HAMBURG, March 16, 2024
Henri Squire and Clement Chidekh are the two finalists at the Challenger Hamburg 2024. Squire, the last remaining German player in the tournament, defeated Belgian rising star Alexander Blockx in the semifinals 6-3, 7-5.
In front of a well-filled crowd on Saturday afternoon at the venue of the Hamburg Tennis Association, Squire served seven aces in a rapid match, saved both break points against him, and broke the Australian Open junior winner twice. After one hour and 14 minutes, the 23-year-old Duisburg native advanced to his first championship on the ATP Challenger Tour.
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“Today, it was very important to hold my serve,” told Squire in his post match on-court interview with Tennis TourTalk. “I always felt closer to breaking his serve than he did to breaking mine. Eventually, I showed patience and waited for my chance. I didn’t deviate from my game plan, stayed focused, and still brought some aggression to the court.”
Squire had already reached the final of a Futures tournament in Hamburg three years ago. At that time, he lost to Swiss player Jakub Paul. “The preparation for the final will look similar to the days before. I will go to the same restaurant for dinner again. Of course, it’s nice to reach the final. However, the routines remain the same to keep the focus consistent,” the World No. 271 said.
Chidekh: From qualifying to the final
French qualifier Chidekh continued his successful run in the Hanseatic city with a 6-3, 7-6(6) victory over Japan’s Yuta Shimizu. The 22-year-old former US college player won 55 per cent of the total points played to prevail after one hour and 30 minutes.
“I feel very comfortable here in Hamburg,” revealed Chidekh after his sixth match win this week. “The conditions suit me well. I like playing in the indoor hard courts.”
Chidekh also clinched his first title on the ATP Challenger Tour on a similar surface. In Glasgow, Scotland, he defeated Britain’s Paul Jubb in straight sets last month. Now, another title win is on the cards against Squire.
The two finalists will meet for the first time. The champion will receive €5,080 in prize money and valuable 50 ATP Ranking points.
Bertola/Bellucci surprise in doubles
Earlier in the day, Swiss Remy Bertola and his Italian partner Mattia Bellucci captured the doubles title. The duo defeated the top-seeded Karol Drzewiecki from Poland and Patrik Niklas-Salminen of Finland 6-4, 7-5 after one hour and eight minutes.
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“We returned well and put a lot of pressure on them. They are doubles specialists. We were the underdogs in the final. But we were aggressive and managed it pretty well in the end,” Bertola said.
“It was really fun this week competing in doubles as well,” added Bellucci. “We played without any pressure and were able to enjoy our time on the court. Obviously, winning a title is always nice.”
By winning their maiden doubles title, Bertola and Bellucci split €1,900 in prize money and collected 50 ATP Doubles Ranking points.
