Basavareddy banks first Challenger title, Comesana triumphs on 24th birthday

Nishesh Basavareddy will not soon forget Sunday at the ATP Challenger Tour 75 event in Tiburon, California, where the 19-year-old claimed his maiden trophy at that level in his home state.

#NextGenATP Basavareddy is the second American teen to triumph on the ATP Challenger Tour this season, alongside fellow California native Learner Tien, who won in Bloomfield Hills and Las Vegas.

Basavareddy, who fell to Tien in the Bloomfield Hills final, lost in his three previous title match appearances on the Challenger Tour, but he had no trouble in Tiburon. He raced past Eliot Spizzirri 6-1, 6-1 in just 61 minutes. The World No. 193 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings was aggressive on return, dropping just four second-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

“I think that is definitely a big asset in my game and probably one of the biggest strengths in my game,” Basavareddy told commentator Mike Cation. “I think that can go a long way because a lot of these guys serve big and if you can neutralise the serves and almost get ahead in the point, I feel like I’m just as good as all these guys from the baseline.

“Especially second-serve points, my coach always says, ‘Second-serve return points and second-serve points won kind of decide who is winning matches all the time because everyone can defend their first serve really well and win points there’. If you can defend your second serve and attack other guys’ second serve, you can win a lot of matches. I think that’s been a big focus for me.”

This season marks the first time that multiple American teenagers have lifted a Challenger trophy in the same year since 2017, when Frances Tiafoe, Michael Mmoh and Stefan Kozlov achieved the feat. It is just the fifth time in the past 30 years.

Welcome to the club, Nishesh Basavareddy ✊

The 19-year-old cruises past Spizzirri 6-1, 6-1 in Tiburon to claim his first career Challenger title!#ATPChallenger | @usta pic.twitter.com/6VxzWGdXN6

Basavareddy, who finished No. 12 in the ITA singles rankings this past May competing for Stanford University, is the 20th different Challenger champion of 2024 with college tennis experience.

Up five places to tenth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, Basavareddy is aiming for maiden qualification to the 20-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals, which runs from 18-22 December. Basavareddy is the third American in the Top 10, alongside second-placed Alex Michelsen and seventh-placed Tien.

Buenos Aires
In other Challenger action, Francisco Comesana celebrated his 24th birthday in style, saving two championship points to triumph at the Challenger de Buenos Aires. An-all Argentine final featured the top two seeds, Federico Coria and Comesana, respectively. Comesana trailed 4/6 in the second-set tie-break before rallying to a 1-6, 7-6(7), 6-4 victory.

Birthday boy Francisco Comesana delights home fans in Sunday's all-Argentine final. Credit: Challenger de Buenos Aires

"Since I knew that the final was going to be on my birthday, I was looking forward to it, because I had never experienced anything like this before,” the six-time Challenger champion said in Spanish. “All the matches of the tournament were difficult and luckily, I was able to give myself this gift after a lot of suffering.”

Mouilleron le Captif
Frenchman Lucas Pouille continued his resurgent year by winning the Open de Vendee on home soil. The 30-year-old, who is No. 101 in the PIF ATP Rankings, is aiming to return to the Top 100 for the first time since June 2021. Pouille raced past top seed Quentin Halys 6-4, 6-4 in the final to lift his second Challenger title this season. The former World No. 10 has competed in four finals at that level in 2024.

Lucas Pouille celebrates winning his third Challenger title. Credit: Un Oeil Averty

Braga
Elmer Moller secured his first Challenger title at the Braga Open in Portugal, where he advanced through qualifying en route to his biggest career trophy. The 21-year-old Dane beat Daniel Elahi Galan 6-4, 7-6(4) in the final. Moller, No. 171 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, did not drop a set all week.

Elmer Moller in action at the Braga Open. Credit: Eduardo Oliveira/movesoundclick

“I didn’t come with high expectations, but to give my best and it turned out to be an incredible week,” Moller said. “I’m very happy.”

Villena
Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak won his third trophy of the year and seventh overall at the Villena Open. The 28-year-old downed American Nicolas Moreno De Alboran 6-4, 6-2 in the title match. Majchrzak also won Kigali-1 and Bratislava-1 this year. Following his Villena title run, Majchrzak is up 33 places to No. 113 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

Kamil Majchrzak triumphs at the Villena Challenger. Credit: Villena Open