Challenger 175s: Fils & Murray headline Bordeaux, Musetti leads Italians in Turin

Frenchman Arthur Fils is the top seed at this week’s ATP Challenger Tour 175 event in Bordeaux, France, where he will look to further distance himself from the 20-and-under players competing for a spot at the season-finale Next Gen Finals presented by PIF.

The 19-year-old, last year’s finalist in Saudi Arabia, holds the top spot in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah as he aims for a return trip to the King Abdullah Sports City. Fellow #NextGenATP teen Shang Juncheng also is competing at the BNP Paribas Primrose, where Andy Murray will return to action for the first time since suffering an ankle injury in Miami.

Shang, currently No. 95 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, looks to seal his Top 100 debut ahead of next Monday’s rankings.

Seventh seed Murray, who was given a wild card into the Bordeaux Challenger, will open against a qualifier. Other seeds in Bordeaux include Pedro Martinez, Alexander Shevchenko, Roberto Carballes Baena, Daniel Evans, Mackenzie McDonald and Rinky Hijikata.

Bordeaux projected quarterfinals by ranking ⬇️

🇫🇷 (1) Fils vs (8) Hijikata 🇦🇺
🇰🇿 (3) Shevchenko vs (7) Murray 🇬🇧
🇬🇧 (5) Evans vs (4) Carballes Baena 🇪🇸
🇺🇸 (6) McDonald vs (2) Martinez 🇪🇸#ATPChallenger | @BNPPprimrose pic.twitter.com/XY1tSk5Hfs

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) May 12, 2024

Turin Challenger
Three of the top four seeds at the Piemonte Open Intesa Sanpaolo in Turin are Italians, including World No. 29 Lorenzo Musetti. Matteo Arnaldi and Lorenzo Sonego are seeded third and fourth respectively while Argentine Mariano Navone is slotted second.

The 23-year-old Navone triumphed at this month’s ATP Challenger 175 event in Cagliari, Italy, where he downed Musetti in the final. A six-time ATP Challenger Tour champion, Navone has won 27 of his past 31 matches on the ATP Challenger Tour, dating back to September 2023.

Other Italians who will fill the stands in Turin are Fabio Fognini, Luciano Darderi, Luca Nardi, Flavio Cobolli and Francesco Passaro.

Fans can live stream both the Bordeaux and Turin Challengers for free on Challenger TV. Main-draw action kicks off Tuesday, 14 May.

^{Lorenzo Sonego practises at the Turin Challenger. Credit: Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour}