Georgian tennis player wins ATP Challenger Tour

Georgian tennis player Nikoloz Basilashvili has claimed his second ATP Challenger Tour crown after defeating a Slovakian competitor in Sunday's Electra Israel Open final.

The first Challenger tournament on Israeli soil in five years saw Basilashvili, 23, defeat Lukas Lacko, 27, in one hour and 45 minutes for the title.

Basilashvili (R) has won two Challenger Tours during his career.

Winning the tournament, which had a total prize pool of $125,000 USD saw Basilashvili earn his second ATP Challenger Tour victory in his career.

With this win Basilashvili will improve his international ranking by a few places. His current singles ranking is 137 but this is set to rise in the coming days and be the highest position he has held in his career thus far.

The ATP Challenger Tour is a series of international men's professional tennis tournaments. The top tier of men's tennis is the ATP World Tour, while the Challenger Tour events are the second highest level of competition, and the Futures tournaments on the ITF Men's Circuit are the third and final tier of international professional competition.

The ATP Challenger Tour is administered by the Association of Tennis Professionals. Players who perform well during the ATP Challenger Tour earn sufficient ranking points to become eligible for the main draw or qualify for entry to ATP World Tour tournaments.

The next tournament Basilashvili is scheduled to participate in is the 2015 Tennis Napoli Cup in Italy in April.