Jason Kubler won his first ATP Challenger Tour title of the year Saturday at the Lexus Ilkley Trophy, where the fourth seed delivered a strong serving performance to be crowned champion.
The World No. 97, who is one of five Challenger champions this week, ousted Austrian Sebastian Ofner 6-4, 6-4 in the final after winning 27 of 30 points behind his first delivery. The 30-year-old Kubler did not face a break point throughout the one-hour, 19-minute contest.
“It was just one of those days where I seemed to hit my spots very well on my serve, I seemed to put a lot of returns in when I needed it,” Kubler said in his on-court interview. “Then in those crucial points, I was able to find a shot or maybe at times force an error.”
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Since 2000, Australian players have combined for a record 10 Challenger titles on grass, including World No. 18 Alex de Minaur and last year’s Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios. Kubler’s title run in Ilkley marked his eighth Challenger crown and first on grass.
Last season, Kubler advanced through Wimbledon qualifying en route to his career-best Grand Slam run, the fourth round at the All England Club.
Ofner, who made his Top 100 debut earlier this month after a fourth-round appearance at Roland Garros, received a Wimbledon main draw wild card after his finalist finish in Ilkley.
In other Challenger Tour action, Alexandre Muller became the 10th Frenchman to lift a Challenger trophy this year when he claimed the Emilia-Romagna Tennis Cup in Italy. The 26-year-old cruised past Francesco Maestrelli 6-1, 6-4 in the final and climbed to a career-high No. 82 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.
Alexandre Muller wins his second Challenger title in Montechiarugolo. Credit: Emilia-Romagna Tennis Cup
“It was a tough week, but one that I will always remember,” Muller said. “For me this is the most important success of my career so far, I am in the middle of a really satisfying season and I hope not to stop here.”
Another Frenchman, Quentin Halys, earned his seventh Challenger trophy on home soil in Blois. The 26-year-old was leading Kyrian Jacquet 4-6, 6-2, 2-0 in the Internationaux de Tennis de Blois final when his countryman was forced to retire.
Last year, Halys enjoyed a breakthrough season as he collected a Challenger-leading 43-10 match record in 2023. Halys, World No. 76 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, dropped just one set en route to the Blois Challenger title.
Jacquet, who was competing in his first Challenger final, was playing his seventh match in as many days after qualifying for the Challenger 75 event.
Two Argentines, Federico Delbonis and Mariano Navone, also won Challenger Tour titles on Saturday. At the Directv Open in Cali, Delbonis captured his 12th Challenger title and first since July 2019. The former World No. 33 held his nerve to survive countryman Guido Andreozzi 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 in the final.
Federico Delbonis in action at the Challenger 75 in Cali, Colombia. Credit: Directv Open Cali
Delbonis was forced to a decider despite having four championship points in the second set. The 32-year-old broke serve in the opening game of the final set to gain an advantage and later closed the match after two hours, 43 minutes.
Navone collected his maiden Challenger crown at the Enea Poznan Open in Poland, where he defeated fifth seed Tomas Barrios Vera 7-5, 6-3 in the championship match.
A three-time Challenger finalist last season, the 22-year-old’s title run lifted him to a career-high No. 190 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.
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