GUIA DE ISORA/STARNBERG, March 3, 2024
Mikhail Kukushkin is the champion of the Tenerife Challenger 3. The 36-year-old qualifier from Kazakhstan benefited from the retirement of two-time Tenerife Challenger champion Matteo Gigante from Italy in Sunday’s singles final at the Abama Tennis Academy in Guia de Isora.
Kukushkin was leading 6-2, 2-0 when Gigante was forced to stop playing with an abdominal injury.
Age is just a number 😎
2024 – Kukushkin (36) 🏆🏆
2023 – Murray (36) 🏆🏆
2018-19 – Robredo (36-37) 🏆🏆🏆
2018 – Lorenzi (36) 🏆🏆
2017-18 – Robert (37) 🏆🏆#ATPChallenger | @meftennisevents pic.twitter.com/3MOU7lgUC8— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) March 3, 2024
By claiming his 16th ATP Challenger career title, his second of the season after Manama, Bahrain last month, Kukushkin pocketed €10,200 in prize money as well as 75 ATP Ranking points.
“In the last two years, I have been somewhat inconsistent, but I did not give up and kept working every day because my goal is to compete again with the best,” said Kukushkin, who celebrated the win with his wife and his two-year-old son. “Where do I find the motivation? Djokovic is 36 years old and is the number one in the world, so age is not a limiting factor. I am very happy with my performance and my title.”
Gigante reaches new career-high ranking
Although bitter about the injury, Gigante smiled again during the awards ceremony. His third final of the season came after four victories, highlighting his technical and mental growth. From Monday, he will be ranked World No. 148, his best ranking in his career so far.
The 22-year-old lefty from Rome demonstrated his ability to compete on big stages, and much is expected of him for the rest of the season: “These have been two fantastic weeks where I won a title and reach a final. It’s never easy to do so well after a title, so I take the best from this experience. I felt at home here in Tenerife, just like in all the tournaments organized by MEF Tennis Events. I also thank my team for their fundamental support,” Gigante concluded.
