The 2026 ATP Challenger season begins Monday, with five tournaments taking place in opening week. The Workday Canberra International kicks off the Australian hard-court swing, with former No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings Kei Nishikori headlining the action. Nishikori, who has competed in just two tournaments since last May, begins against top seed Vit Kopriva.
Alexander Blockx and Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, who both competed at the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, will meet in the opening round of the Canberra Challenger. Jeddah finalist Blockx beat the Norwegian in the semi-finals of the 20-and-under event to take a 1-0 lead in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
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The Workday Canberra International is one of two Challenger 125 events this upcoming week. The Dafa News Bengaluru Open in India is also slated to take place, with Spaniard Pedro Martinez leading the draw as the top seed.
Two-time NCAA singles champion Michael Zheng is among the field at the BNC TENNIS OPEN in New Caledonia. Former World No. 19 Hyeon Chung returns to action at the Bangkok Open 1, an ATP Challenger 50 event. Briton Henry Searle, who won the 2023 Wimbledon boys’ singles event, will compete on home soil at the Lexus Nottingham Challenger.
Six continents will host ATP Challenger events across the first two months of the season, underscoring the global footprint of the circuit. With the addition of 50 new Challenger 50 tournaments this season, players across the world will have greater opportunities to compete, further strengthening the professional pathway to the ATP Tour.
View the ATP Challenger schedule
In October, the ATP announced a record $32.4 million in ATP Challenger prize money for the 2026 season, featuring an additional $5 million in singles compensation compared to 2025. Driven by the introduction of OneVision – ATP’s long-term strategic plan – ATP Challenger prize money has surged 167 per cent since 2022.
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