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ATP Challenger 50 Hamburg Ladies & Gents Cup

Tournament director Björn Kroll on the Hamburg Ladies & Gents Cup: crowds, format and the venue’s future

Kroll on Hamburg Cup: strong attendance, combined format praised, venue future uncertain – update

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During semifinal Saturday of the Hamburg Ladies & Gents Cup, tournament director Björn Kroll reviewed the 2025 ATP Challenger 50/ITF W75 combined indoor event staged at the Hamburg Tennis Association facilities. He reflected on the event’s turnout, the experience of running a combined tournament and the uncertain future of the hall.

Mirra Andreeva’s elder sister Erika won Hamburg’s women’s event, upsetting top seed Kaitlin Quevedo in a straight-sets final.

BJÖRN KROLL: “The conclusion is very positive. It was extremely crowded—during the first few days, it was almost impossible to get through the entrance area, which is fantastic. That’s certainly also because many German players were competing—not only young talents but also experienced names like Mona Barthel and Cedrik-Marcel Stebe. It’s a great mix. Of course, players like Justin Engel, our defending champion Henri Squire, or local favorite Tessa Brockmann attract a lot of fans who are eager to see how our German players perform against international professionals at this level.”

Kroll said the combined format brought energy to the week and that organizers had acted on player feedback from previous years.

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BJÖRN KROLL: “I think everyone involved finds it much cooler when it’s a combined event. The atmosphere is better and there’s simply more going on. I know that not all players feel the same way, but as long as there are no restrictions for them, it’s fine. After all, at the Grand Slams men and women also play together. We are, of course, a smaller indoor event, so we have to make a few compromises here and there. We took the players’ feedback from previous years seriously and improved several aspects. This year, we didn’t receive any negative feedback at all.”

On how the tournament compares within the Challenger landscape, Kroll noted the advantages and limits of using a federation-owned hall.

BJÖRN KROLL: “I’ve been to many Challenger events around the world, and there’s a huge range in quality. For instance, in Quimper or Rennes in France, they have light shows and the whole setup feels like an ATP 500. But I’ve also been to Challengers where you’d think our local club championships are better organized. It’s true that most events take place in rented arenas or clubs. Our advantage is that the tournament is held in our own federation hall—meaning we have full control. The downside is, of course, space. We had to rent additional courts to ensure a smooth schedule. I don’t think there are many combined events like ours left under such conditions.”

He also warned that rising ATP standards increase costs and complexity.

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BJÖRN KROLL: “We have to distinguish between ATP and ITF events. The ATP’s requirements have increased tremendously in recent years. You receive a detailed manual that specifies everything—down to how many kilos of laundry a bag must hold. Since I also work at major ATP and WTA tournaments, I can compare, and the expectations are becoming very similar. You sometimes wonder why, and the explanation is that the ATP wants tournaments to become more professional. That makes sense, but it also means higher costs and more organization. Many tournament directors are struggling to keep up.”

BJÖRN KROLL: “With the ITF, it’s not as extreme; the requirements have increased, but at a reasonable pace. The ATP’s expectations, however, are very high, and that’s making it harder for many events to survive. Additionally, there’s a growing focus on hosting more tournaments in Asia and Saudi Arabia. It’ll be interesting to see how that develops.”

On the venue’s prospects, Kroll did not rule out change.

BJÖRN KROLL: “Most likely not at this venue. A lot is changing here. The hall is very old, even under monument protection, and quite run-down. The Hamburg Tennis Association is currently discussing what needs to be done during this winter season. Our goal is to move the tournament outdoors in the summer as a combined event. There are different options, but we’d like to keep two or three tournaments in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein.”

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ATP French Open Grand Slam

Auger-Aliassime Reaches Career-High No. 4 After Breakthrough at Roland Garros

Auger-Aliassime rises to No. 4 after best Roland Garros run, tying second-highest Canadian rank. Now

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Felix Auger-Aliassime moved to a career-high No. 4 in the ATP rankings following his deepest run at Roland Garros, where the 25-year-old reached the quarterfinals for the first time before losing to eventual finalist Flavio Cobolli. The result completed a personal Grand Slam milestone: having previously reached the quarterfinals or better at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, he became the first Canadian man to reach the quarterfinals or better at all four majors in his career.

The rise from No. 6 to No. 4 surpasses his prior best of No. 5 and places him tied for the second-highest-ranked Canadian in ATP or WTA rankings history. The only other Canadians to reach the top four are Milos Raonic and Bianca Andreescu. Raonic went as high as No. 3 in 2016, following his run to the Wimbledon final that year, and Andreescu peaked at No. 4 in 2019 after winning the US Open.

Canadian tennis has seen seven players reach the top 10 in either ATP or WTA history, with official rankings available since 1973 for the ATP and 1975 for the WTA.

Auger-Aliassime still has ground to cover to move higher in the standings. He is 2,865 points behind the current world No. 3, Alexander Zverev, with the rankings showing Zverev at 7,305 points and Auger-Aliassime at 4,440.

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The Canadian will shift his focus to grass. He begins his grass-court season this week at the ATP 250 event in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, entering as the No. 1 seed. After a first-round bye he will open against either Hubert Hurkacz or Marton Fucsovics.

The new ranking reflects a season of important progress for Auger-Aliassime and cements his place among the highest-ranked Canadians in modern tennis history.

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ATP Challenger 100 Neckarcup

Emilio Nava takes Neckarcup title after Luka Mikrut withdraws from final

Emilio Nava won the 2026 Neckarcup after Luka Mikrut withdrew from the final with shoulder pain. (1)

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Emilio Nava was awarded the 2026 Neckarcup title after Luka Mikrut withdrew from the final with a shoulder injury, handing the American his seventh ATP Challenger trophy and his first of the season.

The 24-year-old arrived in Bad Rappenau as the second seed and produced one of the tournament’s sharper displays in the semifinals, a 6-1, 6-4 win over Henri Squire that lasted 58 minutes. After that victory Nava said: “Henri had an off day today, while everything worked for me.”

Sunday’s championship match never began after Mikrut addressed the Centre Court crowd and detailed his condition. “I have severe pain in my shoulder. I tried everything with the physios, the doctor, and pain medication,” the Croatian explained. “But I was worried that playing a match could make it even worse. To beat Emilio, I would need to be at 150 percent, not just 100. I wouldn’t have been able to do that today.”

Nava acknowledged mixed feelings on lifting the trophy. “It’s a bittersweet feeling today,” Nava admitted after lifting the trophy. “But this tournament has been fantastic. The organization is outstanding, and this was definitely one of the most enjoyable weeks of the year for us. I always love playing in Germany.”

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The title continues the upward trajectory Nava has built since winning four Challenger trophies in 2025. “It was definitely my best season so far and I’m proud of what I achieved,” he said during the week. “Winning four Challenger titles is something special. But I still think my real breakthrough at ATP Tour level is ahead of me. These things don’t happen overnight.” Now World No. 87, Nava was also candid about the strength of American men on tour. “We’re just good players,” Nava joked. “Look at guys like Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe, Brandon Nakashima and Alex Michelsen. They’re all doing great. We get along well, but we’re also extremely competitive. We push each other every day to become better players.”

Nava splits training between Buenos Aires and Florida. “My coach is from Spain and my physio is Argentinian, so naturally I spend a lot of time around Spanish-speaking people,” he explained. Off court he said, “I love video games. Right now, I’m playing a lot of Battlefield. I also enjoy going to the beach, relaxing and spending time with friends.” He added lighter moments from the week: “We played Frisbee in the park, spent time playing video games indoors, and shared a lot of laughs with the team and the other players.” Asked about celebration plans, he laughed: “I wish there was a big party,” he laughed. “But I’ll have dinner with my team and treat myself to some ice cream.”

Nava leaves Germany with 100 ATP ranking points and €23,700 in prize money. Tournament officials praised the level of play but noted attendance was low across eight days. “The level of tennis between world rankings 100 and 200 is outstanding,” said tournament manager Metehan Cebeci. “The week was sunny, rainy, emotional and exciting,” Tournament Director Mine Cebeci said. “And on finals day, I think we can all be very satisfied.”

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ATP French Open Grand Slam

Flavio Cobolli’s Roland Garros run vaults him into ATP Top 10

Flavio Cobolli entered the ATP Top 10 after his first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros. New ranking

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Flavio Cobolli’s breakthrough at Roland Garros produced a major ranking milestone. The 24-year-old reached his first Grand Slam semifinal and final in Paris and, despite losing the title match to Alexander Zverev in a five-set battle, climbed from No. 14 to No. 10 in the latest ATP rankings, marking his Top 10 debut.

Cobolli is the seventh Italian to enter the ATP Top 10 since the rankings began in 1973. He is also only the second Italian man in the past 50 years to contest the Roland Garros final, joining last year’s runner-up, Jannik Sinner. Born in 2002, Cobolli is the fifth man born in 2002 or later to reach the Top 10, following Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune, who were both born in 2003, and Lorenzo Musetti and Ben Shelton, who were both born in 2002.

The route to the final carried complicated circumstances. Cobolli advanced to the title match after countryman Matteo Arnaldi withdrew before their semifinal due to illness. Cobolli reflected on the day with mixed emotions: “When [Arnaldi] came to me almost one hour ago, I almost cried,” he said. “It’s something that you don’t expect at all. I was ready to play this match. When he came, I was completely sad for him.

“But at the same time, of course I’m really happy for the result that I reached this week. My dad also came to me right before him, and we had a big hug together with the whole team for achieving the Top 10. Every time that I make the best ranking, we all together have a big hug. We did the same routine as always.

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“Yeah, now I’m sad and happy at the same time.”

Arnaldi, 25, leaps from No. 104 to No. 34 after reaching his first Grand Slam semifinal, moving to within four spots of his 2024 career-high of No. 30. Matteo Berrettini also recorded a significant rise, moving from No. 105 to No. 48 after reaching his first Grand Slam quarterfinal since 2022 on the terre battue. For the former No. 6, it was his first appearance at Roland Garros since 2021, following four years marked by injury and illness withdrawals.

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