ATP Tour

#NextGenATP Budkov Kjaer returns to Challenger winner's circle; Lajal saves 5 MPs to triumph

It was a dramatic weekend on the ATP Challenger Tour with all four finals going the distance.

#NextGenATP Nicolai Budkov Kjaer was among those to triumph, having won the Tampere Open, the longest-running tournament in Challenger history. Meanwhile, Mark Lajal miraculously saved championship points to survive a thrilling final at the Cranbrook Tennis Classic.

Budkov Kjaer, 18, became the youngest Norwegian to claim multiple Challenger titles, surpassing Christian Ruud. Current World No. 13 Casper Ruud captured one Challenger crown as a 17-year-old before rising to the ATP Tour. Budkov Kjaer, who won the Glasgow Challenger in February, ousted Frenchman Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg 7-6(5), 6-7(2), 6-2 in the Tampere final to add to his Challenger title haul.

“It was a good final, so I’m really happy to win,” Budkov Kjaer said. “The match was tough and nerve-racking. It’s always difficult to play tie-breaks when you think about the consequences and not the possibilities. Luckily I managed to win one of the first two tie-breaks. We played a good match, and it was great to play in front of the crowd and win it.”

At sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, Budkov Kjaer is in good position to qualify for the 20-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. Yet the teenager is not dwelling on early results, he is instead focussed on the road ahead.

“I'm still young, and I still have so much to improve on,” said the 2024 Wimbledon boys' singles champion. “The win was important and a step in the right direction.”

Lajal secured his second Challenger triumph with a thrilling 6-7(7), 7-5, 7-6(9) final victory against American Andres Martin in Bloomfield Hills. The Estonian dramatically saved five match points, four of which he fended off behind his serve. Lajal, 22, laid on his back in relief after he clinched his third match point and later dedicated the title to his late grandfather.

^{Mark Lajal celebrates winning the Bloomfield Hills Challenger. Credit: Cranbrook Tennis Classic}

“This week means a lot, let’s keep on working and climbing,” Lajal wrote on Instagram. “Huge thank you to everyone who supported me this week, to my team, to my family, and to my sponsors. Unfortunately my grandpa left us a week ago, so this one was for you Paps. The work doesn’t stop baby.”

In other Challenger action, Lukas Klein collected his second consecutive trophy with his triumph at the Dialectic Zug Open in Switzerland. The 27-year-old, who last week won the San Marino Challenger, downed Frenchman Harold Mayot 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-4 in the final. On a 10-match winning streak, Klein has amassed 250 PIF ATP Ranking points in two weeks to rise to No. 119, 10 spots off his career high.

^{Lukas Klein wins the Zug Challenger, his fifth title at that level. Credit: Breakpoint Images/Dialectic Zug Open}

Briton George Loffhagen won his maiden Challenger title after a near three-hour final. The 24-year-old eventually prevailed, defeating Nicolas Alvarez Varona 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 6-4 to cap his title run at the Open Castilla y Leon Villa de el Espinar.

Loffhagen, who was competing in his first Challenger final, is now at a career-high No. 235 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

A FIRST-EVER trophy lift for George Loffhagen ⬆️🏆#ATPChallenger | @Tenis_Espinar pic.twitter.com/BT7u1bwj4w

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) July 27, 2025