14-0! Vacherot stays perfect, claims 3rd Challenger title of 2024

Valentin Vacherot is off to one of the hottest ATP Challenger Tour starts to a season in recent memory.

The 25-year-old collected his third title of the year Sunday at the Pune Metropolitan Region Challenger, where he downed Australian Adam Walton 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(5) in the final, improving to 14-0 at the Challenger level in 2024.

“A lot of ups and downs, a very intense match,” Vacherot said of the final. “We know each other very well. I tried to play my game as much as possible and keep the nerves down.”

The Monegasque, whose cousin is World No. 86 Arthur Rinderknech, is riding the longest winning streak to start a Challenger season since 2017, when Janko Tipsarevic went 20-0 and Aljaz Bedene posted a 15-0 record. Last month, Vacherot claimed back-to-back titles in Thailand.

Despite failing to close the final on serve at 5-4 in the decider, Vacherot fought off a late charge from Walton, who was two points from the title on multiple occasions. The former Texas A&M University star crushed 13 aces and produced heavy hitting to outlast Walton and improve to 4-0 in Challenger finals.

"I play tennis to play these kind of matches, so maybe my best just comes out when needed," said Vacherot, who is at a career-high No. 147 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. "Now it is only Challengers and I want to take it to the next level. I am always hungry for more and I don't sleep on what just happened."

In other ATP Challenger Tour action, Otto Virtanen also improved to 4-0 in finals at that level when he overcame Swiss Leandro Riedi 7-5, 7-5 at the Terega Open Pau Pyrenees in France.

Virtanen, 22, is the third Finn to lift four Challenger trophies before his 23rd birthday, joining former World No. 13 Jarkko Nieminen and Emil Ruusuvuori.

“Every title is special. It’s been almost a year since the last title,” Virtanen said. “It’s helpful for the ranking and to win five matches in a row at this level brings some confidence.”

^{Otto Virtanen wins the Challenger 125 event in Pau, France. Credit: Terega Open Pau Pyrenees}

The 22-year-old Riedi was aiming to become the second Swiss player to win three Challengers titles in a single season. He would have joined Michel Kratochvil, who completed the feat in 1999.

At the Tenerife Challenger 2, Italian Matteo Gigante downed countryman Stefano Travaglia 6-2, 6-4 in a rematch of last year’s Tenerife Challenger 3 final, which the 22-year-old also won.

“It was a very difficult match,” Gigante said. “Today was very hot and I played very well. I’m very happy. I felt good and I’ve been training hard, so these are the results.”

Following his second title of the season, the lefty Gigante moved to 12-1 in Challenger matches this year. He is up to No. 156 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, one spot shy of tying his career high, which he hit last month after winning a Challenger title in Nonthaburi, Thailand.

^{Matteo Gigante lifts a Challenger trophy in Tenerife for a second consecutive year. Credit: MEF Tennis Events}