BARLETTA, April 16, 2017

Aljaz Bedene has added a third Barletta ATP Challenger crown, winning Sunday’s singles final of the €43,000 Citta’ Della Disfida Open 7-6, 6-3 over top seed Gastao Elias from Portugal.

The 2011 and 2012 champion from Great Britain capitalized on six of his nine break point chances to secure victory in two hours and eight minutes. Following his triumphs at the Irving Tennis Classic and the Verrazzano Open in Sophia Antipolis last week, Bedene clinched his third ATP Challenger title in a row. He has moved to 14-2 in Challenger finals.

“It was not easy to play today, as the court was pretty slow due to the weather,” Bedene told afterwards. “I gained more confidence in the second set and eventually got away with the win. I really enjoy playing here in Barletta but I hope that this has been my last Challenger for the rest of the season. My goal is to break into the Top 30 by the end of the year.”

The 27-year-old Ljubljana native takes away €6,190 in prize money as well as 80 ATP Ranking points.