ATP Tour

Challenger

Jacquet, Carreno Busta win back-to-back Challenger titles

Frenchman Kyrian Jacquet and Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta capped dominant back-to-back title runs on the ATP Challenger Tour on Sunday.

The 23-year-old Jacquet triumphed at the Delhi Open just seven days removed from being crowned champion in Chennai. Carreno Busta, former No. 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings, continued his comeback by winning the Tenerife Challenger 2. Both Jacquet and Carreno Busta dropped just one set across their two-week runs.

Jacquet ousted the Top 2 seeds — Vit Kopriva and Billy Harris — in the semi-finals and final, respectively. He earned a 6-4, 6-2 victory against the Briton Harris to extend his winning streak to 10 and climb to a career-high No. 156 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Double the trophies, double the ranking boost! 🚀@KyrianJacquet jumps to a career-high No. 156 after back-to-back wins in India! 🏆🏆#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/8C4ahhqEuS

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

“I’m really happy about this title,” Jacquet said. “I tried to play my game, I did a lot of chip backhands [in the final], because I like to do that to add some variation. I served well and tried to do everything I could to win this match.”

Carreno Busta downed Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic 6-3, 6-2 in a championship match that featured a full crowd eager to see the seven-time tour-level champion.

^{Pablo Carreno Busta in action at the Tenerife Challenger. Credit: Alessandro De Vita}

Exactly one year ago, Carreno Busta was No. 1,032 in the PIF ATP Rankings, but after two weeks in the winner’s circle in Tenerife, he is up to No. 111 — his best mark since August 2023.

“When you arrive, obviously you think about winning every match, but it’s not easy to do it. We just were focussed on every match and when you are winning matches, your confidence is getting better and better,” said Carreno Busta, who boasts a standout 13-1 record in Challenger finals.

“...I know it will be tough to be on the ATP Tour again, but I can do it. I know how to do it. That’s my goal and I will fight for it.”

In other Challenger action, Marton Fucsovics captured his seventh title at that level in Manama, Bahrain. The 33-year-old overcame Italian wild card Andrea Vavassori 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-4 in a two-hour-, 56-minute final, during which the top seed fended off all eight breaks he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

^{Marton Fucsovics wins the ATP Challenger 125 event in Manama, Bahrain. Credit: Bahrain Ministry of Interior Tennis Challenger}

“I’m very happy. I was working really hard for this so I think I really deserved the victory. I enjoyed every moment,” said Fucsovics, up 13 spots to No. 84 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

In 2024, the Bahrain Ministry of Interior Tennis Challenger won the ATP Challenger Tour award for ‘Best of Asia-Pacific’ tournament.

Did You Know?
Following Joao Fonseca's triumph at the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires, the Brazilian became the first player to lift trophies on both the ATP Tour and ATP Challenger Tour this year. He opened his 2025 campaign with a title in Canberra, Australia. The 18-year-old is fourth-youngest player to achieve this feat, behind Lleyton Hewitt, Carlos Alcaraz and Kei Nishikori.