ATP Tour

Engel surges in Live Race To Jeddah following Challenger crown

Here comes Justin Engel…

The 18-year-old German has jumped three spots to ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah after he won his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Hamburg. Engel won six tie-breaks en route to the trophy, including one in the final, when he overcame fellow #NextGenATP star Federico Cina to become the first player born in 2007 to triumph on the Challenger Tour.

Engel is now on 291 points with the Live Race To Jeddah ending on 10 November. Engel is aiming to become the first German to play at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

Earlier this season, Engel impressed on home soil. He beat countryman Jan-Lennard Struff at the ATP 500 in Hamburg and advanced to the quarter-finals in Stuttgart. The German became the second-youngest player since 1990 to win a tour-level match (excluding Davis Cup) on all three surfaces: hard, clay and grass. Only Rafael Nadal accomplished the feat at a younger age, doing so at 17 years, two months.

Joao Fonseca climbed to second in the Live Race To Jeddah after he won his first ATP 500 event in Basel. The 19-year-old Brazilian, who lifted the trophy in Jeddah in 2024, is the third-youngest ATP 500 champion in series history (since 2009).

Fonseca dedicated his victory to his mother following his 6-3, 6-4 win against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina: "Since I was young, my mum travelled with me. Since I was 11, I only travelled with her, so that title is for her.”