The 19-year-old surges in PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah following title run

Just two weeks removed from his 19th birthday, Rei Sakamoto made ATP Challenger Tour history on Sunday when he became the youngest Japanese player to win multiple titles at that level, surpassing Yoshihito Nishioka and Kei Nishikori.

The #NextGenATP star triumphed at the Cary Tennis Classic, an ATP Challenger 75 event in North Carolina, where he defeated Canadian Liam Draxl 6-1, 6-4 in the final.

Youngest Japanese Players To Win Multiple Challenger Titles

Player Age Titles
Rei Sakamoto 19 years, 12 days Yokkaichi, Cary
Yoshihito Nishioka 20 years, two months Shanghai, Toyota
Kei Nishikori 20 years, four months Bermuda, Savannah

Sakamoto fired an ace on championship point to clinch the title and instantly lit up with a smile in celebration of his second Challenger crown. The teenager is up six places to ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, continuing his pursuit of his maiden trip to the 20-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 17-21 December.

The Cary final was moved indoors due to rain and Sakamoto continued his trend from the whole week — imposing his will behind his serve. The 2024 Australian Open boys' singles champion saved 26 of the 31 break points he faced throughout the Challenger 75 tournament, according to Infosys ATP Stats, including 13/15 in his opening match against Nicolas Mejia.

In other Challenger action, 22-year-old Italian Francesco Maestrelli claimed his third title at that level and second this season. Maestrelli did not drop a set all week at the Ion Tiriac Challenger, where he defeated Frenchman Luka Pavlovic 7-6(7), 6-4 in the final.

Maestrelli’s countryman Stefano Travaglia also triumphed, lifting the trophy on home soil at the Modena Challenger. The 33-year-old won seven matches in eight days, advancing through qualifying en route to the winner’s circle.

Stefano Travaglia wins the Modena Challenger.
Stefano Travaglia wins the Modena Challenger. Credit: Modena Challenger

Travaglia, former World No. 60, needed a deciding set in four of his seven matches, yet delivered his best performance of the week in the final, ousting Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-4, 6-3.

Briton Jan Choinski was crowned champion at the Internationaux de Tennis de Troyes. The 29-year-old, seeded third, downed top seed Marco Trungelliti in the semi-final before defeating second seed Calvin Hemery 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-2 in the championship match, which was moved indoors at 1-1 in the decider due to rain.

Jan Choinski wins the Troyes Challenger.
Jan Choinski is a four-time Challenger champion. Credit: Internationaux de Tennis de Troyes