Mitchell Krueger shines at home. Alexander Bublik and Corentin Moutet win
* Dallas, USA, $135,400+H (Indoor Hard) :
The 25-year-old Mitchell Krueger could not have wished for the better place to claim the first Challenger title, defeating the top seed Mackenzie McDonald 4-6, 7-6, 6-1 at home in Dallas for the most significant result in a career so far. Mitchell saved five out of eight break points and he won 42% of the return points to create 11 opportunities and grab five breaks that propelled him over the finish line. Facing defeat, Krueger gave his best in the second set tie break and he never looked back in the decider, winning the title and achieving a career-high ranking position.
Mackenzie saved both break points he faced in the opening set, stealing Krueger's serve at the start of the match to bring it home at 5-4 and they traded four breaks in five games in the second set before reaching the tie break. It was a must-win one for Mitchell and he made no errors, taking it 7-3 after a backhand error from McDonald to set the deciding set where he had the momentum now. Surviving a tough opening service game, Krueger grabbed three breaks and sealed the deal in game seven to start a massive celebration with his friends and family.
* Chennai, India, $54,160+H (Outdoor Hard) :
The 19-year-old Corentin Moutet secured the third Challenger trophy in Chennai, defeating Andrew Harris 6-3, 6-3 in 74 minutes after a rock-solid performance. Serving at only 49%, the French youngster drew the most from it and he faced just one break point in the entire match, taming his shots nicely and keeping the pressure on Harris all the time. Andrew struggled to make an impression on both the first and second serve, making too many errors and facing nine break points to give serve away four times.
Trailing 3-2 in the opener, Corentin grabbed the remaining games of the opening set for a 6-3, building the crucial momentum before the rest of the encounter and racing into a 4-0 lead in set number two to rattle off eight games in a row! Serving for the title at 5-3, Moutet blasted a service winner to seal the deal and clinch his third Challenger title from four finals.
* Budapest, Hungary, €46,600+H (Indoor Hard) :
Another young gun Alexander Bublik has won the fourth Challenger title from as many finals, dismantling Roberto Marcora 6-0, 6-3 in Budapest for the first serious result since the end of 2018 when he won Bratislava Challenger, also indoor. The match lasted only 55 minutes and Alexander had the upper hand all the time, losing 13 points in seven service games to keep the initial shot intact and stealing more than half of the return points for five breaks. Marcora managed to win just ten points in the opening set and Bublik broke him twice in set number two as well to cement the triumph and crack the top-150 for the first time since last July.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2USpNuG
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