Melbourne, VIC, 14 October 2019 | tennis.com.au

Chris O’Connell is expected to break into the world’s top 150 after winning the ATP Challenger title in Fairfield, California at the weekend.

O’Connell beat No.1 seed Steve Johnson – who at world No.99 is the highest-ranked player the Sydneysider has beaten in 2019 – 6-4 6-4 in the final.

https://twitter.com/ATPChallenger/status/1183469719849963521?s=20

It was O’Connell’s first hard-court tournament since January — and the 25-year-old did not drop a set en route to the title.

He is projected to rise to a career-high rank of No.149 when this week’s new ATP rankings are released.

O’Connell has now won 71 singles matches in 2019.

Less than a year ago, he was ranked 1,177 after being kept off court for six months in 2018 due to knee tendonitis.

https://twitter.com/ATPChallenger/status/1183484373674446853?s=20