Challenger
Cazaux climbs to career high following Jinan Challenger title run
Virtanen wins in Roanne; Choinski joins tie for season-leading title count
October 14, 2025
2025 Jinan Open
Arthur Cazaux is crowned champion at the Jinan Challenger.
By ATP Staff
Frenchman Arthur Cazaux captured his fourth ATP Challenger Tour title on Sunday to secure a new career-high in the PIF ATP Rankings.
The top seed at the 2025 Jinan Open, Cazaux dropped just one set all week. He raced past Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 6-2 in the final, earning revenge on the American who beat him in the Shenzhen Challenger final 12 months ago.
Following his triumph, the 23-year-old is now No. 58 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Jinan marks Cazaux’s first Challenger trophy of this season, during which he has competed in five events at that level. The Montpellier native reached his first tour-level final this year in Kitzbühel.
“First title of the year!” Cazaux wrote on Instagram, adding a hashtag ‘#loveindoors’.
Virtanen remains perfect in Challenger finals
Finland’s Otto Virtanen returned to the winner’s circle, claiming his second Challenger title of the year and eighth overall. The 24-year-old won the l’Open Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes de Roanne, where he outlasted home hope Hugo Gaston 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in the final.
Virtanen, No. 116 in the PIF ATP Rankings, extended his perfect record in Challenger finals to 8-0. Seven of those eight matches have been played at indoor events, including Roanne. Virtanen’s first Challenger trophy this year came on grass in Birmingham.
Otto Virtanen at the Roanne Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2025/10/13/13/56/virtanen-roannech-2025.jpg?w=100%25″>
Otto Virtanen at the Roanne Challenger. Credit: Clement Corso
University of Arizona standout Friend claims maiden title in surprise run
Jay Dylan Friend earned a milestone victory at the Solano Challenger in Fairfield, California. A senior at the University of Arizona, the 21-year-old Friend captured his maiden Challenger title in just his fourth outing at that level. Friend advanced through qualifying en route to the title, ousting a fellow qualifier, Edward Winter, 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-2 in the championship match.
Friend, who hails from Tokyo, Japan, qualified for the ATP Next Gen Accelerator programme this year, thanks to his collegiate success at Arizona.
Entering the week as World No. 743, Friend is the second lowest-ranked champion on the Challenger circuit this season (No. 847 Stefano Napolitano won in Biella). Friend has soared 263 spots to a career-high No. 480. He entered Fairfield with two victories at the Challenger level, including an August win against Valentin Vacherot, who won the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai.
Briton Choinski earns fourth title of 2025, countryman Peniston also wins
Jan Choinski and Ryan Peniston took contrasting paths to add hardware to their trophy cabinets. Choinski needed a deciding set in four of his five matches at the Copa Faulcombridge by Marcos Automocion in Valencia. In the final, he ended Croatian Luka Mikrut’s nine-match winning streak with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory. Mikrut won the previous week’s Braga Challenger.
Following Choinski’s fourth Challenger trophy of the season, the 29-year-old is now tied atop the 2025 title leaderboard, joining Borna Coric, Emilio Nava and #NextGenATP Nicolai Budkov Kjaer.
Jan Choinski in action at the Valencia Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2025/10/13/13/52/choinski-valenciach-2025.jpg”>
Jan Choinski in action at the Valencia Challenger. Credit: Copa Faulcombridge by Marcos Automocion
Peniston dropped just one set across five matches to win the Hersonissos Challenger 5. The 29-year-old beat top seed Kimmer Coppejans 6-3, 7-5 in the final to secure his Top 200 return for the first time in 20 months.
Barrios Vera captures clay-court crown in Cali
Chilean Tomas Barrios Vera capped a dominant week at the Kia Open in Cali, Colombia by earning his sixth Challenger title. The top seed raced past Juan Carlos Prado Angelo 6-1, 6-4 in the final. Barrios Vera surrendered no more than six games in a match en route to the title.
