Cristian Garin joined a six-way tie for four season leaders in the Challenger on Sunday when he won the Uruguay Open in Montevideo.
The former No. 17 ousted Peru’s Ignacio Buse 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-2 in the final on clay, returning to the Top 100 for the first time in 18 months. Buse would have made his Top 100 debut in the PIF ATP rankings had he won.
But 29-year-old Garin spoiled Buse’s hopes to claim his eighth Challenger title. His three previous trophies this year came in Mauthausen, Oeiras and on home soil in Antofagasta.
“Proud of the effort and already looking ahead to the future,” Garin wrote in a message Instagram post looking back on his 2025 season. “Thank you to everyone who supported me. See you in ’26.”
Garin, seeded fifth in Montevideo, recovered from a set down in his final three matches of the week. After falling to No. 214 in the world rankings in April, Garin is now in a good position to play in the main draw of the Australian Open.
Challenger Singles Titles Leaders, 2025
| Player | Titles |
Nicolai Budkov Kjaer | 4 |
Jan Choinski | 4 |
Borna Coric | 4 |
Emilio Nava | 4 |
Patrick Kypson | 4 |
| Christian Garin | 4 |
Garin wasn’t the only former Top 25 player to triumph on the Challenger circuit this week. German Jan-Lennard Struff claimed his seventh trophy at that level with a title run at the ALL IN OPEN Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in Lyon.
Struff, who reached career No. 21 in June 2023, defeated British qualifier Liam Broady 6-4, 6-4 in the championship match.
<img alt=”Van links naar rechts,
From left to right: Liam Broady, former number 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Lyon champion Jan-Lennard Struff. Credit: all in group
Kozlov claims the first title since 2021, fittingly at the same tournament
American Stefan Kozlov captured his first Challenger title in four years by triumphing in the Paine Schwartz Partners Challenger – the same event he won in 2021. The 27-year-old saved a match point in his quarterfinal match against Darwin Blanch and rode that momentum into the final, claiming a 7-6(3), 7-5 victory against former Arizona State University standout Murphy Cassone.
Glinka, 25, becomes third Estonian Challenger champion
Daniil Glinka became the third Estonian player (Mark Lajal, Jurgen Zopp) to win a Challenger title with his first title at the Challenger Banque Nationale de Drummondville. The 25-year-old southpaw, who defeated Canadian wildcard Duncan Chan 6-4, 6-2 in the final, is on his way to career No. 191 in the PIF ATP rankings.
Watanuki wins Kobe Challenger for the third time
Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki capped off a memorable week at the Hyogo Noah Challenger in Kobe, with the home favorite winning the tournament for the third time. After lifting the trophy in 2019 and 2022, Watanuki found his best level to return to the winner’s circle. The 27-year-old defeated Elias Ymer 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the title match.
Bolt starts Australian swing with home win
A three-week Australian hardcourt swing began at the Brisbane QTC Tennis International, with home hope Alex Bolt going all the way to the title. Bolt did not drop a set in five matches to secure his first Challenger crown since June 2021. The left-hander defeated Tung-Lin Wu 6-3, 6-3 in the final.
New week, new opportunities?<br><br> Stream all the action LIVE ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/zdmegU414m">https://t.co/zdmegU414m#ATPCchallenger pic.twitter.com/5Z0p9dLqwB— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 17, 2025
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