Argentines Diaz Acosta, Navone Continue Hot Streaks With Challenger Titles

Argentines Facundo Diaz Acosta and Mariano Navone continued standout seasons on the ATP Challenger Tour this week. The lefty Diaz Acosta won his third Challenger trophy of the season by triumphing at the Aspria Tennis Cup in Italy while Navone extended his winning streak to 10 when he was crowned champion at the AAT Challenger Santa Fe on home soil.

Top seed Diaz Acosta defeated Italian Matteo Gigante 6-3, 6-3 after fending off all seven break points faced in the Challenger 75 final. The 22-year-old dictated with his serve and forehand to tally his 30th Challenger-match win this season. Following his triumph in Milan, Diaz Acosta is in position to crack the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time next Monday.

“Really important milestone. Anyone who starts playing tennis would like to reach this goal to make a living from this sport,” Diaz Acosta said. “Now my job will be to maintain this level and take care of the things to improve.

“I knew I was playing for Top 100, so I was very tense. I tried to focus on tactics, on how to play and not think about external factors.”

Challenger Match Wins Leaders (2023)

Navone won his second consecutive Challenger title by not dropping a set all week in Santa Fe, where he downed Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 6-2, 6-4 in the final. Navone is at a career-high No. 160 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

"I played great tennis all week, I am very happy,” Navone said in the trophy presentation. “Now I want to go back home, spend time with my family and friends, and then go back to training. The important thing is that I'm playing at a good level. This was a very, very special week." 

In 2022, players from Argentina combined for a single-season record 23 Challenger titles. Diaz Acosta and Navone have helped Argentina reach 12 Challenger crowns thus far in 2023.

Vallejo, 19, was the first Paraguayan Challenger finalist since 2010. He was competing in just his sixth Challenger event.

In other Challenger Tour action, American Steve Johnson claimed his first trophy at any level since 2020. The former World No. 21 defeated Kazakh Mikhail Kukushkin 6-4, 6-7(7), 7-6(4) after a thrilling three-hour, 13-minute battle at the Cranbrook Tennis Classic. Johnson, 33, rallied from 2-4 in the decider to earn his eighth Challenger Tour title.

^{Steve Johnson wins the ATP Challenger Tour event in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Credit: Cranbrook Tennis Classic}

Kei Nishikori was also competing in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, but the former World No. 4 fell to Denis Kudla in the second round in his second tournament in 20 months. Nishikori, who underwent arthroscopic left hip surgery last year, returned to the Challenger Tour last month and straightaway claimed the Caribbean Open title in Puerto Rico. The Japanese star will again be in action at this week’s Chicago Men’s Challenger.

At the Internationaux de Tennis de Troyes in France, Manuel Guinard ousted Calvin Hemery 6-4, 6-3 in the final to claim his second Challenger title. Guinard, 27, earned his maiden Challenger title a year ago in Roseto Degli Abruzzi, Italy.

Guinard is the 11th different Frenchman to win a Challenger title this season. Players from France have combined for a season-leading 13 Challenger titles.

Alejandro Tabilo won his second Challenger title of the season at the Tennis Open Karlsruhe in Germany. In the final, Italian Giulio Zeppieri led 6-2 before taking a hard tumble while running to a forehand in the opening point of the second set. Zeppieri received a medical timeout and tried to continue, but was forced to retire after the first game of the second set.

The Chilean Tabilo, who made a run to the fourth round at this year’s BNP Paribas Open, reached a career-high No. 64 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings last year. The lefty has competed in three Challenger finals this year, including his title run in Francavilla al Mare, Italy in May.

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