Van Assche’s Steady Climb Back to the Top 100
Luca Van Assche turned the pressure of a home crowd into fuel, clinching the Lille Challenger to reclaim his spot in the PIF ATP Rankings’ elite after 21 months on the outside.
Luca Van Assche walked into the Play In Challenger in Lille carrying the sting of 21 months outside the Top 100, but the 21-year-old Frenchman flipped the script with a clinical 6-2, 6-4 final win over Alexander Blockx. This marked his second Challenger title of the season, following Quimper, and propelled him straight back to No. 100 for the first time since May 2024. The indoor hard courts buzzed with local fervor, every hold amplifying the home favorite’s resolve as he navigated a draw stacked with rising talents.
“This victory shows that I worked very hard before the start of the season,” said Van Assche. “It’s the reward for all the work I’ve put in over the last few months and I’m very happy.”
Seeded seventh, Van Assche faced relentless pressure, saving 25 of 28 break points through the week—a stat from ATP Stats that reveals his sharpened return game under duress. He dismantled 16-year-old Moise Kouame 6-1, 6-1 in the semis, stretching the court with inside-out forehands before snapping down-the-line backhands to end points decisively. No single match dazzled, yet his baseline consistency turned potential cracks into commanding leads, a quiet evolution from the prodigy who reached the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in 2023 and 2024.
Saving breaks, building identity
Van Assche’s game in Lille centered on a budding identity: deep serves followed by low slices to jam opponents, then crosscourt rallies to wear them down. Against Blockx, he converted key breaks by targeting the Belgian’s backhand with heavy topspin, holding at 92 percent while the crowd’s murmurs built to cheers on every defensive stand. This wasn’t flashy tennis but a grind forged in off-season hours, echoing his peak at No. 63 and marking him as the first to claim five ATP Challenger 125 titles since the category launched in 2019.
Big win. Big trophy @lucavanassche becomes the first player to claim five ATP Challenger 125 titles since the category was introduced in 2019#ATPChallenger | @PlayinLille pic.twitter.com/9iknBypB7l
— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) February 22, 2026
His path mirrors a player piecing together reliability after early-season stumbles, with Lille’s controlled environment letting him exploit the ball’s pace—contrasting faster hard courts where he’d slipped before. The rankings shift feels earned: 125 points vaulted him past the threshold, his total now anchoring the century mark amid post-Australian flux. As European events loom, this consistency hints at deeper runs, where saved breaks become statements.
“I’m trying to find a strong playing identity, to maintain a very high level every day, and that’s what I managed to do this week,” said Van Assche. “I never played an exceptional match, but I managed to stay at a very good level.”
Challenger surges around the globe
Across the circuit, similar tales of tenacity unfolded, with young guns and veterans alike turning pressure into breakthroughs. Stefanos Sakellaridis, the 21-year-old Greek, grabbed his first Challenger trophy at the Delhi Open 2026, outlasting Oliver Crawford 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(6) in a three-hour scrap where he erased a 5-2 final-set hole and two match points in the tiebreak. Rising 55 spots to No. 220, Sakellaridis mixed underspin backhands to disrupt rhythm before unleashing 1–2 punches, his outdoor hard-court fightback a nod to mental edges over flat-hitting foes.
Borna Gojo, the 27-year-old Croatian, claimed his third Challenger crown at the Chacachallenger - Metepec Open, upsetting three top seeds: Bernard Tomic in quarters, home favorite Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez in semis, and Alexis Galarneau 6-1, 6-4 in the final. Fresh from a Cleveland runner-up, Gojo’s flat groundstrokes cut through on the medium-paced surface, breaking five times by reading second-serve patterns and varying his own placements to keep defenses guessing. These upsets stabilized his Top 200 hold, fueling momentum through surface shifts.
Home triumphs and ranking leaps
Guido Ivan Justo celebrated on familiar ground at the Tigre Challenger 50, rallying from a set down to beat Lautaro Midon 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 for his maiden title at the level, climbing to No. 277. The 28-year-old Argentine thrived in humid conditions, shifting to deeper returns and crosscourt lobs after early errors, drawing Midon forward with slices before punishing overhasty approaches. His endurance turned the outdoor clay match, adding vital points in a region where local support sharpens focus.
🇦🇷 Nothing like winning at home 🇦🇷#ATPChallenger | @AATenis pic.twitter.com/nqQ0oErvGW
— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) February 22, 2026
These victories—from Van Assche’s measured dominance to Gojo’s seed-toppling run—highlight a Challenger tour alive with tactical reinvention. As players like Sakellaridis eye Asian swings and Justo builds on Latin clay affinity, the PIF ATP Rankings pulse with fresh narratives, where every adjusted pattern promises fiercer main-draw clashes ahead.
