ZHANGJIANG/STARNBERG, September 7, 2026

Ilia Simakin completed a strong week at the International Challenger Zhangjiagang by defeating Kasidit Samrej of Thailand 6-3, 6-1 in Sunday’s singles final to claim the ATP Challenger 75 title in Zhangjiagang, China.

That’s how you win a title 🔥

Ilia Simakin seals the deal with a brilliant backhand winner#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/2WBbJe0xDX

— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) September 6, 2026

The sixth-seeded Simakin came through a demanding draw without dropping a set after the opening round. Following a first-round victory over Denis Yevseyev of Kazakhstan, he defeated Australian Matthew Dellavedova 7-5, 6-2 in the second round before overcoming fourth seed Yi Zhou from China 7-6(5), 6-4 in the quarterfinals.

Simakin then booked his place in the championship match with a 6-3, 7-6(3) victory over Mitsuki Wei Kang Leong in the semi-finals. The Malaysian qualifier had enjoyed an impressive run through the draw, defeating eighth seed Petr Bar Biryukov and Koki Matsuda before beating James Trotter in the quarterfinals, when Trotter retired trailing 6-7(4), 6-3, 0-4.

Samrej, meanwhile, reached the final from the top half of the draw. The Thai defeated Hiroki Moriya in the opening round and then accounted for top seed Bernard Tomic 7-5, 7-6(3). He continued his run with a 6-4, 7-6(4) quarter-final win over Enzo Aguiard before eliminating third seed Chun-Hsin Tseng 6-3, 7-6(1) in the semi-finals.

The final proved to be a one-sided affair. Simakin took control early and secured the opening set 6-3 before maintaining his momentum in the second. The sixth seed dropped just one game in the final set to secure victory in only 56 minutes.

The tournament was staged from August 31 to September 6, 2026, on the hard courts of the Tennis Academy of China, Zhangjiagang Branch, with a total prize purse of $107,000. Simakin’s victory earned him $17,000 as well as 75 ATP Ranking points.