Luca Van Assche captured his maiden ATP title at the Estoril Open on Saturday, defeating Alexander Blockx 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in a two-hour, 26-minute final on the Portuguese clay. The Brussels-born Frenchman leaps 30 places to a career-high No. 48 in the updated ATP rankings released Sunday, overtaking Portugal's Nuno Borges.
Blockx, the No. 4 seed who entered the week ranked 38th, climbs six spots to No. 32, becoming Belgium's new top-ranked male player. The 21-year-old thanked his team and the tournament organisers during the trophy ceremony after a run that included a quarter-final victory over second seed Luciano Darderi.
Van Assche, previously ranked 78th, also beat top seed Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals on his way to a first tour-level crown, adding to seven prior Challenger titles.