At 23, Filip Cristian Jianu has built steady momentum on the ATP Challenger circuit. The 1.80-meter right-hander from Bucharest has won 13 ITF World Tennis Tour titles, five of them last year, and reached a career-high ranking of No. 210 in June 2025. Once as high as World No. 5 in juniors and a 2019 Boys’ Australian Open semi-finalist, Jianu is concentrating on converting that junior pedigree into reliable results at the professional level.

His preferred surface is clay, though he adapts across courts. “I actually like faster clay courts and slower hard courts,” he says, describing a game based on precision, timing and point construction.

The jump from junior success into pro-level tournaments has demanded persistence. “One of the most challenging parts is getting into the big tournaments,” he explains. “For a player like me, coming from Romania, we don’t have that many opportunities to play in big tournaments. That’s easier for players from Italy, France or Spain, where so many Challengers and ATP events take place.

“I had to start from 15K tournaments on the ITF World Tennis Tour, which is not easy. You have to grind every week in order to gain some points. On the other hand, when you have a wild card into a main draw of a bigger tournament, you will earn the same number of points from a single match. So, it takes a bit more time to rise up the rankings. You cannot skip stages.”

He contrasts levels succinctly. “The difference between ITF events and ATP Challengers is the ball speed,” he says. “At Challengers the guys try to take the balls early and try to be offensive. On the ITF World Tennis Tour, it is more of a physical battle. There are less free points, and the opponent is waiting for your mistake. It is a different kind of tennis. The ball change is also different at nine and 11 games compared to seven and nine. You can feel it. The game at Challengers is faster and you need to be quicker and more aggressive if you want to win.”

“I had a bit of a rough period mentally,” Jianu admits.

I was struggling outside the court and wanted to play more matches. I wanted to find my rhythm and the joy for tennis again.

He has stayed based in Bucharest to retain stability. “I have been based in Bucharest for a while,” he says. “I prefer to be at home between tournaments. I have a good group of coaches and training partners. We are pushing each other every day. It is a solid base for me.”

Financial strain remains a challenge. “That’s a main issue,” Jianu says candidly. “We don’t get any support and it’s tough for us to find any sponsors.

We have to do it by ourselves. It’s not easy as you always have to look at the price and need to make some sacrifices to be able to travel. You really need to pay attention at every expense.

That’s why the recent growth of tournaments in his home country has been so important. “They started in the last couple of years,” he says. “This is very important for us Romanian players. We can play at home, saving money. Then, we have the support from the home crowd.

“We also have the ATP Tournament in Bucharest. I was awarded a wild card and won my opening round match against Nishesh Basavareddy, which gave me valuable ranking points. That helped me a lot. If they were more tournaments like those, we would see many more players from Romania coming up.”

The season brought milestones: a first Grand Slam appearance in Australia, a main-draw win at Roland Garros and reaching the third round of Roland Garros qualification, plus competing in Davis Cup. “I played my first Grand Slam in Australia,” he reflects.

“In Roland Garros I managed win my first match and reached the third round of the qualification, which was a very nice experience for me. And winning the ATP match at home was very enjoyable as well as competing in Davis Cup. My year could have been better, but there were a lot of highlights.”

Off court, he keeps routines simple. “During a tournament week I watch some TV series or play Romme,” he says.

“Right now, I am watching the Vampire Diaries, which is an old school show, but I like to pick a series, which you can watch for many hours. When I am at home, I enjoy having a nice dinner and going for a walk. I don’t really follow any other sports closely.”

His target is specific and immediate: “I want to break the Top 200 by the end of the year.”

The ATP Challenger Tour produced a compact week of consequential results as players chased ranking points and momentum ahead of the US Open qualifying period. Across events in Cancún, Sumter, Todi, Crete, Sofia and Barranquilla, several competitors turned opportunity into tangible progress.

In Cancún, Dalibor Svrcina captured the inaugural ATP Challenger 125 at the Europcar Cancún Country Club. Seeded eighth, the 22-year-old defeated Thiago Tirante 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in a three-hour, 21-minute final, breaking serve six times and edging his opponent by only four points overall. Svrcina reached the title by overcoming Alex Hernandez, Alexis Galarneau, Jesper de Jong and Ignacio Buse. The victory was Svrcina’s third Challenger crown of 2024, his fifth career Challenger title, and propelled him into the Top 100. He earned $30,700 and 125 ATP Ranking points.

At the Serve First Open in Sumter, South Carolina, third seed Mattia Bellucci collected his first ATP 125 title after Alexander Shevchenko retired with a knee injury while trailing 7-6(5), 3-1. Bellucci entered the final without dropping a set, registering wins over Henrique Rocha, Lukas Klein and Jaime Faria. The title represented his fourth Challenger trophy, his first since 2023 and his first at the 125 level, with $30,700 and 125 points following the result.

In Umbria, Timofey Skatov produced a gritty performance to defeat Stefano Travaglia 7-6(4), 0-6, 6-2 in two hours and 44 minutes at the Internazionali di Tennis Città di Todi. The win was Skatov’s third career Challenger title and his second organized by MEF Tennis Events after Parma 2022. The triumph returned him to the Top 200 at World No. 193. “Every match was extremely tough, but I fought hard and found a way. This is a very special week for me,” Skatov said.

Elsewhere, Rafael Jódar won his first Challenger title in Hersonissos, Crete, defeating Dan Added 6-4, 6-2; Zdenek Kolar claimed the Sofia title with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Murkel Dellien; and Arthur Fery was awarded the KIA Open trophy in Barranquilla after Bernard Tomic withdrew following a weather-delayed final. Tournament director Marcello Marchesini noted the strong local support: “We are extremely happy with the response from the public. It’s a great reward for all the efforts of MEF Tennis Events, Tennis Club Todi 1971, and the local administration.” He added, “Italy is producing great talents, and they’re climbing the world rankings quickly. The future looks very bright.”

As US Open qualifying begins in New York, three Challenger events remain active in Europe, including the Schwaben Open in Augsburg, featuring Juan Carlos Prado Angelo alongside local contenders Christoph Negritu and Patrick Zahraj.

Yannick Hanfmann’s victory at the 2025 Platzmann Open in Hagen marks his first ATP Challenger title since 2020. The 33-year-old German triumphed in front of about 1,000 home fans at the Tennis Club Rot-Weiss Hagen, overcoming a challenging day that included completing a weather-delayed semifinal against Olle Wallin and winning a hard-fought three-set final against sixth seed Guy den Ouden. After dropping the first set 3-6, Hanfmann rallied to take the next two sets 6-2, 6-2 in 1 hour and 43 minutes.

“Maybe I was the fresher player in the end. Guy played a very strong first set, but then he seemed to run out of energy a bit, while I was able to raise my level,”

Hanfmann reflected post-match, noting den Ouden’s earlier semifinal.

Hanfmann, ranked World No. 150, highlighted a pivotal moment earlier in the tournament when he saved match points down 5-2 in the third set of the second round. “I was almost out of the tournament. In the second round, I was down 5-2 in the third set and had to save match points. And then you find yourself in the final and win. Sometimes those are the key moments in a week.”

The tournament director, Rogier Wassen, praised the event’s success despite weather disruptions and its relocation from Lüdenscheid to Hagen, which doubled spectator attendance to around 6,000.

Elsewhere on the Challenger Tour, Moez Echargui triumphed at the Eupago Porto Open, securing the biggest title of his career by defeating Francesco Maestrelli 6-3, 6-2. Starting in the qualifiers, Echargui amassed seven wins, earning 100 ATP points and achieving a new career-high ranking of World No. 211.

In Liberec, Gonzalo Bueno claimed his first title of the season after Genaro Alberto Olivieri retired in the final due to injury. Zachary Svajda secured his sixth Challenger crown at the Lexington Open with a comeback victory over Bernard Tomic. Meanwhile, Nicolai Budkov Kjaer continued his impressive season with his third Challenger title at the President’s Cup in Astana.

The ATP Challenger circuit advances with events in Bonn, Italy’s Cordenons, and Poland’s Kozerki Open, where notable seeds including Botic van de Zandschulp and Kamil Majchrzak will compete.