Raphael Collignon remains the king of the Atkinsons Monza Open. One year after winning the inaugural edition as the top favourite, the 24-year-old Belgian successfully defended his title, once again proving untouchable on the clay courts of the Villa Reale Tennis Club.

Since last year’s triumph, Collignon has continued his rise, breaking into the world’s Top 60 and establishing himself as one of the most consistent performers on the ATP Challenger Tour. His level in Monza suggested there is even more to come.

In a sold-out final, Collignon defeated Croatia’s rising star Dino Prizmic 7-6(2), 6-3 in a match that was closer than the scoreline might suggest. The two-hour contest featured tight rallies throughout, with Collignon facing early pressure in both sets but never dropping his serve – a feat he had managed in all matches this week except once in the quarterfinals.

The opening set proved decisive, with the Belgian dominating the tie-break 7-2 after a hard-fought battle. In the second set, the crucial moment came when Collignon secured the only break for a 3-1 lead and immediately backed it up by saving a break-back chance with an ace. From there, he remained in full control, sealing victory in two hours and nine minutes with a confident service game.

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The moment Raphael Collignon sealed his 6th career ATP Challenger title#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/ISWZGUX4gi

— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) April 12, 2026

The title marks Collignon’s sixth ATP Challenger career crown and his second of the season, having also defended his title earlier this year in Pau, France. He earned €30,460 in prize money as well as 125 ATP Ranking points.

“It has been a really great week, and I’m super happy with my performance,” Collignon said. “The level I showed in a tournament with so many strong players gives me a lot of confidence for the upcoming events. It was an intense final – the first set was the toughest of my season, and I knew winning it would be crucial. It’s easy to speak positively after a win, but I truly feel at home here. I love the conditions, the people, the atmosphere. I felt so much support from the first round. Playing in Monza makes me feel good.”

Prizmic, who had enjoyed a breakthrough week by cracking the Top 100 for the first time and reached his first final of the season, was gracious in defeat.

“It was a pleasure to be part of a tournament like this,” he said. “Congratulations to my opponent—he played incredible tennis all week, and the support from the crowd was also amazing.”

Tournament director Giorgio Tarantola praised the event’s growth following its upgrade from Challenger 100 to 125 level.

“The upgrade has paid off,” he said. “We saw an extremely high level of tennis and incredible attendance from the very first day. We surpassed 40,000 visitors throughout the week, with the entire city involved – similar to what happens during the Formula 1 Grand Prix. We exceeded all expectations.”

With plans already in place to expand seating capacity for future editions, the Monza Open looks set to grow even further. For now, however, the spotlight belongs firmly to Collignon – once again the undisputed champion in Monza.