MONZA/STARNBERG, April 12, 2025
The stage is set for an exciting conclusion to the first edition of the Atkinsons Monza Open, an ATP Challenger Tour 100 tournament hosted by Villa Reale Tennis. Sunday’s final will see top seed Raphael Collignon take on tournament surprise Vitaliy Sachko in front of what promises to be another packed crowd—marking the end of a debut edition that has exceeded expectations.
On one side of the net stands Belgium’s Collignon, the World No. 88, who has lived up to his seeding by dominating the clay courts of Lombardy. On the other, Ukraine’s Vitaliy Sachko, who has battled his way through four grueling three-set matches, spending nearly nine hours on court. His latest win came in Saturday’s semifinal, where he overcame Frenchman Luca Van Assche 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 in a dramatic comeback. Trailing 2-4 in the final set and clearly running low on energy, the 27-year-old from Kremenchuk found a second wind and capitalized on some errors from his opponent to seal the victory with a forehand on the line.
With that win, Sachko reached his sixth career Challenger final—his second in as many weeks and his fourth in Italy. Though he’s yet to win a title on Italian soil, Sunday’s final presents another opportunity to break that pattern. Regardless of the outcome, Sachko is set to climb further in the ATP rankings, moving closer to the top 250 and within striking distance of his career-high No. 156.
Collignon, meanwhile, has already secured a new career-high ranking after a stellar performance in Monza. The 22-year-old Belgian, born in Rochester, Minnesota, was outside the top 500 just a year ago. Now, after a commanding 6-1, 6-1 semifinal victory over Czech Dalibor Svrcina, Collignon is eyeing his fourth ATP Challenger Tour career title in what will be his eighth career final. His swift win on Saturday highlighted the fatigue of his opponent, who had played deep into multiple Italian tournaments over recent weeks.
Simply UNPLAYABLE
Raphael Collignon breezes past Svrcina with a 6–1, 6–1 masterclass, to make it 3⃣ #ATPChallenger finals in 2025! pic.twitter.com/iM8uFpdvmP
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 12, 2025
As excitement builds for Sunday’s singles final, the tournament crowned its first champions in the doubles competition. Britain’s Luke Johnson and the Netherlands’ Sander Arends captured the title with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win over Italians Jacopo Vasami and Filippo Romano. The victory, sealed in just 46 minutes, marks the pair’s fifth title together, including two ATP Tour-level trophies in Metz (2024) and Hong Kong (2025).
SATURDAY RESULTS
Singles – Semifinals:
Raphael Collignon (BEL) def. Dalibor Svrcina (CZE) 6-1, 6-1
Vitaliy Sachko (UKR) def. Luca Van Assche (FRA) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
Doubles – Final:
Sander Arends (NED) / Luke Johnson (GBR) def. Filippo Romano / Jacopo Vasamì (ITA) 6-1, 6-1
