SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – 2026 Notre Dame alumnus Sebastian Dominko made waves at an ATP Challenger Tournament on Thursday, as the 23-year-old Slovenian native defeated No. 2 seed World No. 117 Valentin Royer of France, 7-5, 7-5. With the win, Dominko advanced to the quarterfinals at the MarketBeat Open.
Dominko qualified for the $177,000 ATP Challenger Tour tournament with a pair of wins, followed by a first-round main draw match on Tuesday over qualifier Karl Poling in straight sets. He then fired off 19 aces on Thursday to defeat Royer.
Before Sioux Falls, Dominko’s pro success came at the ITF World Tour level. He compiled a 21-6 record on the ITF circuit with two titles on clay this season.
The 6-foot-8 left-hander was competing in only his second career Challenger main draw tournament, the first coming in Columbus in September 2025.
The No. 554-ranked Slovenian next plays World No. 264 Max Hans Rehberg of Germany in the quarterfinals on Friday.
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