Players ranked outside the world\u2019s top 100 often complete the line-ups in events played around the world.<\/p>\n
![\"View](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2213785968-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Marco Zac\/NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/p>\n
This week, three Challenger Tour events are being played in Europe, two on clay and one on hard.<\/p>\n
Izida Cup II \u2013 Sofia, Bulgaria (Clay)Schwaben Open \u2013 Augsburg, Germany (Clay)Crete Challenger IV \u2013 Hersonissos, Greece (Hard)<\/p>\n
It was at the Crete Challenger IV event where a strange incident occurred, leading one player to be disqualified mid-match.<\/p>\n
Mats Rosenkranz was disqualified in Greece for taking a shower during the match<\/p>\n
German world number 358 Mats Rosenkranz began his campaign in Greece with a big win over home favorite, Petros Tsitsipas, Stefanos Tsitsipas\u2019<\/a> brother.<\/p>\n Moving on to round two, Rosenkranz took on Italy\u2019s Pietro Orlando Fellin, a qualifier.<\/p>\n Winning the first set 7-5, Rosenkranz went to the toilet for a shower before heading back onto the court.<\/p>\n When he returned, the 26-year-old was surprised to find himself disqualified from the tournament.<\/p>\n Players aren\u2019t permitted to take a shower during matches, with the only exception being best-of-five-set Grand Slam ties.<\/p>\n The rule was implemented to reduce the risks of players doping during matches.<\/p>\n Rosenkranz claimed he wasn\u2019t told about this rule, and tried to argue his case by sharing how long he showered for.<\/p>\n \u201cI only took a ten-second shower,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Unfortunately for Rosenkranz, his complaints fell on deaf ears, as his Italian opponent advanced to the quarterfinals despite losing the first set.<\/p>\n Strangely enough, Rosenkranz isn\u2019t the only player to have fallen foul of this rule, as New Yorker Nicolas Moreno de Alboran was also disqualified for showering in 2022.<\/p>\n Before the third set of his match with Federico Delbonis at a Challenger Tour event in Seville, de Alboran took a quick shower to rinse off sand from his clothes.<\/p>\n Delbonis made the tournament officials aware of his opponent\u2019s shower, as de Alboran was defaulted from the event.<\/p>\n Disappointed with the outcome, the American gave his verdict on Instagram<\/a> after the match.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring the second set, I fell over 3\/4 times. On one of them, sand got inside my underwear. I had to play like that for 30 minutes, and it was giving me a rash that started bleeding after a while. When I won the second set, I went to the toilet to change,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I saw that I\u00a0couldn\u2019t get the sand off with the towel since I was sweating so much. I decided to use the shower handle to only rinse the sand off.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy opponent told the umpire that came to the bathroom with us that I had taken a shower (which you are not allowed to do). The tournament referee then proceeded to default me from the tournament. On top of that, I will not receive the points or prize money from the tournament, and will have to pay for my hotel room for the days that I was playing in the tournament.\u00a0\u201c<\/p>\n With de Alboran and now Rosenkranz both receiving defaults for showering, perhaps players will be more aware of the rule in future tournaments.<\/p>\n Who has been the best player on the Challenger Tour this year?<\/p>\n Rosenkranz won\u2019t have a chance to pick up his first Challenger title of the season in Greece, but who has been the most successful player on the second-tier tour in 2025?<\/p>\n Croatia\u2019s Borna Coric has won four Challenger titles this year, as the former Cincinnati Open<\/a> champion looks to return to the top of the men\u2019s game.<\/p>\n TournamentCountrySurfaceFinal opponentScore2025 LuganoSwitzerlandHard (indoor)Raphael Collignon6-3, 6-12025 ThionvilleFranceHard (indoor)Arthur Bouquier6-4, 6-42025 ZadarCroatiaClayValentin Royer3-6, 6-2, 6-32025 Aix-en-ProvenceFranceClayStan Wawrinka6-7, 6-3, 7-6Borna Coric\u2019s 2025 Challenger titles<\/p>\n His biggest win of them all came in Aix-en-Provence, outlasting three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka<\/a> on the clay.<\/p>\n Coric leads the way on four titles, but Emilio Nava and Nicolai Budkov Kjaer are close behind on three apiece.<\/p>\n Only time will tell if either player can surpass Coric at the top of the leaderboard before the end of the 2025 season, but it will certainly be worth looking out for.<\/p>\n ![\"Mats](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-1223312169-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Max Maiwald\/DeFodi Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Nicolas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2154710934-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Tim Clayton\/Corbis via Getty Images<\/p>\n