Dietrich jumps to No. 187 after winning Sioux Falls title

Dylan Dietrich climbed from No. 254 to No. 187 in the ATP rankings after winning his second consecutive title in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The 22-year-old defeated No. 5 seed Liam Draxl of Canada with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 score in the final on Sunday.

Dietrich, a senior at the University of Virginia, now holds a 10-match winning streak. He has won 18 of his last 21 Challenger matches since July 20, when he was ranked No. 556. His victory in Columbus on October 4 marked his first Challenger title. He won 10 of 11 sets during the week in Sioux Falls.

The match featured two college players, a trend that has occurred in the Sioux Falls final for three straight years. Borna Gojo of Wake Forest defeated Colton Smith of Arizona in 2024. Patrick Kypson of Texas A&M beat Johannus Monday of Tennessee last year. Draxl played at the University of Kentucky.

Dietrich was broken twice in the opening set. He held his serve in all 10 service games over the final two sets, facing only one break point. Draxl lost his serve in the sixth game of the second set and the seventh game of the third set. Both losses decided their respective sets.

This was the third consecutive three-set final for the 24-year-old Canadian. Draxl beat No. 3 seed Darwin Blanch in the quarterfinals and qualifier Sebastian Dominko in the semifinals, saving two match points in that match. He previously reached a Challenger final in Winnipeg in July.

Draxl improved his ranking from No. 194 to No. 166. He is a member of Canada’s Davis Cup team, which will face Czechia in the quarterfinals on November 24.