In Asia, the Taiwan Santaizi Challenger in Taipei is fast becoming a signature event on the circuit. Founded in 2014, it has previously crowned champions such as Gilles Müller, Sam Groth, Yuki Bhambri, and home favourite Yen-Hsun Lu. This year’s edition is led by Australian James Duckworth, with Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka as the second seed at the ATP Challenger 100 tournament.
Meanwhile in Japan, the fourth edition of the Unicharm Trophy Ehime International Open Tennis is being held in Matsuyama. Portuguese youngster Henrique Rocha is the top seed, while Hugo Grenier of France leads the bottom half of the draw.
In South America, the ATP Challenger Tour stays for another week of clay-court action in Lima, Peru. Argentine Mariano Navone is the No. 1 seed at the IGMA Open, with Carlos Taberner of Spain, Cristian Garín from Chile, and his compatriot Román Andrés Burruchaga among the other top contenders for the title.
Finally, in North America, the penultimate week of hard-court action takes place at the Goodfriend Indoor Tennis Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. Players gather for the prestigious Knoxville Challenger, where Japan’s James Trotter is the top seed. He will face strong competition from Britain’s James Clarke, Colombia’s Nicolás Mejía, and others.
