25 Aug 2026
St Albans tennis prodigy Oliver Tarvet’s stock continues to rise as he claimed his biggest singles title to date at the Lexus Roehampton Challenger in south-west London.
The former Marlborough Science Academy student became just the third British player to qualify for Wimbledon Championships in back-to-back years in the Open Era this summer.
Last week he competed in the first of two ATP Challenger 50 events being held at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre, coming through three three-set matches in the last-16, quarter finals and semi finals to reach the showpiece match on Saturday.
He faced Frenchman Lucas Poullain in the final, who having defeated two Brits en-route to the decider and had dropped just one set all week, was looking to make it a third.
The match started in nervy fashion for both men, with four consecutive breaks of serve before Oliver held serve in the fifth game. A decisive break of serve two games later helped Oliver secure the first set in just under an hour, and he flew out of the blocks in the second set, winning the first four games and looking like the title was all-but-secured.
A fightback from Poullain saw him claw back one break, before yet another dominant return game saw another Oliver break, with the set and the match secured shortly after, finishing 6-3 6-2.
After the match, Oliver said: “I maybe didn’t expect it going into this week. I knew I was playing some good tennis over the grass, and I was able to compete with some top-level guys… but doing it five days in a row, five matches in a row, beating quality players, isn’t easy. So it’s special, especially with my family here.
“It was also a bit of a relief getting the first one out of the way, especially when there is quite a lot on the line in the final. So yeah, it was special, and hopefully I can continue the good form going into next week.”
This week, the LTA’s National Tennis Centre hosts the second of the two back-to-back ATP Challenger 50 events, with another strong British contingent looking for success including last week’s winner Oliver Tarvet, Max Basing, and Ryan Peniston.
Photos: Amelia Ritchie Photography for LTA
