Marcel Granollers proved the winner in one of the most prestigious challengers of the year in Irving, Texas. He defeated defending champion Aljaz Bedene in resounding fashion 6-1, 6-1.
Bedene, who had had two tough matches in the quarters and semis, could not cope with Granollers in either set, surrendering two breaks in the first, and three in the second. The Spaniard took care of business on his own serve, dropping just five points in the first set and none in the second. The win will see Granollers cement his Top 100 status, something that had looked threatened when he fell to 92 earlier this year. He will move back inside the Top 80 on the back of his win in Texas.
Bedene will drop fifty points having failed to defend the title, but overall it represented a positive week for the British no. 2
There was better news for Dan Evans, as the Briton secured his first Challenger title of 2016 by winning in Drummondville. He defeated countryman and surprise finalist Edward Corrie 6-3, 6-4. Corrie’s ranking pre-match was nearly four-hundred places short of Evans, and the match went to form, as Evans broke three times, giving away just the one break. He was helped by his dominant first serve, losing just four points in the match when it landed. Evans will move up to within a few places of his career-high ranking of 123. Corrie will move from 531 to a ranking inside the Top 400 as a result of his fine performances this week.
The Drummondville tournament of 2016 will be memorable for the runs of Denis Shapovalov and Tim Van Rijthoven, as the teenagers both impressed in runs to the semi-finals.
In Guadalajara there was a return to form for Malek Jaziri as he edged veteran Frenchman Stephane Robert 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 for the title. Tobias Kamke also finally found some form as the German, who endured a rotten 2015, defeated Aslan Karatsev 6-4, 6-2.
Lukas Lacko will take on Nikoloz Basilasvhili in the Guangzhou final.
