COMO/STARNBERG, August 31, 2025
The Como Lake Challenger confirmed its reputation as a stage for rising stars, as Luka Mikrut captured his first ATP Challenger Tour crown at just 21 years of age. The Croatian lifted the “Intesa Sanpaolo” trophy at Villa Olmo after defeating compatriot Duje Ajdukovic 6-3, 7-5 in Sunday’s singles final.
For Mikrut, the victory marked a breakthrough moment after narrowly missing out on his maiden Challenger title in Zagreb last year. This time, he kept his composure against a more experienced opponent who had already won three Challenger tournaments. Despite Ajdukovic entering as the favorite, Mikrut took command early, sealing the opening set in just over half an hour. The second set proved tighter, but Mikrut held firm under pressure, saving break points at 15-40 before capitalizing on a lapse from Ajdukovic at 5-5 to close out the match after one hour and 34 minutes.
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Reflecting on his achievement, Mikrut said: “It has been a tough but beautiful week, with conditions changing all the time. I’m happy to have won my first Challenger here. Duje and I played a final at ITF level two years ago, now a Challenger final, and hopefully in two years we’ll meet in an ATP final.”
In in Saturday’s doubles final, the Romanian-Argentine pair Victor Cornea and Santiago Rodriguez Taverna claimed the title with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Johannes Ingildsen of Denmark and Daniel Cukierman from Israel. The encounter lasted one hour and two minutes.
As the tournament looks ahead to its 20th edition in 2026, the legacy of champions who have lifted the Como trophy – from Simone Bolelli in 2006 to Pablo Carreno Busta, Viktor Troicki, Thiago Seyboth Wild, Gabriel Debru, and now Luka Mikrut – underlines its role as a launchpad for future stars.
