ATP Tour

Garin slides into six-way tie for most Challenger titles this season

Cristian Garin joined a six-way tie for a season-leading four Challenger titles on Sunday when he won the Uruguay Open in Montevideo.

The former No. 17 ousted Peru’s Ignacio Buse 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-2 in the clay-court final to secure his return to the Top 100 for the first time in 18 months. Buse would have made his Top 100 debut in the PIF ATP Rankings had he triumphed.

But the 29-year-old Garin spoiled Buse’s hopes and claimed his eighth Challenger title. His three previous trophies this year came in Mauthausen, Oeiras and on home soil in Antofagasta.

"Proud of the effort and already looking ahead to what's next," Garin wrote in an Instagram post reflecting on his 2025 season. "Thank you to everyone who supported me. See you in '26."

Garin, seeded fifth in Montevideo, rallied from a set down in his final three matches of the week. After falling to as low as World No. 214 in April, Garin is now in good position to make the Australian Open main draw.

Garin was not the only former Top 25 player to triumph on the Challenger circuit this week. German Jan-Lennard Struff lifted his seventh trophy at that level with a title run at the ALL IN OPEN Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in Lyon.

Struff, who reached a career-high No. 21 in June 2023, downed British qualifier Liam Broady 6-4, 6-4 in the championship match.

^{From left to right: Liam Broady, former No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Lyon champion Jan-Lennard Struff. Credit: All In Group}

Kozlov claims first title since 2021, fittingly at same tournament
American Stefan Kozlov captured his first Challenger title in four years by triumphing at the Paine Schwartz Partners Challenger — the same event he won back in 2021. The 27-year-old saved a match point in his quarter-final against Darwin Blanch and rode that momentum through the final, claiming a 7-6(3), 7-5 victory against former Arizona State University standout Murphy Cassone.

Glinka, 25, becomes third Estonian Challenger champion
Daniil Glinka became the third Estonian player (Mark Lajal, Jurgen Zopp) to win a Challenger title with his maiden title at the Challenger Banque Nationale de Drummondville. The 25-year-old lefty, who beat Canadian wild card Duncan Chan 6-4, 6-2 in the final, is up to a career-high No. 191 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Watanuki wins Kobe Challenger for third time
Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki capped a memorable week at the Hyogo Noah Challenger in Kobe, where the home favourite won the tournament for the third time. Having lifted the trophy in 2019 and 2022, Watanuki found his best level to return to the winner’s circle. The 27-year-old downed Elias Ymer 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the title match.

Bolt begins Aussie swing with home victory
A three-week Australian hard-court swing began at the Brisbane QTC Tennis International, featuring home hope Alex Bolt going all the way to the title. Bolt did not drop a set across five matches to secure his first Challenger crown since June 2021. The lefty defeated Tung-Lin Wu 6-3, 6-3 in the final.

New week, new opportunities 💯

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— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 17, 2025