Brits claim success at the Lexus Glasgow Challenger
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There was a mix of international and British success at the ATP Challenger event in Glasgow this weekend with Clement Chidekh from France lifting the singles title, and the British pairing of Scott Duncan and Marcus Willis claiming victory in the doubles draw.
The international tournaments are part of the LTA’s Performance Competitions Calendar which provides significantly enhanced opportunities for British players at each age and stage of the performance player pathway on home soil.
22-year-old Clement Chidekh had an impressive run to the final, defeating on form players including Hamish Stewart, and the fourth seed Manuel Guinard. In the final, Chidekh defeated Paul Jubb, who was playing in his first Challenger final since March 2022. Jubb comfortably took the first set and had two break points to go up 5-3 in the second before the exertion of the week caught up with him.
In the quarter finals Jubb defeated Wimbledon boys' champion Henry Searle 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 which was followed by a two and a half hour long marathon match in the semi-final against Elmar Ejupovic from Germany where he came from a set down to take him into the final. However, Chidekh ended up winning the match 0-6, 6-4, 6-1 to claim his maiden ATP Challenger title.
Speaking on lifting his first Challenger title, Chidekh said, “It’s my first Challenger win so it’s great, a milestone I wanted to meet. My main goal has been to stay healthy and play as much as I can and keep improving, so it’s just great to win here.
"I’ve been playing a lot in England, but this was my first time in Scotland, and I loved it. Every day I’ve been saying to my coach it’s a great tournament, great place, great people, so we have to do our best to stay one more day”.
In the all-British men’s doubles final, the experienced top seeding pairing of Scott Duncan and Marcus Willis defeated Kyle Edmund and Searle 6-3, 6-2 to claim their eighth title as a duo. Duncan and Willis will both rise to new career highs when the ATP rankings are released.
“We won our first challenger title back in November, and then had an unfortunate first round last week [in Nottingham], but it’s great to win another trophy. It makes it all the sweeter being back home in Scotland”, said Duncan post-match.
“It makes a massive difference playing in Scotland, being on the centre court, knowing the venue, knowing the environment and having the home crowd was awesome.”
Tournament Director Mike Cohen, Head of Competitions & Events at Tennis Scotland, said, “We’ve had a brilliant week in Glasgow, where we’ve welcomed big crowds every day and witnessed some top-class performances. With a live DJ, bagpipes and a prize draw, there has been an electric atmosphere at a terrific venue.
"Thank you to all the players, officials, volunteers, and everyone else involved in the event for making it such a memorable week.”
Full results and further tournament information can be found here:
