The 18-year-old is seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah

#NextGenATP Joel Schwaerzler entered the record books at the Macedonian Open, where he became just the fourth player to win an ATP Challenger Tour title while holding the Junior No. 1 ranking.

Competing in just his fifth event at the Challenger level, the 18-year-old Austrian defeated Pole Kamil Majchrzak 6-3, 6-3 in Saturday’s final. Schwaerzler is the first player to win a Challenger title as the current Junior No. 1 since Wu Yibing in 2017. World No. 12 Taylor Fritz (2015) and 2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios (2013) also completed the feat.

Following his triumph in Skopje, Schwaerzler jumped 277 spots to a career-high No. 387 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Schwaerzler, who is coached by countryman and former World No. 8 Jurgen Melzer, is the fourth-youngest Austrian winner in Challenger history and the youngest since the late Horst Skoff in 1986.

A finalist at last year’s US Open boys’ doubles event, Schwaerzler is seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. He is aiming for his maiden trip to the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 18-22 December.

Joel Schwaerzler defeats Kamil Majchrzak 6-3, 6-3 in the Macedonian Open final.
Joel Schwaerzler in action during the Skopje Challenger final. Credit: Macedonian Open