October 26, 2025

No. 5 seed Kypson Rallies to Defeat Monday in Thrilling Final

American Captures Third Challenger Title of Season

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The second-year MarketBeat Open provided fans with one
of the most exciting finals on the ATP Challenger Tour this season as No. 5
seed Patrick Kypson rallied to defeat unseeded Johannus Monday of Great
Britain 6-7(2), 7-6(4), 7-5, on Sunday.

The 2-hour, 34-minute championship featured only one break as Monday
double-faulted for the only time in the match in the 11th game of the third
set. That was also the only break point the 23-year-old left-hander faced in
the match.

There were no break points in the 44-minute opening set and neither player
went to deuce on his serve. Monday went up 2-0 in the tie-break and did not
lose a point on his serve to secure the opening set 7-2 in the breaker. 

In the second set, both players were holding easily until Kypson faced a
break point for the first time, saving two in the 11th game. After Monday
held, a second tie-break was played. Kypson went up a mini-break 2-0, which
proved to be the difference as both players held the rest of the tie-break
with Kypson prevailing 7-4.

In the final set, Kypson saved four break points in the fourth game, which
was the longest of the match (18 points). Both players held the rest of the
way until the 11th game when Monday was broken.

"That was the key and whoever was going to break serve was probably going to
come out on top and I was fortunate to hold tough when I was facing break
points," said Kypson, who saved all six break points in the match. "I was
fortunate enough to snag the only break point I had late in the match."

Kypson, a former All-American at Texas A&M, ranked as low No. 455 on April 7
after being sidelined for three months with a stress fracture in his left
foot. He underwent surgery on Jan. 24 and returned April 21 in Savannah. His
ranking will improve from No. 166 to No. 146.

Since his return, Kypson has won titles on clay, outdoor hard and indoor
hard this season. He is just the third American to accomplish the feat since
1978, joining Robby Ginepri (2002) and Michael Russell (2009).

"I think the margins were so thin today and you could only chalk it up to
continuing to do what you were doing throughout the match," said Kypson, who
will turn 26 on Tuesday. "At the end of the day luck plays a little bit of a
role and I stuck what I was doing and ultimately I was able to save those
break points and come out on top."

It was also a record 20th Challenger title won by an American this season,
breaking the previous-high of 19 in 2006.

"We have a lot of guys ranked between the Top 100 and 200, young guys, a
couple of veterans in there," said Kypson, who will turn 26 on Tuesday.  "We
have a pretty strong group of guys right now and we are all trying to push
each other to get into the Top 100. It's pretty impressive to win 20 titles
in a season."

Monday, who played at the University of Tennessee from 2020-2024, was
appearing in his first career Challenger final. He came in ranked No. 238
and afterwards is projected to move to a career-high No. 212 in the PIF ATP
Rankings.

Kypson moved to No. 2 in the Australian Open Wild Card Challenge standings
after week two with three weeks to go. The leader is Eliot Spizzirri, who
was runner-up in the Brest, FRA Challenger on Sunday.

October 26, 2025

No. 5 seed Kypson, Unseeded Monday in Championship

Former Collegiate Stars at Texas A&M, Tennessee Square Off

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - No. 5 seed Patrick Kypson and unseeded Johannus Monday
of Great Britain will meet on Sunday in the MarketBeat Open singles
championship.

Both players have only dropped one set en route to the final, in the first
round against their respective opponents.
On Saturday, Kypson defeated French qualifier Antoine Ghibaudo 6-3, 6-1 in
62 minutes to advance to his fourth ATP Challenger Tour final of the season.
The 25-year-old native of Durham, N.C. (turns 26 on Tuesday) never faced
break point and only lost seven points (32 of 39) in eight service games.

Kypson is 2-1 in finals this season, winning titles in Bogota and Little
Rock this spring and reaching the final in Mouilleron le Captif, FRA earlier
this month. By reaching the final, Kypson surpasses Martin Damm and moves to
No. 2 in the Australian Open Wild Card Challenge standings. The leader is
Eliot Spizzirri, who is in the Brest, FRA final on Sunday.

Monday advanced to his first career ATP Challenger Tour final with a 6-4,
7-6(4) victory over Mats Rosenkranz of Germany.
The 23-year-old Monday, who played at the University of Tennessee from
2020-24, hit six aces and saved three of five break points while converting
three of 10 break points.

Monday lost the opening set of his first round match against No. 7 seed
Michael Zheng on Tuesday and since then has won his last eight sets played.
Monday came in ranked No. 238 and he will jump to a career-high No. 212 in
the ATP Live Rankings. If he wins the title on Sunday, Monday will break
into the Top 200 around No. 180.

In Saturday's doubles championship, top seeds and former Univ. of North
Carolina teammates Rinky Hijikata and Mac Kiger captured their first career
ATP Challenger Tour doubles title together with a 6-4,  6-4 victory over
unseeded Juan Jose Bianchi of Venezuela and Andrew Fenty of Washington, D.C.

This is the second year in a row the ATP Challenger Tour tournament is being
played at Huether Family Match Pointe on the Sanford Sports Complex. The
tournament prize money has increased from $82,000 to $160,000 with 100 PIF
ATP Ranking points to the winner.

For tickets and for more information, go to marketbeatopen.com

October 25, 2025

No. 5 Kypson joined by Two Left-handers, Qualifier in Semi-finals

Lefties Monday, Rosenkranz, Qualifier Ghibaudo in Final Four

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The MarketBeat Open semi-finals on Saturday are led by
No. 5 seed Patrick Kypson, unseeded left-handers Johannus Monday of Great
Britain and Mats Rosenkranz of Germany and French qualifier Antoine
Ghibaudo.

On Friday, Kypson defeated No. 3 seed Rinky Hijikata of Australia 6-4, 6-4,
winning 83% of his service points (40 of 48) while never facing a break
point. The 25-year-old former Texas A&M standout is appearing in his third
straight semi-final after Lincoln last week, and a runner-up in Mouilleron
le Captif, FRA earlier this month.

Top seed Jordan Thompson retired with a left calf injury against Rosenkranz,
who was leading 7-5, 1-0 in the second set. The 27-year-old from Essen is
ranked No. 300 and he came into Sioux Falls with a 7-12 record on the
season. He is appearing in his first Challenger semi-final this year.

Monday defeated Andres Martin 6-3, 6-3, to reach his second straight
semi-final after Lincoln last week. The left-hander won 80% of first serve
points and 57% of second serve points while only facing one break point,
that coming in the last game of the match.

Ghibaudo, who is a sophomore at the University of Kentucky, advanced to his
second career Challenger semi-final with a        7-6(4), 6-4 win over
Martin Damm.  Ghibaudo qualified in Sioux Falls last year when he was ranked
No. 676. The 20-year-old is No. 398 and his previous Challenger semi-final
came in Newport in July (as a qualifier).

In the first match Saturday on Sioux Falls Ford Lincoln Stadium, top seeds
Rinky Hijikata of Australia and Mac Kiger, who plays at the Univ. of North
Carolina, take on Juan Jose Bianchi of Venezuela and Andrew Fenty, who
played at the Univ. of Michigan, in the doubles championship.

In the first singles semi-final, Rosenkranz and  Monday meet for the first
time. Monday has defeated three Americans this week and he's trying to reach
his first career Challenger final. He is 0-2 in semi-final matches.
Rosenkranz is appearing in his third career Challenger semi-final, his first
since the end of last November when he won the title in Manzanillo, Mexico.

In the next match on, Kypson and Ghibaudo meet for the second time. In July,
the Frenchman won 7-6(1), 7-5, in the first round in Newport en route to his
maiden Challenger semi-final where he lost to countryman Adrian Mannarino.
He's trying to reach his first career Challenger final.

Kypson is trying to reach his fourth Challenger final of the season (2-1).
He won titles in Bogota and Little Rock this spring. Kypson was No. 3 coming
into this week in the Australian Open Wild Card Challenge standings and he
will move to No. 2 (pass Martin Damm) if he reaches the final.

This is the second year in a row the ATP Challenger Tour tournament is being
played at Huether Family Match Pointe on the Sanford Sports Complex. The
tournament prize money has increased from $82,000 to $160,000 with 100 PIF
ATP Ranking points to the winner.

For tickets and for more information, go to marketbeatopen.com

Tournament Schedule
Saturday, October 25 - Singles Semifinals/Doubles Championship
Sunday, October 26 - Singles Championship

October 24, 2025

Quarter-finals led by American Trio, Aussie Duo

Top seed Thompson, No. 3 Hijikata, No. 5 Kypson in Last Eight

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The MarketBeat Open quarter-finals feature the American
trio of No. 5 seed Patrick Kypson, Martin Damm and Andres Martin along with
Aussies No. 1 seed Jordan Thompson and No. 3 Rinky Hijikata.

On Thursday, Hijikata defeated American wild card Samir Banerjee 7-6(3),
6-2, and he also reached the doubles semi-finals with American Mac Kiger.
The 24-year-old Aussie will next face Kypson, who advanced to the Sioux
Falls quarter-finals for the second straight year with a 6-4, 6-4 victory
over Spanish teenager and Lincoln champion Rafael Jodar. Kypson avenged his
6-3, 6-3 semi-final loss to Jodar last Saturday. The 25-year-old former
Texas A&M standout is the only player to reach the singles quarter-finals in
back-to-back years.

Big-serving left-hander Martin Damm hit 11 aces and never faced break point
en route to a 7-6(2), 7-5 win over Hawaii native wild card Andre Ilagan.
Damm won 83% of first and second serve points. The 22-year-old Bradenton,
Fla. resident will next meet French qualifier Antoine Ghibaudo, who defeated
fellow qualifier Andrew Fenty 7-5, 6-4.

In the opening match at noon Friday on Sioux Falls Ford Lincoln Stadium,
Martin and Johannus Monday of Great Britain meet for the first time. Monday
is trying to defeat an American for the third straight match this week.
Martin is looking to reach his second semi-final this season after a
runner-up in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. in July.

In the next match, Thompson and Mats Rosenkranz of Germany square off for
the second time. The No. 79th-ranked Aussie won their previous meeting in a
third set tie-break in the first round of the Eckental, Germany Challenger
in 2021.
In the third match (not before 3 p.m.), Kypson and Hijikata play each other
for the second time. Hijikata won 6-4, 6-2, in the semi-finals of the Cary-2
(N.C.) Challenger in 2023.

In the last singles match on, Damm and Ghibaudo battle it out for the third
time since September.  The Frenchman won 7-6(5), 6-3, in the second round of
the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Challenger on Sept. 10 and a week later Damm won
6-3, 6-4 in the second round of Columbus (Ohio).

This is the second year in a row the ATP Challenger Tour tournament is being
played at Huether Family Match Pointe on the Sanford Sports Complex. The
tournament prize money has increased from $82,000 to $160,000 with 100 PIF
ATP Ranking points to the winner. Overall there are 16 Americans in the
32-player draw.

For tickets and for more information, go to marketbeatopen.com

October 23, 2025

Five Americans in Second Round Action

No. 3 seed Hijikata, No. 5 Kypson Look to Join Thompson in Quarter-finals

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The last four quarter-final spots at the MarketBeat Open
will be filled on Thursday with No. 3 seed Rinky Hijikata of Australia and
No. 5 Patrick Kypson, one of five Americans in second round action on Sioux
Falls Ford Lincoln Stadium.

On Wednesday, top seed Jordan Thompson of Australia advanced to the
quarter-finals with a 7-5, 7-6(2) win over qualifier Erik Arutiunian. The
No. 79th-ranked Sydney native was down a break in the second set before
rallying back. He saved six of seven break points in the set while
converting two of 12 break points in the match.

Andres Martin of Atlanta defeated No. 4 seed Liam Draxl of Canada 6-1, 7-5
while No. 300-ranked German Mats Rosenkranz beat No. 6 seed and last year's
semi-finalist Murphy Cassone 6-0, 7-5. In the other second round match,
Johannus Monday of Great Britain eliminated American Alfredo Perez 7-5, 6-3.


On Thursday, the first singles match on Sioux Falls Ford Lincoln Stadium at
11 a.m. features wild card Samir Banerjee, a senior at Stanford University,
against Hijikata, in a first-time meeting. In the next match on, big-serving
Martin Damm takes on fellow left-hander Andre Ilagan for the second time in
six days. Last Friday, Damm came back to defeat the Hawaii native 4-6, 6-3,
7-6(4) in the quarter-finals in Lincoln en route to the final.

Third on are qualifiers Antoine Ghibaudo, a 20-year-old from France, and
Andrew Fenty, a former all-American at the University of Michigan. In the
last singles match on, Kypson meets 19-year-old Spaniard Rafael Jodar for
the second time in five days. Last Saturday, Jodar defeated Kypson 6-3, 6-3
in the semi-finals in Lincoln en route to the title. Jodar won last year's
US Open boys' junior title and he was the ITA National Rookie of the Year
last season at the University of Virginia.

This is the second year in a row the ATP Challenger Tour tournament is being
played at Huether Family Match Pointe on the Sanford Sports Complex. The
tournament prize money has increased from $82,000 to $160,000 with 100 PIF
ATP Ranking points to the winner. Overall there are 16 Americans in the
32-player draw.

For tickets and for more information, go to marketbeatopen.com

Tournament Schedule
Thursday, October 23 - Singles Round of 16/Doubles Quarterfinals
Friday, October 24 - Singles Quarterfinals/Doubles Semifinals
Saturday, October 25 - Singles Semifinals/Doubles Championship
Sunday, October 26 - Singles Championship

October 22, 2025

Three of Top Six Seeds in Action, Military Appreciation Day on Wednesday  

No. 1 seed Thompson, No. 4 Draxl, No. 6 Cassone Eye Spots in Quarter-finals

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The four second round matches in the top half of the
draw will be played on Wednesday at the MarketBeat Open, with No. 1 seed
Jordan Thompson of Australia, No. 4 Liam Draxl of Canada and No. 6 Murphy
Cassone of the U.S. in action on Sioux Falls Ford Lincoln Stadium.

No. 3 seed Rinky Hijikata of Australia needed only one hour to defeat Jack
Pinnington Jones of Great Britain 6-3, 6-0 and No. 5 seed Patrick Kypson, a
quarter-finalist here last year, beat Oliver Tarvet of Great Britain 6-2,
4-6, 6-3

After seeds went 3-0 on opening day, three seeds were eliminated on Tuesday.
No. 2 seed Brandon Holt retired due to a back injury trailing 4-3 (break
down) against wild card Andre Ilagan. No. 7 Michael Zheng, the reigning NCAA
champion at Columbia University, lost to to Johannus Monday of Great Britain
2-6, 6-4, 6-4, and No. 8 Jay Clarke of Great Britian was upset by French
qualifier Antoine Ghibaudo 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. Zheng's 15-match Challenger
winning streak came to an end..

On Wednesday, the first singles match on Sioux Falls Ford Lincoln Stadium at
noon features Mats Rosenkranz of Germany against Cassone, who advanced to
the semi-finals here last year. In the next match on, alternate Alfredo
Perez of the U.S. meets Monday, who is the lone remaining British player of
five in the main draw.

Third on is Draxl, who won last year's doubles title, against American
Andres Martin and the final match on is top seed Thompson against qualifier
Erik Arutiunian of Belarus.

Wednesday is Military Appreciation Day and local military members and their
families will have free admission to watch singles and doubles matches.

This is the second year in a row the ATP Challenger Tour tournament is being
played at Huether Family Match Pointe on the Sanford Sports Complex. The
tournament prize money has increased from $82,000 to $160,000 with 100 PIF
ATP Ranking points to the winner. Overall there are 16 Americans in the
32-player draw.

For tickets and for more information, go to marketbeatopen.com.

October 21, 2025

Five Seeds Headline Remaining First Round Play  

No. 2 seed Holt, No. 3 Hijikata, No. 5 Kypson, No. 7 Zheng, No. 8 Clarke in Action

SIOUX FALLS - The remaining 12 first round matches are on Tuesday's schedule
at the MarketBeat Open, with No.  2 seed Brandon Holt, No. 3 Rinky Hijikata,
No. 5 Patrick Kypson and No. 7 Michael Zheng headlining action on Sioux
Falls Ford Lincoln Stadium.

This is the second year in a row the ATP Challenger Tour tournament is being
played at  Huether Family Match Pointe on the Sanford Sports Complex. The
tournament prize money has increased from $82,000 to $160,000 with 100 PIF
ATP Ranking points to the winner. Overall there are 16 Americans in the
32-player draw.

On Monday's opening day play, all three seeds won their first round matches,
led by World No. 79 and top seed Jordan Thompson, who defeated Michael Mmoh
6-3, 6-4. No. 4 Liam Draxl of Canada beat American teenager Darwin Blanch
6-4, 6-4 and No. 6 Murphy Cassone, who was a semi-finalist last year, edged
out Mitchell Krueger 7-6(5) 3-6, 6-2.

In the second match on, Zheng brings a 15-match Challenger winning streak
into his Sioux Falls debut against Johannus Monday of Great Britain. The
21-year-old reigning NCAA champion from Columbia University has won three
Challenger titles since August and his ranking has improved from No. 416 on
Aug. 4 to No. 181 this week.

In the third match, No. 5 seed Kypson, who was a quarter-finalist here last
year, plays Oliver Tarvet of Great Britain. Last on in the day session is
Alex Rybakov against Martin Damm, who is coming off a runner-up finish at
Lincoln, Neb. on Sunday.

In the evening session, No. 3 Hijikata faces Jack Pinnington Jones of Great
Britain and No. 2 Holt plays countryman wild card Andre Ilagan, who played
at the University of Hawaii.

For tickets and for more information, go to marketbeatopen.com.

Tournament Schedule
Tuesday, October 21 - Singles First Round/Doubles First Round
Wednesday, October 22 - Singles Round of 16/Doubles First Round
Thursday, October 23 - Singles Round of 16/Doubles Quarterfinals
Friday, October 24 - Singles Quarterfinals/Doubles Semifinals
Saturday, October 25 - Singles Semifinals/Doubles Championship
Sunday, October 26 - Singles Championship

October 20, 2025

Main Draw Gets Underway Monday at MarketBeat Open
with 4 Matches  

Top seed Thompson, No. 4 Draxl, No. 6 Cassone in Action

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - First round action gets underway on Monday at the MarketBeat Open, with three of the Top 6 seeds leading the way on the schedule: No. 1 Jordan Thompson of Australia, No. 4 Liam Draxl of Canada and No. 6 Murphy Cassone of the U.S.

This is the second year in a row the ATP Challenger Tour tournament is being played at  Huether Family Match Pointe on the Sanford Sports Complex. The tournament prize money has increased from $82,000 to $160,000 with 100 PIF ATP Ranking points to the winner. Overall there are 14 Americans in the
32-player draw (not including qualifiers).

There are four main draw and six qualifying singles matches on the order of play. Qualifying play begins at 10 a.m. on Sioux Falls Ford Lincoln Stadium and Stadium 2.

In the first main draw match (not before 2 p.m.), last year's semi-finalist Cassone takes on countryman Mitchell Krueger, who has won two of the previous three pro meetings. They have split their two matches this season with Cassone winning in a third set tie-break in the first round of Delray Beach in February.  In their last meeting on Oct. 2, Krueger won a three-setter in the second round at the Tiburon (Calif.) Challenger.

In the second match on, Draxl meets 18-year-old American Darwin Blanch for the first time. Draxl is co-leader (w/Emilio Nava) for most match Challenger wins (41) this season. Blanch won the USTA Boys' 18s National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich. to earn a wild card into the US Open main draw.

In the third main draw match on, Thompson squares off with American Michael Mmoh, who has won two of the previous three meetings. Mmoh won in the 2018 Columbus CH final and in the semi-finals of 2022 Cary CH (both in straight sets). Thompson's lone win came in the first round of qualifying at 2020 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati, which was played in Flushing Meadows, NY prior to the US Open due to COVID restrictions.

On Stadium 2, the first main draw match (not before 2 p.m.) is an all-American battle between wild card Cannon Kingsley and alternate Alfredo Perez. Next on is a doubles match between Dan Martin of Canada and Francisco Rocha of Portugal against the all-American duo of Benjamin Kittay and Joshua Sheehy.

On Tuesday the remaining five seeds will be in action, including No. 2 Brandon Holt, who reached the quarter-finals here last year, No. 3 Rinky Hijikata of Australia, No. 5 Patrick Kypson, No. 7 Michael Zheng, who won last year's NCAA singles title at Columbia University, and No. 8 Jay Clarke of Great Britain.

For tickets and for more information, go to marketbeatopen.com.

Tournament Schedule
Monday, October 20 - Singles Qualifying/Singles First Round
Tuesday, October 21 - Singles First Round/Doubles First Round
Wednesday, October 22 - Singles Round of 16/Doubles First Round
Thursday, October 23 - Singles Round of 16/Doubles Quarterfinals
Friday, October 24 - Singles Quarterfinals/Doubles Semifinals
Saturday, October 25 - Singles Semifinals/Doubles Championship
Sunday, October 26 - Singles Championship