Argentina’s Alex Barrena was crowned champion at the AAT Challenger Santander Tucumán. In the final, Barrena defeated his compatriot Santiago Rodríguez Taverna, 7-5, 6-2, after an hour and 43 minutes.

The 22-year-old from Buenos Aires enjoyed the best week of his professional career, claiming his first ATP Challenger title in his home country. In the final, he showcased great composure and confidence in his shots, overcoming Rodríguez Taverna, who had recently won an ITF World Tennis Tour M25 event in Chacabuco.

Holding the trophy, Barrena was emotional: “It was a dream week. I have been through tough times, but I managed to show my best tennis, and that makes me incredibly happy.”

Impressively, Barrena closed out each of his quarterfinal, semifinal and championship wins with aces.

“The serve is extremely important—especially the footwork and looseness in the upper body. In key moments, I trust my serve, and that gives me a huge boost,” he said.

On his way to the title, Barrena defeated Nicolás Kicker in the first round, Franco Roncadelliin the round of 16, Mariano Kestelboim in the quarterfinals and Murkel Dellien in the semis.

Kubler Fights to Title in Gwangju

Jason Kubler has captured his first title since 2023 at the Gwangju Open. The 31-year-old Australian prevailed in a grueling final over Alibek Kachmazov at the hard-court event in South Korea, winning 7-5, 6-7 (7), 6-3.

After battling multiple injuries over the past few years, Kubler earned his seventh career ATP Challenger Tour title and is now set to re-enter the Top 250 in the world rankings.

Read more: Borna Coric: Players on the ATP Challenger Tour are hungrier!

Mejía Triumphs in Savannah

Colombia’s Nicolás Mejía crowned a perfect week by winning the Savannah Challenger, the final event of the U.S.-American clay-court swing. The 25-year-old came back from a set down to defeat Canadian Liam Draxl, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (3), for his second ATP Challenger Tour title.

After three hours and 36 minutes, Mejía converted his first match point, celebrating his first title since winning in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, last year.

Challenger Festivities in Europe: Stars Ensemble in Estoril

🇵🇹 The Millennium Estoril Open is taking a one-year break as an ATP Challenger 175 event before returning to the ATP Tour in 2026. But given the field, you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise.

Leading the event on the clay in Portugal is Felix Auger-Aliassime, who received a wild card into the main draw. The 24-year-old Canadian, who reached the quarterfinals in Estoril in 2022 (the year he achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 6 and helped Canada win the Davis Cup), is competing in his first ATP Challenger event since January 2019 in Rennes, France.

Auger-Aliassime, currently ranked No. 19, faces stiff competition from American Alex Michelsen, home favorite Nuno Borges, and Marcos Giron from the United States. Rising Brazilian star Joao Fonseca is also among the title contenders.

Challenger Elite Meets in Aix-en-Provence

🇫🇷 The Open Aix Provence Crédit Agricole promises to be a tennis showcase, featuring an impressive field with 22 players from the Top 100.

Among the top seeds are Alexei Popyrin from Australia, Luciano Darderi of Italy, Frenchman Quentin Halys and Jaume Munar of Spain. Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka has been granted a wild card.

French players like Corentin Moutet, Arthur Rinderknech and Hugo Gaston aim to make a strong showing in front of their home crowd.

Tournament director and former pro Arnaud Clément highlighted the strategic importance of the event ahead of Roland Garros: “The Open Aix Provence has become a key date for players preparing in top conditions for major tournaments."

The event's promotion to ATP Challenger 175 tournament underlines its prestige, allowing it to attract players ranked within the world’s Top 50.

Read more: Stan Wawrinka turns 40 and ends Coric’s ATP Challenger streak

Challenger Tour Comes to Upper Austria

🇦🇹 The ATP Challenger Tour makes its first stop of the season in Austria with the Danube Upper Austria Open powered by SKE. Belgian Raphael Collignon, ranked No. 81, leads the line-up in Mauthausen.

Veterans Thiago Monteiro from Brazil, Marin Cilic of Croatia and Italy’s Fabio Fognini are also among the Top four seeds. Austria’s top player, Sebastian Ofner, will also participate after a long injury layoff and is steadily regaining form at the Challenger level.

“We're very happy,” said tournament director Florian Leitgeb. “We’ve always wanted to feature a strong international field alongside the best Austrians. With ‘Ofi’ and Marin Cilic, we have two great crowd-pullers."

Read more: Marin Cilic is embracing the challenge

Kopriva Favorite in Ostrava

🇨🇿 In the Czech Republic, the Challenger Tour continues with the Ostra Group Open by Purposiain Ostrava, where local star Vit Kopriva headlines the draw. He will face competition from Denmark’s Elmer Moller, France’s Adrian Mannarino and fellow Czech Dalibor Svrcina.

Spotlight on Porto Alegre in South America

🇧🇷 For the second consecutive year, Porto Alegre hosts the Brasil Tennis Open – Ano II. The ATP Challenger 50 event is played on clay courts at Associação Leopoldina Juvenil, offering a total prize pool of $60,000.

Players from 15 countries are expected to compete led by top seed Alvaro Guillen Meza of Ecuador.

"We’re thrilled to host the Brasil Tennis Open in Porto Alegre again. It’s important to give Brazilian players the chance to compete at home, especially in prestigious venues like Associação Leopoldina Juvenil," said Tournament Director Danilo Marcelino.

Challenger Tour in China

🇨🇳 The Asian swing continues in China with the Guangzhou Nansha International Challenger. Australia's Adam Walton is the top seed, with Brandon Holt from the United States, Tristan Schoolkate of Australia and Frenchman Terence Atmane also among the top contenders at the $100,000 hard-court tournament.