Fonseca, Bublik, Coric & more… Recap 2025 Challenger 175 champions | ATP Tour

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Fonseca, Bublik, Coric and more… Recap 2025 Challenger 175 champions

Kovacevic, Michelsen, Mpetshi Perricard won titles

December 30, 2025

Joao Fonseca and Alexander Bublik were among those using the ATP Challenger 175 level as a pathway to the major stages in 2025. They weren’t the only stars to shine in the top tier of the ATP Challenger tournaments. Borna Coric scored a memorable victory against Stan Wawrinka in the final in Aix-en-Provence.

Fonseca, Bublik and Coric were three of six on the Challenger 175 qualifying list for 2025. ATPTour.com repeats last season’s champions at that level.

Fonseca enters the Challenger record books in Phoenix
Fonseca accomplished some important things in his first season, including a historic title at the Arizona Tennis Classic. The Brazilian became the second youngest player from South America – after Juan Martin del Potro – to win three ATP Challenger titles.

“Having a good run in this Challenger, which is 175, but it could be the same as the ATP 250 in the ranking of the players, easily,” said Fonseca in Phoenix. “It was the best, the hardest.”

Players born in South America to win three Challenger titles aged 18 and under:

Andre Agassi made a special appearance at the Phoenix Challenger, where the former No. 1 performed an honorary coin flip before Fonseca’s quarter-final match with Hugo Gaston. In the final, Fonseca defeated Alexander Bublik 7-6(5), 7-6(0).

Kovacevic wins the biggest crown of the career
In the same week that Fonseca won in Phoenix, American Aleksandar Kovacevic won his major title at the Cap Cana Challenger in the Dominican Republic. Kovacevic, like Fonseca, defeated four Top 100 players on his way to the top. The former University of Illinois standout defeated Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-3 in a 71-minute final at the Republica Dominicana Open, Copa Cap Cana Ciudad Destino.

“The conditions here are very difficult to prepare for,” said a relieved Kovacevic after winning the trophy. “In my quarter-final match, I was tight at the end of the match and that would have been the difference. If I had been tighter, I wouldn’t have been able to continue the match or I would have had to retire.

Coric drops Wawrinka in tie break to win in Aix-en-Provence
Fan favorites Borna Coric and Stan Wawrinka brought the championship to the Open Aix Provence Crédit Agricole. Coric, once ranked No. 12 in the PIF ATP Rankings, outlasted the three-time major champion 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(4) after a grueling three-hour, 11-minute battle on French clay.

Coric won three straight Challenger titles from February to March, then added to that tally in Aix-en-Provence. The Croatian player was one of six players to capture four Challenger titles in 2025.

YOU’RE BORN A MISTAKE 💪@borna_coric he rules at @OpenduPaysdAixwon the 4th Challenger title for the best tour of the season! #ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/GpDPt7dws4

– ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) May 4, 2025

Michelsen wins first clay court title in dominant week at Estoril
Alex Michelsen celebrated a historic moment at the Millennium Estoril Open, where the American captured his first clay court title. Michelsen didn’t drop a set all week and following his title run, he returned to his career high of 32.

“My mind has improved on clay since last year. I was scared, but now I’m enjoying it,” Michelsen said after defeating Italian Andrea Pellegrino 6-4, 6-4 in the final. “I came here very early because I lost in the first round in Madrid, so I probably had five, six days to prepare before I played, so I prepared well this week.”

Bublik builds momentum before moving on to the ATP Tour
Bublik produced his best career season, claiming four tour-level titles and moving up to a career-high No. 11 in November. Before that breakout in the second half of the year, Bublik was gaining momentum in Challenger tournaments, including Phoenix, where he reached the finals and clay in Turin, where the Kazakh won the Piedmonte Open Intesa Sanpaolo.

“For me, it was to maintain my level to return to where I live most of my career,” said Bublik after beating Buyunchaokete 6-3, 6-3 in the Turin final. “It’s a small step towards what I really want to achieve.”

Coach Perricard celebrated the victory at home in Bordeaux
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard relied on a dominant performance to win at home to BNP Paribas Primrose Bordeaux. The 6’10” French player outlasted 16th seed Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-5 after hitting 26 aces in the final, while also saving 11 of 12 points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Bublik’s winning form with Champion Perricard was quickly tested, as the two met in the opening round of the ATP 500 event in Hamburg just two days after each lifted the trophies. Coach Perricard won their Hamburg meeting to improve to 2-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.