Noah Rubin completed what has been a successful time in Australia for the former Junior Wimbledon champion. The young American sealed his first challenger title of 2017 by defeating compatriot Mitchell Krueger in the final 60 61.
The final score was a little surprising given how Krueger had been playing in Launceston this week. He had defeated eighth seed Akira Santillan, Burnie Champion Omar Jasika, and sixth seed Mohamed Safwat en route to the final, all players in good form and ranked higher than him. Yet Krueger has an unpredictable nature, often losing to heavy scorelines when his game fails to get going, and that is what happened in the Launceston final.
Krueger’s bubble burst, and Rubin was able to take full advantage, dropping just one game in the final. It will be a welcome relief for Rubin, who struggled himself in Burnie after knocking out Krueger in the first round of that event in much closer circumstances.
Rubin lost in the second round there, but can ultimately define his period in Australia a successful one. He qualified and reached the second round of the Australian Open, winning four matches overall, before losing to eventual champion Roger Federer in straight sets. Rubin , ranked at No.196 coming into the week, will likely add more security to his Top 200 ranking, potentially moving up close to forty places depending on other ranking movements.
Krueger, despite his defeat, will break the Top 200 for the first time in his career, moving above his former career high ranking of No. 210.
It was a good week for Americans, as Krueger and Rubin were joined by an unlikely semi-finalist in Daniel Nguyen, after he took advantage of the wide loss of seeded players across the draw.
The Launceston Challenger officially brings to an end the main Australasian swing that started with ATP events and Challengers in Happy Valley, peaking with the Australian Open, before a few Challenger events finished the opening section of the season.
