LOULE/STARNBERG, March 23, 2025
Briton Ryan Peniston emerged victorious at the Loulé Open by Cimpor, claiming the 15th edition of the prestigious international tournament. Hosted by the Loulé Tennis Club with the support of the Loulé Municipality and the Portuguese Tennis Federation, the event took place from March 16 to 23.
This tournament marked the final leg of a series of six consecutive ITF World Tennis Tour M25 events held in the Algarve region in Portugal. Peniston’s victory also continued Great Britain’s dominance, following George Loffhagen’s back-to-back titles at Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo.
In Sunday’s final, World No. 359 and No. 7 seed Peniston battled past second seed Chris Rodesch in a come-from-behind victory. The Brit overcame a slow start and adverse weather conditions to win 3-6, 6-1, 6-3.
Both finalists had previously eliminated Portugal’s top contenders. Peniston defeated Francisco Rocha in the quarterfinals (held in Faro due to rain disruptions), while Rodesch ended Pedro Araujo’s run in the semifinals in Loulé.
Meeting for the first time on court, Peniston had to recover after losing the opening set, where Rodesch dominated with a strong serve. However, as the match progressed, the wind played a crucial role, affecting Rodesch’s service efficiency. Peniston took advantage by extending rallies from the baseline and forcing more errors from his opponent.
Ryan Peniston defeats Chris Rodesch 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 to claim the 8th title of his career, first of the season. That’s back-to-back-to-back titles for British players here in the Algarve (George Loffhagen won in Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo). pic.twitter.com/GAUrM7jbwH
— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) March 23, 2025
“It’s amazing to finally win a title,” Peniston said. “This was my third final of the year, and at one point, I thought I might not win any. So, I’m really happy.”
A former World No. 123 in July 2022, Peniston had reached the final in Vila Real de Santo António last month, losing to Gastao Elias. This time, he broke through to claim his first title of 2025.
“It was tough, but coming from England, I’m used to this kind of weather,” he added. “I know Portugal has had some tough weeks recently, and I hope things improve soon. But for me, I managed to adapt well. We, Britons, always love coming to Portugal, and I think that helped because it’s a fantastic place to play tennis.”
A quarterfinalist at the ATP 500 Queen’s Club in 2022, Peniston’s Loule Open title marks his eighth career trophy, and his seventh on the ITF Pro circuit. His most significant victory came at Challenger level in 2023, a tier he now aims to return to in the coming weeks.
“My goal is to surpass my career-best ranking and break into the top 100 for the first time. That would be incredible,” he said.
