DNEPROPETROVSK, Ukraine — Dmitry Tursunov kept his Challenger record intact with a 7-6 (6), 6-4 win over former Baylor standout Benjamin Becker on Sunday in the finals of the $125,000 Privatbank Open indoor tennis tournament.

Tursunov, who won the BMW Championships at Sunrise, Fla., in his only other Challenger event this year, earned $18,000 for his third overall title of the season. The sixth-year pro, currently ranked 22nd in the world, claimed his first career ATP title at Mumbai, India, in September.

Becker, who also lost to Tursunov in the second round of the RCA Championships in Indianapolis in July, earned $10,600 for his fourth runner-up finish in five Challenger finals this season. The 25-year-old German also receives 63 ATP points, enough to push him to a career-high 58th in the world rankings and insure a spot in the main draw of most of the major tour events throughout 2007.

Becker rocketed from No. 421 in the world in January to the Top 100 after a strong spring and breakthrough performances at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. At Flushing Meadows, he ended the career of former world No. 1 Andre Agassi in the third round before losing to eventual finalist Andy Roddick. Last month in Tokyo, he reached his first ATP semifinal, losing to top-ranked Roger Federer.

Becker closes his first full year on tour with a 69-29 record, tied with Germany’s Michael Zverev for No. 2 in the world in overall wins behind Federer’s 87."