NOTTINGHAM, January 12, 2026 (LTA Media Release)
Up-and-coming Brit Johannus Monday began his 2026 season in strong fashion, finishing runner-up at the first professional tennis event in Britain in 2026 at the Lexus Nottingham Challenger.
Yorkshireman Monday, who had risen more than 140 places in the ATP rankings between last January’s event at the Lexus Nottingham Tennis Centre and this year’s staging, entered the draw as number one seed and showed the competition he meant business, dropping just one set en-route to Saturday’s final. There he faced, number two seed Clement Chidekh of France, who had to overcome a tough three-set battle against British number three seed Toby Samuel to reach the showpiece match, having already dispatched three Brits in the previous rounds.
In a tight final befitting of the top two seeds facing off lasting over two and three quarter hours, Monday took the first set 7-5, before Chidekh responded by taking the second and forcing a decider. After Chidekh saved two match points in the final set, it took a tiebreak to decide the winner, and after Monday secured the first mini-break, Chidekh rattled off four consecutive points to lead 6-4, before serving out the match at the first opportunity to seal a 5-7 6-2 7-6(5) win and his third ATP Challenger title.
Clement Chidekh claims a third career title, fighting past Monday 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(5) in Nottingham! #ATPChallenger | @FFTennis pic.twitter.com/3bF3N40yW3
— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) January 10, 2026
After the match, Chidekh said, “Johannus was playing great tennis… he was serving for [the match] and I was just trying to hang tough. He gave me a couple of opportunities and that switched the momentum, and the end was just thrilling. I like Nottingham a lot, and I hope I will be back here in the summer.”
With his runner-up finish, Monday rises to 218 in the ATP singles rankings, approaching his career-high of 211.
In the doubles, the British pair of Charles Broom and David Stevenson won their first ATP Challenger title together since August 2024, as they defeated the Slovak/German pair of Milos Karol and Daniel Masur in the final. After a dominant opening set from the Brits, it was a much tighter affair in the second, with no break of serve until the tiebreak, before Broom and Stevenson won four points in a row to go 6-4 up. After missing their first opportunity to secure the title, sharp hands at the net by Broom would ensure the second match point was the decisive one, claiming the win 6-2 7-6(5).
After their title win, Broom said, “It’s been a great start to the year, you always want to try and get some matches in, and playing with a good friend is always nice”, with Stevenson adding, “We were able to win a Challenger a year and a half ago, and that was actually the last time we played together, so nice to go back to back!”
Following the conclusion of the singles final, Tournament Director Sarah Wooding said, “The Lexus Nottingham Challenger was a great way to start the year and it is a pleasure to run a tournament at the Lexus Nottingham Tennis Centre. There were many notable performances from British players during the week, with Brits in both the Singles and Doubles Finals. Commiserations to Johannus Monday who lost out to Clement Chidekh in a thrilling singles final, and congratulations to Charles Broom and David Stevenson for taking home the Doubles title.”
International tournaments such as the Lexus Nottingham Challenger are part of the LTA’s Performance Competitions Calendar (PCC) which provides significantly enhanced opportunities for British players at each age and stage of the performance player pathway on home soil. The calendar is designed to provide comprehensive opportunities for British players to play, earn ranking points and win prize money at home, throughout the year.
This week, the men head north to Glasgow for the Lexus Glasgow Challenger, another ATP Challenger 50 event, whilst the first women’s professional event of the year takes place in Manchester at the Lexus British Pro Series Manchester, an ITF W50 event.
