INDIAN WELLS/STARNBERG, January 27, 2024
At the age of 32, Sebastian Fanselow definitely boasts the experience advantage over the other three semifinalists who won matches on Friday at the Southern California Open, an ATP Challenger Tour 50 event taking place this week at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
The German Fanselow, who had a decorated All-American career at Pepperdine University in Malibu from 2010 to 2013, has for the past 10 years been one of the “good guys” on the Pro Circuit level and someone the younger players have always looked up to. On Friday in a back-and-forth dual, Fanselow went toe-to-toe against 18-year-old Learner Tien of Irvine coming out on top, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-4.
The veteran Fanselow has won 12 ITF Pro Circuit singles titles and five in doubles over his decade-long career, but has never won anything over the $25,000 level (this week’s event has a total of $41,000 total in prize money).
Currently ranked No. 324 in the world and unseeded this week, Fanselow will take on one of the tour’s “young guns” in top-seeded Zach Svajda on Saturday in the 10 a.m. semifinal. The youngest of the four remaining players at age 21, Svajda is seeking his fifth ATP Challenger win having won three in 2023. In the other semifinal to follow, 22-year-old Blaise Bicknell from Jamaica takes on qualifier Andre Ilagan, 23, from Hawaii. Bicknell had the quickest match of the day up a set against Brandon Holt when Holt was forced to retire at 2-all in the second because of a quad strain.
Top seed in charge 🙌@zach_svajda is through to his first Challenger semifinal of the year after beating Artnak 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 in Indian Wells!#ATPChallenger | @USTA pic.twitter.com/Et1pVLVQYO
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) January 26, 2024
Saturday Doubles Final
Last week’s Southern California Open doubles champions Ryan Seggerman and Patrik Trhac played for the 50th time on Friday since joining together at the Lakewood Pro Series event in July.
On Friday, San Diego’s Seggerman and Trhac won for the 48th time over those 50 matches beating Italy’s Giovanni Oradini and Chile’s Matias Soto, 7-6 (4), 6-3, to advance to Saturday’s doubles final. They will face Thomas Fancutt of Australia and Ajeet Rai of New Zealand following singles play.
FRIDAY RESULTS – JANUARY 26, 2024
Singles – Quarterfinals
[1] [WC] Z. Svajda (USA) d [Q] B. Artnak (SLO) 62 36 60
B. Bicknell (JAM) d [4] B. Holt (USA) 63 22 Retired
[Q] A. Ilagan (USA) d [8] T. Kwiatkowski (USA) 16 76(5) 63
S. Fanselow (GER) d [Alt] L. Tien (USA) 76(4) 57 64
Doubles – Semifinals
[1] R. Seggerman (USA) / P. Trhac (USA) d G. Oradini (ITA) / M. Soto (CHI) 76(4) 63
T. Fancutt (AUS) / A. Rai (NZL) d S. Fanselow (GER) / L. Gerch (GER) 63 63
