Denis Kudla, Dennis Novikov Win Cary Titles

In the first men's event on the USTA Pro Circuit in nine months, a pair of Americans captured titles in Cary, N.C. last week.

Former world No. 53 Denis Kudla captured his first ATP Challenger title since 2018 with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 win over India's Prajnesh Gunneswaran in Sunday's final at the Atlantic Tire Championships, while 27-year-old Dennis Novikov partnered Russia's Teymuraz Gabashvili for a 7-5, 4-6, 10-8 victory in the doubles final over top seeds Luke Bambridge and Nathaniel Lammonds.

Kudla, seeded No. 2, did not lose a set in his first three rounds, and then came from a set down to defeat both No. 3 seed Daniel Gálan in the semifinals and No. 7 seed Gunneswaran in the finall. The American entered Cary having gone 0-3 since the tour's resumption, with first-round exits at the Western & Southern Open, US Open and French Open, but bounced back in grand fashion to win his seventh ATP Challenger overall.

"It was more than I could've expected," the world No. 114 said after the victory. "Leading up, I hadn't played a match since the French Open, but I put a lot of work in the past couple of weeks. Everything came together. Every single match, I played better and better."

In addition to American success on-court, the tournament was also notable for being the first men's Pro Circuit event in the United States since February, and it took place under the USTA's Pro Circuit's health and safety protocols.

I loved being here for my first time. The hospitality and every single detail was great. I was happy to be here," Kudla said. "I thought it went awesome. I hope that this could be a stepping stone for a lot of other tournaments to happen and move forward. 

"I think this is a prime example of how tournaments should be run under these protocols. They definitely led by example and I hope that other tournaments and organizers will follow."

Other notable American results on the ITF Circuit last week include:

Women:

• Alycia Parks swept the singles and doubles titles at the W25 event in Orlando. The 19-year-old came through qualifying to win her first professional singles title, beating 16-year-old Robin Montgomery in the final, and partnered fellow American Rasheeda McAdoo to win the doubles crown.
• Jamie Loeb and Hanna Chang were semifinalists in singles, while Loeb was doubles runner-up to McAdoo and Parks alongside Erin Routliffe of New Zealand.

Men:

• Christopher Eubanks and Brandon Nakashima both reached the singles quarterfinals in Cary.

The USTA Pro Circuit continues this week with men's action from Orlando, Fla. Live streaming for the Orlando event is available. Visit our USTA Pro Circuit homepage for more information.

(Photo: Denis Kudla with his winner's trophy in Cary. Credit: Atlantic Tire Championships)