Some players feel pressure competing in front of a local crowd, but French teenager Corentin Moutet is continuing to thrive on home soil.

The 17 year old reached his first ATP Challenger Tour semi-final this week at the $50,000 event in St. Brieuc, France. Moutet took full advantage of his wild card, upsetting third seed Norbert Gombos of Slovakia in the opening round on his way to the final four, where he fell in three sets to qualifier Egor Gerasimov of Belarus.

“This is the best result of my career. It’s been a great beginning to my season and the result of a lot of good work,” said Moutet. “I want to stay realistic, just trying to be patient and keep up this level of tennis.”

The Frenchman reached his maiden Challenger quarter-final last month at the $50,000 event in Cherbourg, France. Although his sporadic forays into junior tournaments have yielded outstanding results, including a semi-final finish in boys’ singles at this year’s Australian Open, Moutet is focusing mainly on pro events for greater exposure to “the professionalism in training, rigour, demands and maturity of the game.”

Moutet hopes to eventually have a long career on the ATP World Tour and looks to his favourite player, Gael Monfils, as an inspiration.

“He’s funny and takes a lot of pleasure on the court when he plays,” said Moutet. “This is the most enjoyable to way to watch a match.”

Moutet was ranked No. 778 in the Emirates ATP Rankings just 12 months ago, but is projected to move inside the Top 400 on Monday after his latest result. He aims to become a regular fixture on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2017 and is already planning a return visit to St. Brieuc next year.

“When you come from Futures events, it’s easy to feel good in Challengers because of the nice hotels, food and stadiums,” he said. “The organisation here is very professional, so I felt comfortable and played well.”