TIBURON/STARNBERG, October 9, 2022
Valentin Vacherot of Monaco and Leandro Riedi from Switzerland prevailed 67(2), 6-3, 10-2 over US-American wild cards Ezekiel Clark and Alfredo Perez in one hour and 26 minutes to capture their maiden ATP Challenger doubles title at the Tiburon Challenger on Saturday.
In singles action, the match between Zachary Svajda from the United States and Canadian Alexis Galarneau was a crowd-pleaser, with extended volleys and both players showing remarkable skills and athleticism as they made all but impossible saves, thrilling spectators. In the end, Svajda secured a 6-4, 6-4 victory in one hour and 32 minutes and will go to the final match, facing US-American and No. 4 seed Ben Shelton.
The future is now for 🇺🇸 Zachary Svajda✨
The 19-year-old advances to his first Challenger final after defeating Galarneau 6-4, 6-4 in Tiburon!#ATPChallenger | @usta pic.twitter.com/AQqncL9iAY
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 8, 2022
Top seed Denis Kudla was Shelton’s equal, with aggressive play by both players, but Kudla retired more than an hour and a half into the match, when he suffered an injury, putting Shelton on the path to Sunday’s final.
With no seeded players left in competition, a new generation is making its mark. Riedi is 20. Shelton turns 20 on finals Sunday, and Svajda is 19, giving spectators a glimpse of the future of men’s professional tennis.
Saturday Results
Singles – Semi-finals
[4] B. Shelton (USA) d [1] D. Kudla (USA) 36 64 30 Retired
Z. Svajda (USA) d A. Galarneau (CAN) 64 64
Doubles – Semi-finals
L. Riedi (SUI) / V. Vacherot (MON) d [WC] E. Clark (USA) / A. Perez (USA) 67(2) 63 10-2
