Luca Van Assche used the Open Quimper Bretagne Occidentale to arrest a run of mixed results and collect his fifth ATP Challenger title. The 21-year-old Frenchman rallied from a set down to beat Swiss alternate Remy Bertola 3–6, 6–1, 7–5 in the final of the ATP Challenger Tour 125 indoor event. The match lasted two hours and three minutes; Van Assche struck nine aces, won 80 percent of his first-serve points and broke serve three times to complete the victory.

Ranked No. 165, Van Assche had earlier dismantled defending champion Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg in a near three-hour semifinal. The Quimper success is his first title of the season and the 10th time a Frenchman has won this tournament. He earned €30,460 in prize money and 125 ATP ranking points.

Van Assche’s career arc has been shaped by early junior success and steady transition to the pro game. He reached junior world No. 1 and won the 2021 Roland Garros boys’ singles title, defeating Arthur Fils in the final. He broke into the Top 100 in April 2023 at age 18 and had already secured three Challenger trophies by that time. He has also competed at the 2023 and 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals. His endurance has been a hallmark: he famously saved two championship points to defeat Ugo Humbert in the longest ATP Challenger final at Pau in 2023, a match that lasted three hours and 56 minutes.

Born in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert to a Belgian father and an Italian mother, Van Assche moved to France as a child and began playing tennis at four in Aix-en-Provence. He trained at Pôle France in Poitiers at age 12 and continues his studies in mathematics at Paris Dauphine University. He speaks French, Italian and English and is nicknamed “Lucho.”

During the Quimper trophy presentation he thanked new coach Sébastien Villette, noted his father had travelled from Paris to be present and acknowledged the crowd’s support. “I did a very good junior’s career. It was good for me. I have gained a lot of experience. It helped me a lot for my senior’s career, but I am still young. I learn every day at every tournament,” Van Assche said during a tournament in Valencia two years ago.

At the Bahrain Open in Manama, 24-year-old Kyrian Jacquet captured the title, beating Luca Nardi 7-5, 3-6, 6-4. The world No. 128 converted five of nine break-point opportunities and prevailed in two hours and 13 minutes after victories over Christopher O’Connell, Yannick Hanfmann, Jacob Fearnley and Mattia Bellucci.

The ATP Challenger Tour resumes with two standout stops as the indoor Open Quimper Bretagne Occidentale and the outdoor Bahrain Open begin this week.

The 17th edition of the Open Quimper Bretagne Occidentale moves to a new venue for the first time, staged at the Kostum Park – À Nous La Vie in Quimper. Known for its medieval old town, Quimper combines regional identity with a long indoor Challenger tradition. French players have dominated the event historically, with a home favorite lifting the trophy nine times. Pierre-Hugues Herbert (2014, 2024) and Grégoire Barrère (2019, 2023) have each won the title twice.

That trend is likely to continue in 2026, with at least eleven French players in the singles main draw. The bottom half of the draw is headlined by 2017 champion Adrian Mannarino. Now 37 and a five-time ATP Tour champion, Mannarino arrives on a wild card and opens against Switzerland’s Remy Bertola. Another wild card, Benoit Paire, meets seventh seed Benjamin Bonzi in the first round. Fourth seed Quentin Halys must get past Switzerland’s Marc-Andrea Hüsler in his opener. Defending champion Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg begins against a qualifier.

The field is led by American Aleksandar Kovacevic, the world No. 56 who claimed two of his six Challenger titles last season. Kovacevic reached the Brisbane semifinals on the ATP Tour to open his season but followed that with first-round exits in Auckland and at the Australian Open and is seeking his first match win since. He opens in Quimper against Frenchman Clément Tabur. Spain’s Pedro Martínez, fresh from victory at the Bengaluru Open two weeks ago, and Nikoloz Basilashvili are among the international contenders for the title and 125 ATP ranking points. Young players Justin Engel and Thomas Faurel can also cause upsets.

In Manama the fifth edition of the Bahrain Open returns as an ATP Challenger 125 Showcase Tournament on outdoor hard courts, having previously been named ATP Challenger of the Year in its category. Four Top 100 players headline the draw: Alexei Popyrin, Mattia Bellucci, Jacob Fearnley and Filip Misolic. Popyrin, the top seed, faces Ugo Blanchet as he seeks his third Challenger title in addition to three ATP Tour trophies. Bellucci, Fearnley and Misolic all open with challenging first-round assignments, and fifth seed Yannick Hanfmann, who impressed in Melbourne, will meet a qualifier.

The 2026 ATP Challenger Tour opens a larger and more visible pathway for players seeking ATP Tour and Grand Slam access. This season features 35 designated Showcase events and a calendar that will expand to about 265 tournaments across all continents and surfaces. The circuit remains the second-highest level of men’s professional tennis and a vital bridge between entry-level events and the ATP Tour.

Challengers award meaningful ranking points and match experience, attracting a blend of rising prospects, veterans rebuilding their rankings and national standouts. The tour is structured into five categories by points and prize money: Challenger 175 (winner earns 175 points), Challenger 125 (125 points), Challenger 100 (100 points), Challenger 75 (75 points) and Challenger 50 (50 points). Challenger 175 events are the highest tier on the circuit and often feature players inside the Top 50–80. In 2025, João Fonseca triumphed in Phoenix, Aleksandar Kovacevic won Cap Cana, Borna Coric prevailed in Aix‑en‑Provence, Alexander Bublik took Turin, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard won Bordeaux and Alex Michelsen lifted the trophy in Estoril.

The ATP has announced a record $32.4 million in Challenger Tour prize money for the 2026 season, with an additional $5 million in singles compensation versus 2025. Andrea Gaudenzi said: “Challenger Tour prize money has nearly tripled since 2022. This is what our ‘OneVision’ strategy was designed to do—create the foundation for investment in our sport to deliver greater financial security to more players. There’s more room to grow, and we’re working to unlock the opportunities to build on this progress.”

Enhancements for 2026 include growing the calendar from 216 to 265 events and adding 50 new Challenger 50 tournaments, increasing playing opportunities and strengthening the player pathway. The tour’s geography and surface progression generally mirror the ATP Tour, allowing players to prepare for higher-level events while reducing travel burdens with regional scheduling. The Showcase events act as pillars of the season, offering continuity, stronger fields and reliable fan experiences within a sprawling global schedule.