It was a familiar look to the winner’s circle on the Challenger circuit this week as Norbert Gombos and Yen-Tsun Lu secured titles in Brest and Ningbo respectively. Gombos, a lucky loser, defeated surprise finalist Yannik Reuter 7-5, 6-2, whilst second seed Lu defeated Japan’s Hiroki Moriya 6-3, 6-1.
Gombos and Reuter traded breaks of serve in the opener, before Gombos broke as Reuter attempted to take the match into a tie break. The Slovakian took heart form the success, and quickly pulled away in the second set, breaking twice and saving all three break points he faced as he swept to victory. The title represents Gombos’ third on the Challenger, after he was twice a winner in 2015. Reuter can reflect on an excellent week in which he defeated top seed and Top 100 player Jeremy Chardy in the semi-finals en route to his first Challenger final appearance.
The final in Ningbo saw a more comprehensive victory for ATP Tour veteran Lu, as he defeated Moriya 6-3, 6-1. Moriya had made the final after top seed John Millman had retired when trailing Moriya by a set in the semi-finals, though an earlier win over Duckhee Lee proved the form of the Japanese player. That counted for little though as Lu broke five times from seventeen opportunities. Moriya was able to retrieve one break in the second set, and that helped him avoid the bagel as he failed to hold serve.
The title in Ningbo marks Lu’s third of the year after wins in Ikley and Surbiton during the grass court season.
Player of the week: My player of the week of each event does not necessarily pick the player who won the event but to pick someone perhaps a young player, lowly ranked player, or veteran marking a return from injury, that deserves acknowledgement.
Brest: Yannik Reuter: The Belgian reached his first Challenger final, knocking out top seed Jeremy Chardy in impressive fashion in the semi-finals.
Ningbo: A strong week from Hyeon Chung, who took eventual champion Lu to a close three sets in the quarter-finals. Looks on course for a return to the Top 100 if that kind of form can be sustained.
