STARNBERG/PHAN THIET, February 2, 2026
Ilia Simakin has claimed his maiden title on the ATP Challenger Tour by winning the NovaWorld Phan Thiet Challenger 2. The 22-year-old Russian defeated sixth-seeded Chinese Yi Zhou 7-5, 6-4 in Sunday’s singles final.
Simakin advanced to the championship match of the hard-court event with wins over Italian Federico Cina, Petr Bar Biryukov of Russia, Nikolai Barsukov from Germany and Stefanos Sakellaridis of Greece.
Simakin struck six aces and won 65 per cent of his first-service points in the final. The world No. 275 broke Zhou’s serve four times to succeed in one hour and 44 minutes.
Title winning ways
Simakin takes home his maiden Challenger trophy 7-5, 6-4 against Zhou#ATPChallenger | Phan Thiet pic.twitter.com/Xib3LqYCMq
— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) February 1, 2026
Following six triumphs on the ITF World Tennis Tour, Simakin lifted his maiden Challenger trophy. He earned $9,500 in prize money as well as 50 ATP Ranking points.
The Novaworld Phan Thiet Challenger 2 offered a total prize pool of $63,000 and was hosted by the Novaworld International Tennis Complex. Phan Thiet, located in Lam Dong Province in southern Vietnam, is a coastal city known for its warm climate, long sandy beaches and growing profile as a sports and tourism destination. Set against a backdrop of rolling dunes and the South China Sea, the region combines natural beauty with modern infrastructure, offering ideal conditions for international tennis events.
