After dream weeks, Rafael Jodar and Gilles Arnaud Bailly have made great strides in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah.
Spaniard Jodar has moved up nine places to ninth in the Live Race after winning his second ATP Challenger Tour title of the season. The 19-year-old, who did not double fault on his way to the trophy in Lincoln, USA, was a sparring partner at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in 2024 and is now firmly in the race for qualification this year.
Jodar won the US Open Boys’ Singles title last season and has gone from strength to strength this season, also triumphing at a Challenger Tour event in Greece in August. He is on 267 points, 82 points behind eighth-placed Nishesh Basaverredy, who occupies the last qualifying spot.
Watch PIF ATP Live race to Jeddah
Bailly has risen four places to eleventh in the Live Race. The 20-year-old Belgian enjoyed a breakthrough week on home soil at the ATP 250 event in Brussels, advancing through qualifying and then beating Daniel Altmaier to secure his first tour-level win.
“I’ve always enjoyed the opportunity to play at an ATP event, but to do it in my country, qualify and then win a round was really special. I really hope to continue. It’s been a good year for me,” Bailly said.
Bailly started the season outside the Top 800 in the PIF ATP Rankings, but is now ranked No. 232. The 20-year-old is proud of the progress he has made this season.
“I worked hard at the beginning of the year and started to do well at the Futures,” Bailly told ATPTour.com. “I then started playing more Challengers and saw my level rise and I played better and then got some good opportunities with the Next Gen spots, so I’m grateful for that support.”
Read more about the Next Gen Accelerator here.
The Next Gen ATP Finals, presented by PIF, will take place in Jeddah from December 17-21. The closing date for the Live Race is November 10, with the top eight players qualifying for the 20 and under event. Joao Fonseca won the title in 2024, joining a list of former champions that includes Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
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