OEIRAS, April 21, 2024
Francisca Jorge and Matilde Jorge made history for Portuguese tennis by becoming the first players to win a WTA Tour tournament. The sisters from Guimarães conquered the Oeiras Ladies Open, marking a festive end to the penultimate day of the WTA 125 event organized by the Portuguese Tennis Federation at the Jamor Tennis Complex in Oeiras.
In their debut week at this level, Francisca and Matilde Jorge sealed a remarkable campaign with a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Harriet Dart of Great Britain and Kristina Mladenovic from France. Mladenovic, a former World No. 1 in doubles and a winner of 28 titles in women’s doubles at the highest level, including six Grand Slam titles, added to the significance of the Portuguese sisters’ achievement.
HISTÓRIA PORTUGUESA NO CIRCUITO WTA!
Francisca Jorge e Matilde Jorge conquistam o WTA 125 de Oeiras ao vencerem Kristina Mladenovic (ex-número um mundial) e Harriet Dart por 6-0 e 6-4 e tornam-se nas primeiras portuguesas a jogar e a vencer a final de um torneio deste circuito! pic.twitter.com/uhACPNSKjL
— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) April 20, 2024
Like the three previous matches, Saturday’s encounter was again decided in two sets. Departing from the more obvious strategy of consistently pressuring Dart, who was considered the weakest link among the four players, the two sisters from Guimarães displayed exceptional coordination in the most significant final of their careers. They clinched all six pivotal points of the match, including four in the second set and the decisive point to convert the match point.
Having secured 14 titles together on the ITF Pro Circuit, this victory marked their first title WTA Tour title, making history as no Portuguese player had previously reached such a milestone.
For Francisca, the elder sister who celebrates her 24th birthday this Sunday, this win adds to her impressive tally of 26 titles in doubles and will elevate her to the 129th position in the rankings, just six steps away from her career-best ranking. Meanwhile, for Matilde, the younger sibling who recently turned 20, this victory marks her 17th triumph in international events and will see her climb to the 143rd position, a mere 10 spots away from matching her personal best ranking.
“I felt that we played at a good level throughout the week, and we had already done so last week during the Billie Jean King Cup,” explained Matilde Jorge at a press conference. “In terms of level, I felt that this tournament was more or less similar to others we have played, but we simply played much better.”
The elder sister added, “We were more competent this week because we had the mindset that we needed to play well on every point, not to give away any gifts, and I think we managed to do that very well. That’s how we gained an advantage in the matches.”
