For the first time in over 19 years, Belgium has three players ranked in the top 50 of the ATP men’s tennis rankings, just one week before Wimbledon kicks off.
Raphaël Collignon climbed from 51st to 43rd place thanks to his quarter-final finish at the Open ATP tournament in Halle, Germany. He joins Alexander Blockx, ranked 37th, and Zizou Bergs, ranked 48th, who both maintained their positions.
The last time Belgium had three players in the top 50 was on 26 March 2007, when Xavier Malisse (31st), Olivier Rochus (36th), and Kristof Vliegen (49th) shared the spotlight.
Belgium’s tennis federation noted that this achievement is not unprecedented. On 8 May 2006, the country had four players in the top 50: Christophe Rochus (42nd), Xavier Malisse (41st), Kristof Vliegen (37th), and Olivier Rochus (29th).
Collignon impressed at the ATP 500 tournament in Halle, reaching the quarterfinals after battling through the qualifiers. He fell to World No. 3 Alexander Zverev in two tie-breaks and earned 125 points to secure his career-best ranking.
The Liège native has now become the 11th best Belgian in ATP history. Those above him are David Goffin (7th), Xavier Malisse (19th), Olivier Rochus (24th), Kristof Vliegen (30th), Alexander Blockx (36th), Christophe Rochus (38th), Steve Darcis (38th), Zizou Bergs (38th), Filip Dewulf (39th), and Bernard Boileau (41st).
Zizou Bergs exited Halle in the first round, losing to eventual finalist Taylor Fritz, who moved up from 9th to 7th in the rankings. Alexander Blockx, still recovering from an ankle injury, withdrew from the Queen’s tournament, where he had hoped to prepare for Wimbledon.
Beyond the Belgian players, Frances Tiafoe (USA) climbed seven spots to 19th after winning Halle, while Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo rose six places to 21st following his victory at Queen’s.
