Carreno Busta claims Challenger title, first trophy since Montreal surprise run

Pablo Carreno Busta returned to the winner’s circle Sunday when he triumphed at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands.

The 33-year-old Spaniard downed countryman Alejandro Moro Canas 6-3, 6-2 in the Tenerife Challenger 1 final to claim his first title at any level since 2022, when he captured his maiden ATP Masters 1000 trophy in Montreal.

“I was emotional because it was a long time since I played a final, a long time since I’ve felt those emotions on court,” Carreno Busta said. “I was very comfortable during the whole week, so for me it was an amazing week with my family, with my new coaches. I hope these feelings continue.”

A former Top 10 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Carreno Busta moved up 16 spots to No. 133 following his title run. It is his highest position since August 2023. Exactly one year ago, Carreno Busta was No. 1,032 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

“I’m satisfied because I know I can continue playing this level. I think I am improving my confidence winning this kind of tournament,” Carreno Busta said. “The goal for the next week is try to do the same, not just winning the tournament, but on court repeat these feelings, playing with this confidence.”

Carreno Busta is a 12-time Challenger champion and seven-time tour-level titlist. Tenerife marked his first Challenger trophy since 2015.

THIS IS INSANE, @pablocarreno91 😱

PCB in the driver’s seat as he is up a set and a break against Moro Canas in the Tenerife final! 🫡#ATPChallenger | @meftennisevents pic.twitter.com/a9gUZdswfX

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) February 9, 2025

Lille
In other Challenger action, another former Top 10 star, Lucas Pouille, was aiming for a trophy of his own but suffered a devastating injury in the Play In Challenger final. Fellow Frenchman Arthur Bouquier led Pouille 6-3, 3-5 when the 30-year-old attempted to sprint forward to chase a drop shot, but instead fell immediately to the court in pain. Pouille, who attended the trophy ceremony on crutches, later revealed he had ruptured his Achilles tendon.

^{Lucas Pouille (left) and Arthur Bouquier at the Lille Challenger trophy ceremony. Credit: Laurent Sanson/Play In Challenger}

“I will go to do surgery in the coming days and do everything to come back,” Pouille wrote in French on social media.

Bouquier, 24, advanced through qualifying en route to his maiden Challenger triumph. Following his title on home soil, Bouquier is up 170 spots to a career-high No. 254 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

“Of course, I would have liked to win in another way, but it has still been an incredible week,” Bouquier said in French. “Honestly, I can’t even process what just happened and what I’ve achieved.”

Rosario
Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli capped a hard-fought week at the YPF Rosario Challenger with his eighth title at that level. Seeded sixth, the 25-year-old needed a deciding set in all five of his matches. Ugo Carabelli, who last year topped the Challenger match wins leaderboard (49), rallied past Hugo Dellien 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the final.

Ugo Carabelli defeated Dellien’s younger brother Murkel Dellien in the semi-finals, ending the possibility of the two brothers battling in the championship match. Ugo Carabelli is up to a career-high No. 87 in the PIF ATP Rankings. In the first round of Rosario, the Buenos Aires native beat countryman Diego Schwartzman, who is set to retire at this week's IEB+ Argentina Open.

“It was a very long week. I didn't expect to be able to finish a long match," Ugo Carabelli said in Spanish. "I played all the matches in three sets and I played over two hours every match. It was a series of matches that were battles on the court. I worked a lot with my kinesiologist and it was worth it."

^{Camilo Ugo Carabelli celebrates winning the Rosario Challenger. Credit: Luciano Bisbal}

Brisbane
Australian Adam Walton earned his fourth Challenger title at the Brisbane QTC Tennis International #2, where he defeated wild card and former World No. 63 Jason Kubler 7-6(6), 7-6(4) in the final.

“It’s been a great two weeks to play in Brisbane. This is where I went to school, I’ve been here since I was 14,” Walton said. “I train here and so it’s nice to be able to play two tournaments here. To have family and friends be able to come out and watch with ease, it’s very nice.”

^{Adam Walton in action at the Brisbane Challenger. Credit: Tennis Queensland}

Chennai
Frenchman Kyrian Jacquet won his second Challenger title at the Chennai Open. The 23-year-old saved a match point in the quarter-finals against Shintaro Mochizuki and built upon his momentum to be crowned champion. Jacquet defeated Elias Ymer 7-6(1) 6-4 in the final.

^{Kyrian Jacquet during the Chennai Challenger final. Credit: Chennai Open}