Coulibaly claims historic Challenger triumph in native Côte d'Ivoire

Eliakim Coulibaly could not have asked for a better script for his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title.

Competing on home soil, the 22-year-old lifted the Côte d'Ivoire Open 2 trophy during the second week of his country's historic Challenger debut. After a disappointing first-round exit in the opening week, Coulibaly regrouped and went all the way to Sunday’s title, defeating top seed Aziz Dougaz 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-4 in the final.

History made at home 🇨🇮

Eliakim Coulibaly becomes the first player from Cote d’Ivoire to win a Challenger title!

#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/tJbNGX6rnk

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

The first Ivorian to triumph on the Challenger Tour, Coulibaly closed the win on his serve and fell on his back in relief as the home crowd rose to their feet.

The lefty is up 58 places to No. 266 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, guaranteeing him a new career high next Monday. Last November, Coulibaly won his first title at ITF 25K level.

In other Challenger action, Australian Jason Kubler continued his comeback by winning the Gwangju Open. The 31-year-old, who played just three matches at Challenger level or above in 2024, overcame Alibek Kachmazov 7-5, 6-7(7), 6-3 in a three-hour, six-minute final.

“It feels unbelievable. Last week, I was 5-0 up in the third set of the semis and then unfortunately I had a bit of cramps, so I didn’t know how it was going to go this week. Today, having such a battle, I wasn’t sure how it was going to go,” Kubler said. “Obviously so happy with how everything went, fortunate enough that a lot of the matches went my way.”

Kubler started the year at No. 841 in the PIF ATP Rankings and is now up to No. 229.

Italian Matteo Gigante triumphed at home, claiming the Roma Garden Open for his sixth Challenger title. The 23-year-old needed a deciding set in four of his five matches. He advanced via walkover in the semi-finals and defeated top seed Vilius Gaubas 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the final.

Nicolas Mejia captured his second Challenger title with a dramatic championship-match victory. The Colombian rallied past fourth seed Liam Draxl 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(3) after three hours and 33 minutes, just a day removed from Mejia’s three-hour, four-minute semi-final victory against top seed Eliot Spizzirri.

“Unbelievable, man,” Mejia said in disbelief after the final. “Winning like this in the moment, it’s terrible. But after you win such a tough match, you feel so honoured, so grateful and so happy.”

Argentine Alex Barrena won the AAT Challenger Santander Tucuman, which marked his first Challenger main-draw appearance since last October. The 22-year-old defeated countryman Santiago Rodriguez Taverna 7-5, 6-2 in the final. Barrena entered the week as No. 568 in the PIF ATP Rankings, making him the second lowest-ranked champion on the Challenger Tour this season, behind No. 618 Maximus Jones.

“It was a dream week. I had been through some tough times but I was able to play my best tennis and that's what makes me so happy,” Barrena said in Spanish. “The conditions helped me a little bit because it was drizzling and the ball was slower. I think that helped me.”

^{Alex Barrena wins his first Challenger title. Credit: Omar Erre}