The ATP Québec National Bank Challenger crowned its first-ever champion on Sunday, with Luca Van Assche getting his hands on the singles trophy.
The Frenchman’s most difficult match was his opener against Rei Sakamoto of Japan. Van Assche forced a decider after dropping the first, then managed to secure the win in a third-set tiebreaker to advance to the quarter-finals.
Alexis Galarneau was the only Canadian to make the second round, upsetting seventh seed Dino Prizmic before falling to Jacob Fearnley of Great Britain.
Van Assche defeated a pair of countrymen in straight sets en route to his fifth final (across the ATP and Challenger Tour) of the season, beating the seeded Benjamin Bonzi and Hugo Gaston.
In the title match, the world No. 41 met qualifier Stefanos Sakellaridis of Greece, who stunned top seed Zizou Bergs on his way to the final.
Read also: Junior Update by Har-Tru - Vancouver Event Leads Packed Calendar
Van Assche broke in his opening return game of each set as the 22-year-old comfortably clinched the title thanks to a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Sakellaridis. The Frenchman remained undefeated in finals this year, hoisting his third trophy since June.
Duncan Chan kept his doubles surge going following his run to the National Bank Open presented by Rogers quarters alongside Galarneau. In Québec City, the Markhamite teamed with fellow Ontarian Justin Boulais and opened the event with an upset win over third seeds Sander Gille and Sem Verbeek.
The Canucks recorded a second-consecutive straight-sets victory to make the semis, where the duo came back from a set down against Ariel Behar and Fernando Romboli to punch their ticket into the final.
Read also: Auger-Aliassime, Diallo, Draxl, and Chan join Team Canada for Davis Cup Qualifiers in Quebec City
Boulais and Chan managed to force a match tiebreaker again after losing the first set to alternates Alexander Donski and Ajeet Rai, but the Bulgarian-Kiwi pair closed out the contest in dominant fashion, securing the title with a 6-3, 4-6, 10-3 win.
Chan has jumped over 800 spots up the ATP doubles rankings since the National Bank Open as the 21-year-old will soon be back in Québec City for his Davis Cup debut.
The Davis Cup is coming to Quebec City September 18 and 19 as Team Canada hosts France in the Davis Cup Qualifiers Second Round. Tickets are on sale now. CLICK HERE TO BUY YOUR TICKETS!
Feature Photo: Mathieu Belanger
