BySimon Griver, Simon Griver
Having led Israel to its first-ever Davis Cup semi-finals earlier this month, Harel Levy has maintained the momentum by winning the Lexington Challenger tournament in Kentucky.
Levy, 31, overcame American qualifier Alex Kuznetsov in the final to win his first title since the Manchester Challenger in 2007.
Levy’s Lexington triumph, together with the Davis Cup victories over Igor Andreev (24) and Igor Andreev (24), have seen him soar from 210 in the ATP rankings to 150, as he recaptures the form, which took him to 30th place in 2001, before he was sidelined by a serious hip injury.
Levy said: “I hope to keep it going through to next month’s US Open.”
Compatriot Dudi Sela dropped a place to No. 30.