Sakamoto rallies to historic Challenger win at home
Through a season of swings, Japan’s young star Rei Sakamoto summoned grit on Yokohama’s courts, turning deficits into a breakthrough title that echoes Japan’s rising tennis hopes.
Rei Sakamoto closed out his 2025 season with a determined push at the YOKOHAMA KEIO CHALLENGER by MITA KOSAN, where he outlasted countryman Kaichi Uchida in a gripping final. The 19-year-old, seeded second, surrendered the opening set but regrouped to take the next in a tiebreak and sealed the decider with a break, earning a 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over two hours and 15 minutes. This marked him as the first Japanese teenager to capture three Challenger titles, a feat that highlights his ascent while he sits 10th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah after two earlier wins this year, one in Cary, North Carolina.
Comebacks fuel emotional surge
Sakamoto’s route to the crown involved rallying from a set down in each of his last three matches, a pattern that tested his resolve on the indoor hard courts where quick adjustments separate survivors from champions. He countered Uchida’s steady baseline game with crosscourt forehands to open angles, then followed with inside-out backhands in longer exchanges, saving breakpoints through varied depth. The home crowd’s energy pulsed through the stadium, their cheers amplifying his focus during tense moments that recalled the year’s earlier frustrations.
Former No. 4 Kei Nishikori brought added weight to the draw, advancing to the quarterfinals before Uchida upset him in a clash of generations. Nishikori, competing for the first time since the Cincinnati Open, showed flashes of his old precision but faltered on returns against Uchida’s improved serve placement. Sakamoto later shared his reflections on the year in an Instagram post.
“I had lots of ups and downs this year, but fought hard at the end,” he wrote. “Appreciate all the support from everybody around me. Can’t wait for the offseason and what 2026 will bring to us!!”
Rei Sakamoto makes history for Japan 🇯🇵
The 19-year-old becomes the first Japanese teenager ever to win three Challenger titles!#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/rYmaWWC9kg— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 23, 2025
Youth drives global Challenger momentum
Across the circuit, emerging talents echoed Sakamoto’s tenacity. In Bergamo, Italian Francesco Maestrelli claimed the 20th anniversary edition of the Internazionali di Bergamo, a venue once conquered by Jannik Sinner, Matteo Berrettini, Holger Rune, and Jack Draper. The 22-year-old dispatched German Marko Topo 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 on indoor hard courts, using drop shots and net rushes to disrupt patterns in the final set, propelling him to a career-high No. 138 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo grinded through the Challenger Ciudad de Guayaquil on clay, enduring a two-hour, 59-minute final to edge Juan Pablo Varillas 7-5, 6-7(7), 6-3. At 21, he relied on topspin loops and sliding defense to extend rallies past 20 shots, securing a career-high No. 143 and building stamina for tougher draws ahead. Brazilian Gustavo Heide dominated the ENGIE Open in Florianopolis without losing a set, overwhelming Argentine Andrea Collarini 6-2, 6-3 with a one–two of heavy serves and forehand drives on the slower surface.
The 23-year-old’s second Challenger title, following his 2024 Asuncion run over countryman Joao Fonseca, showcased his adaptation to home clay, where crowd support mirrored the lift Sakamoto felt in Yokohama. These young guns, blending aggression with patience, signal a Challenger tour brimming with potential breakthroughs as they target main-draw spots.
Veterans blend legacy with fresh paths
Australian James Duckworth matched Facundo Bagnis for the most active Challenger titles at 17, powering through the NSW Open in Sydney on outdoor hard courts with a 6-1, 6-4 final over 20-year-old Hayato Matsuoka. He dropped no sets all week, leaning on flat serves and inside-in forehands to dictate tempo against the Japanese prospect’s counterpunching style. There, former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt stepped out of retirement to team with his 16-year-old son Cruz Hewitt in doubles, claiming their opener before a quarterfinal loss; Cruz also picked up a singles main-draw win, his second at that level, infusing the event with family drive.
Czech Zdenek Kolar notched his second title of 2025 at the III Challenger Montemar ENE Construccion in Montemar, Spain, outlasting Italian Gianluca Cadenasso 6-4, 6-4 on clay through deep crosscourt rallies that wore down his opponent’s variety. The 29-year-old’s steady baseline probing maintained his ranking edge, a reminder of how experience anchors the circuit’s chaos. Briton Toby Samuel, a former University of South Carolina standout, grabbed his maiden Challenger trophy in Soma Bay, Egypt, rallying past countryman Jay Clarke 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-0 on hard courts.
The 23-year-old surged in the third set with improved footwork and underspin backhands, climbing to a career-high No. 329 in the PIF ATP Rankings and bridging his college roots to pro demands. As these stories unfold, the offseason looms as a forge for sharper tactics and stronger minds, with Sakamoto’s home stand pointing toward Japan’s next wave of contenders ready to challenge the elite.
