Thanasi Kokkinakis defeats Abedallah Shelbayh to win Manama Challenger | ATP Tour
Thanasi Kokkinakis defeats Abedallah Shelbayh to win Manama Challenger | ATP Tour
#Thanasi #Kokkinakis #defeats #Abedallah #Shelbayh #win #Manama #Challenger #ATP #Tour Welcome to InNewCL, here is the new story we have for you today:
Click Me To View Restricted Videos
In a memorable week of the ATP Challenger Tour week, Thanasi Kokkinakis won his first Challenger title since May 2021 and fellow countryman Max Purcell won the Chennai Challenger. Italian Giulio Zeppieri also triumphed at the Challenger 75 event in Cherbourg.
In the Manama Challenger 125 final, Kokkinakis ended the dream run of 19-year-old Abedallah Shelbayh, who was playing in his third Challenger event. The Australian, who is a five-time Challenger champion, defeated Shelbayh 6-1, 6-4 to win the Bahrain Home Office tennis challenger. Still, the teenager left Bahrain with a piece of history.
The Manama crown marks Kokkinakis’ first Challenger triumph since his title in Biella, Italy almost two years ago. The 26-year-old, who stars in the Netflix series Break Point, returns to the top 100 on the Pepperstone ATP rankings, from which he fell briefly last month when he failed to defend his Adelaide International 2 crown.
Despite losing the final, Shelbayh became the first Jordanian player and youngest Arab to reach a Challenger final. In the quarterfinals, the native of Amman upset top seed Jason Kubler. Shelbayh graduated from Rafa Nadal Academy in 2021 before playing collegiate tennis at the University of Florida. After his freshman year, Shelbayh turned pro. The Manama finalist climbs to a career-high 276 in the Pepperstone ATP rankings.
At Challenger Cherbourg La Manche, which celebrated its 30th anniversary, Giulio Zeppieri took his second Challenger title. The 21-year-old Italian, building on the momentum of his best season of his career, defeated Titouan Droguet 7-5, 7-6(4) in the league match.
You might also like: Chapeau! Cherbourg Challenger celebrates 30th anniversary
In 2022, Zeppieri clinched his first Tour-level win in Umag, where he bounced back from falling behind to defeat Argentina’s Pedro Cachin. The Roman native also made his Grand Slam debut as a qualifier at Roland Garros, where he defeated Andreas Seppi in qualifying to end his compatriot’s streak of 66 consecutive Grand Slam main draw appearances.
Giulio Zeppieri at the 2023 Cherbourg Challenger.” />
Giulio Zeppieri at the 2023 Cherbourg Challenger. Photo credit: Challenger Cherbourg La Manche
Droguet, 21, made it through qualifying and played in his first Challenger final. The Frenchman climbs to a career-high 247 in the Pepperstone ATP rankings.
At the Chennai Open, Max Purcell saved two match points to defeat Nicolas Moreno De Alboran 5-7 7-6(2) 6-4. After three hours and seven minutes, the Australian secured a championship point as the second Challenger title holder of the year (Raul Brancaccio, Noumea).
Max Purcell is crowned champion in Chennai, India.” />
Max Purcell is crowned champion in Chennai, India. Photo credit: Suman Chattopadhyay
After the title in India, the Sydney native climbs to a career-high 155. In 2022, the 24-year-old teamed up with compatriot Matthew Ebden to win two tour-level doubles titles, including at Wimbledon. Purcell, a three-time Challenger title winner, teamed with Luke Saville in 2019 to win seven Challenger doubles titles.
Serving for the game 5-4 in the second set, Moreno de Alboran continues his best season yet. The American triumphed at the Braga Challenger 2022, where he worked his way through qualifying en route to his first Challenger title.
