30 September 2024 | Dan Imhoff

James McCabe has scored a confidence-boosting win over Australian Open 2021 semifinalist Aslan Karatsev en route to the last four at an ATP Challenger event in Thailand.

In a strong week for Australian doubles, five players won professional titles, while the Alame sisters claimed their biggest junior trophy together.

This week’s most outstanding performers include…

James McCabe: The 21-year-old enjoyed a standout week in Nonthaburi, Thailand where he reached an ATP Challenger singles semifinal following back-to-back wins over former Australian Open finalist Karatsev and world No.92 Arthur Cazaux. It improved his record to 24 wins from his past 28 matches.

Luke Saville: The 30-year-old picked up his third ATP Challenger doubles title of the season with a compatriot after he and Tristan Schoolkate triumphed in Charleston. In an all-Australian final, second seeds Saville – who this season won the Burnie Challenger with Alex Bolt and the Chicago Challenger with Li Tu– and Schoolkate denied Calum Puttergill and Dane Sweeny.

Tristan Schoolkate: Like Saville, the 23-year-old collected his third ATP Challenger doubles trophy of the season with a fellow Australian in Charleston. It followed earlier titles with Adam Walton at Pune and with Blake Ellis in Guangzhou. It was his fourth title alongside Saville after the pair claimed three ITF M25 events in Australia last year.

Blake Ellis: The in-form 25-year-old clinched his second ATP Challenger title of the year when he and compatriot Adam Walton triumphed in Nonthaburi. It marked Ellis’ second doubles title in as many weeks after his ITF M15 win in Bali and left him unbeaten in his past eight matches.

Adam Walton: The 25-year-old picked up his third ATP Challenger doubles title this year in Nonthaburi with countryman Ellis. It tied his annual haul from each of the past two years, having already claimed the doubles in Taipei City and Burnie in 2024. The world No.95 also reached the quarterfinals of the singles.

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Calum Puttergill: The 30-year-old fell just shy of his second ATP Challenger title of the season after he and Dane Sweeny succumbed in a match tiebreak to fellow Australians Saville and Schoolkate in the Charleston final. The pair was attempting to claim a second title together after landing the ITF M25 event in Darwin two years ago.

Dane Sweeny: Reprising a partnership that delivered the ITF M25 trophy in Darwin in 2022, the 23-year-old came up short of his maiden ATP Challenger doubles title alongside Puttergill in Charleston. It was Sweeny’s first doubles final since Darwin.

Elysia Bolton: The 24-year-old secured her third ITF doubles title from as many finals this season after prevailing alongside American Maegan Manasse in the Berkeley W35 final in the United States. It improved her doubles record to 14-2 since the start of April.

Thomas Fancutt: The 29-year-old combined with Blake Bayldon to reach the Nonthaburi Challenger semifinals, his 12th semifinal at that or ITF level this year. It was the duo’s second ATP Challenger semifinal this month following Guangzhou.

Blake Bayldon: Backing up his Guangzhou semifinal alongside Fancutt, the 25-year-old reached the semifinals of the Nonthaburi Challenger event. It was his ninth semifinal at ATP Challenger or ITF level this season.

Jaimee Fourlis: The 25-year-old reached her third ITF singles semifinal of 2024 in the Berkeley W35 event. It marked the world No.400’s first semifinal since she won the ITF tournament in Amstelveen, the Netherlands in July.

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Bernard Tomic: The former world No.17 reached his fourth straight ATP Challenger quarterfinal at Charleston. The 31-year-old fell to eventual champion Edas Butvilas in what was his 11th quarterfinal of the season at ITF or ATP Challenger level.

Shanelle Iaconi: The lucky loser made the most of her main draw call-up to reach the quarterfinals at the W15 tournament in Varna, Bulgaria. It was the 20-year-old’s maiden professional quarterfinal from her 16th event.

Alana Subasic: The 17-year-old reached the biggest final of her fledgling junior career at the J500 Osaka event. Subasic snapped a three-match losing streak to claim six straight matches before she fell to Israel’s Mika Buchnik in the final.

Rianna and Renee Alame: While Subasic fell short in the singles final, Australian sisters 17-year-old Riana and 15-year-old Renee Alame walked away with the biggest junior doubles title of their career at the J500 Osaka event. They were the first siblings to win the tournament.

Renee and Riana Alame with the Osaka J500 trophy.