By Stephen Higgins
Top class tournament tennis returns to Ireland next week, for the first time in nearly 20 years.
Former world no 3 Grigor Dimitrov, winner of nine titles on the ATP Tour including the 2017 ATP Finals, and the man who was on the cusp of defeating world no.1 Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon last year before retiring injured, is the star attraction at the ATP Challenger in Elm Park, as he attempts to both rebuild his ranking and get a wildcard into SW19 next month.
And Dimitrov is not the only title holder competing. Former Australian Open doubles champion Thanasi Kokkinakis also in attendance. A great mate of Nick Kyrgios, the 30-year-old is an extremely talented player who has been ranked as high as no.65 in the world in singles.
In terms of ranking, the top seeds on show will be France’s Titouan
Droguet (world no.107), Italy’s Francesco Maestrelli (128), and another
Frenchman, Kyrian Jacquet (147). 24-year-old Droguet is definitely one to watch as he has halved his
ranking in the last 12 months. The man from Villeneuve saint Georges has
already secured some excellent wins this season over top 100 players and
made the semi-finals of the ATP 250 in Montpellier.
Meanwhile, Maestrelli already triumphed at a Challenger this year
(Tenerife) and made the second round of the Australian Open where he
lost to Novak Djokovic. As for Jacquet, he is another Challenger
champion with a title this year in Bahrain.
Apart from established players, events like these are also a great
opportunity to see the next generation of stars.
17-year-old Ivan Ivanov, who was recently the junior no.1 and won both
the Wimbledon and US Open Boys’ tournaments in 2025, is a very exciting
entrant. Cruz Hewitt is another 17-year-old to look out for with a very
famous surname.
For home fans, there will be Irish players on show as Peter Buldorini
and Conor Gannon have both received wildcards into the main draw. In
addition, Ammar Elamin and Dylan Leeman will hope to make it through
qualifying over the weekend.
So with the grass courts tightly trimmed, stands built and a buzz
about Elm Park Golf & Sports Club, it should be a super week for Irish tennis as the players compete for a prize pool of just under €100,000.
Let’s just hope the weather cooperates.
If you missed out on tickets, the tournament will be live streamed here for the week.
