Patrick Kypson grew up playing tennis on clay courts in North Carolina, a unique education for an American player, but one that has paid off throughout his career. His first four professional singles titles all came on the natural surface, as did his only professional doubles trophy – a Futures title he won with Felix Auger-Aliassime in 2016.
But it was on a hard court that he won the biggest title of his career this Sunday, two days before his 26th birthday. In a thrilling final at the MarketBeat Open, an ATP Challenger 100 and USTA Pro Circuit event in Sioux Falls, Kypson posted a 6-7(2), 7-6(4), 7-5 victory against Johannus Monday, saving all six break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
The trophy is his third on the ATP Challenger Tour this season and his sixth since early 2023. It was also a record 20th Challenger title won by an American this season, breaking the previous record of 19 set in 2006.
The win moved Kypson to No. 146 in the world, 13 spots shy of his career-high PIF ATP Ranking from last April, and moved him into first place in the USTAs. Australian Open Wild Card Challenge.
By adopting an attacking game plan, Kypson has developed a game that can threaten opponents on any surface.
“My tennis, I just want to keep trying to build my game around being aggressive and trying to progress as much as I can and just keep developing those skills in matches,” he said. “I’ve made a huge decision or commitment to play a certain way and I’m just trying to stick with that, my identity as a player, and judge myself on how well I do that every day, every training session and every game.”
While Kypson credits his clay court upbringing with teaching him point construction, rally tolerance and movement, this season he has made a conscious effort to impose his tennis on his opponents.
“I think [growing up on clay] contributed a little bit to my original playing style, which is basically where I’m trying to step out and be a little bit more aggressive and get more forward,” he explained. “But it certainly gives me a really good foundation from the baseline with what I would like to think pretty good movements and fundamentals, so I think it was definitely positive growth on the clay.”
Another big part of Kypson’s education – both on the field and in the classroom – came during his year at Texas A&M, where he was a 2018 All-American and the ITA National Rookie of the Year. At College Station, he roomed with current Top 30 player Arthur Rinderknech and was also teammates with Valentin Vacherot.
These two players, who happen to be cousins, recently faced off in the final of the Rolex Shanghai Masters, with Vacherot stunning the tennis world – and their group chat of former A&M teammates – by winning the title with a ranking of No. 204. For Kypson, Vacherot’s success is further proof of how high the level is on the ATP Challenger Tour and the USTA Pro Circuit.
“I think the margins are as small as they’ve ever been, in terms of the level difference between consistent Challenger players and consistent tour-level players. But certainly, you know, those guys [on the ATP Tour] can do it a little more consistently, I would say. There’s a reason they’re on tour and the Challenger guys are at the Challenger level. I think it’s small margins, but that consistency is one of the things that I think is the difference.
“There are so many examples,” he continued, discussing the success of Challenger players at the next level. “[Vacherot] was obviously an extreme example of a guy who has mainly been on the Challenger Tour going on to win a Masters 1000… but seeing guys I’ve been competing with for a long time can definitely motivate me to reach the top with them and keep improving.”
With a focus on attacking and an emphasis on competing hard at every point, Kypson feels his game is more complete than ever, with a break into the Top 100 in sight.
“I think I’ve developed my skills more than when I was at the peak of my career,” he said. “I know what I need to improve and what I’m doing well, so I just try to keep doubling down on those things and with that the ranking and the points will take care of themselves as much as possible, which is of course easier said than done. But that’s my goal.”
Editor’s note: This story originally ran on USTA.com.
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