DANDERYD/STARNBERG, November 19, 2023
The ATP Challenger returned to Sweden this week for the first time since Bastad 2018 with the inaugural Good to Great Challenger. The €73,000 hard-court event was held at the Good To Great Tennis Academy in Danderyd, an affluent municipality, located just north of Stockholm. The academy has earned a reputation for nurturing young talent as well as honing the skills of aspiring tennis stars and is run by former pros Nicklas Kulti, Mikael Tillstrom and tournament director Magnus Norman.
Maximilian Marterer clinched the singles title. The No. 2 seed from Germany, who only lost one set en route to the championship match, outlasted eighth-seeded US-American Brandon Nakashima 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 in Sunday’s final. Marterer struck nine aces, won 77 per cent of his first-service points and broke his rival two times to secure victory in two hours and eight minutes.
MAX-IMUM performance 💪
Maximilian Marterer claim his second title of the year, defeating Nakashima 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 in Danderyd#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/RllzbpBteG
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 19, 2023
“Brandon played very well right from the start and broke me in the beginning, which is not the way you want to start a match,” said Marterer. “But I tried to stick to my game and focused on my serve. I got more and more chances and at the end of the second set I was able to break him the first time, which turned the match into my direction.”
The 28-year-old Marterer claimed his ninth career title on the ATP Challenger Tour, his second of the season following his triumph in Amersfoort, Netherlands in July. The World No. 100 pocketed €9,880 in prize money as well as 75 ATP Ranking points.
Cash/Stevens capture doubles title
On Saturday, Julian Cash of Great Britain and Dutchman Bart Stevens clinched the doubles title. The top seeds defeated second-seeded Indians Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Vijay Sundar Prashanth 6-7(7), 6-4, 10-7 in one hour and 58 minutes.
Cash and Stevens split €4,250 in prize money and pocketed 75 ATP Doubles Ranking points.
