Blockx Beats Jodar to Claim Canberra Challenger; Martinez Wins Bengaluru Open

Alexander Blockx captured the Workday Canberra International title with a composed straight-sets victory over Rafael Jodar, 6-4, 6-4. The 20-year-old Belgian, ranked world No. 115 at the time, served five aces, won 77 percent of his first-serve points and broke Jodar three times to close out the final in one hour and 23 minutes.

“When I was 1-4 down in the second set, I was preparing myself for the third set,” Blockx said after the match. “I was mentally calm, which helped me to break back. There was one bad game and I smiled about it. I played at a good level throughout the match.” Blockx started his week by defeating 19-year-old Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, 6-2, 6-3, then recorded three battling three-set wins over Roberto Carballes Baena, top seed Vit Kopriva and local wild card James McCabe. He had also beaten Budkov Kjaer during his run to the final of the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah last December.

By lifting his fourth ATP Challenger Tour crown, Blockx earned $33,650 and 125 ATP Ranking points and was projected to enter the Top 100 at world No. 95 on Monday. Rafael Jodar, a 19-year-old who advanced from qualifying and won six matches in Canberra, collected $19,700 and 75 points and was set to reach a career-high world No. 150.

In Bengaluru, top seed Pedro Martinez claimed the title at the Dafa News Bengaluru Open, defeating Timofey Skatov 7-6(5), 6-3. Martinez, the 28-year-old Spaniard, converted key chances in a rain-interrupted final and sealed the win after one hour and 56 minutes. After dropping his opening set of the week, Martinez ran off the next 10 en route to his first Challenger-level title since October 2024 and his first outside of Europe.

“I played here eight years ago, and the tournament has improved a lot since then,” Martinez said. “The end of the last season was pretty tough for me, as I had to deal with some medical issues and I wasn’t able to compete at my best. So, I am very happy to win the title here.” Martinez earned $33,650 and 125 ATP Ranking points after a run that included wins over Eero Vasa, Michael Geerts, Cedrik-Marcel Stebe and Matteo Martineau.