SAO PAULO/STARNBERG, August 2, 2026
Mateus Alves lived up to his No. 2 seeding to claim the ITF M15 Sao Paulo Paineiras title on Sunday, defeating fellow Brazilian Gustavo Almeida 6-3, 7-5 in the singles final at Clube Paineiras do Morumby.
The victory marked the 25-year-old’s ninth career World Tennis Tour singles title and his third of the season, as Alves continues his push to return to his best level. The Sao Jose do Rio Preto native, who reached a career-high No. 271 in the ATP Rankings, earned $2,160 in prize money and 15 ATP Ranking points for the triumph, while Almeida collected $1,272 and eight points. The tournament featured a total prize purse of $15,000.
“It was a great week. I want to thank everyone who made this tournament possible. Having events at all levels here is very important for Brazilian tennis and helps our development,” Alves said after the final. “I want to congratulate Gustavo. This is the second final we have played, and it went my way again, but you are playing great tennis and will keep improving. I’m very happy with another title and hope to keep going strong this season.”
Alves faced several tough challenges on his way to the trophy. After a comfortable opening round, he survived a dramatic quarterfinal battle against Paulo Saraiva, the previous week’s M25 Sao Paulo finalist, winning 6-7(3), 6-1, 7-6(2). He then defeated Wilson Leite 6-1, 6-2 in the semifinals before overcoming Almeida in straight sets in the championship match.
The title is expected to move Alves closer to the Top 400 of the ATP Rankings. In addition to his nine singles trophies, he has also collected six World Tennis Tour doubles titles during his professional career.
Almeida, meanwhile, enjoyed another impressive week. The 20-year-old from Guarapuava, Parana, reached the third World Tennis Tour final of his career and continued to showcase his progress on the professional circuit. The Brazilian combines his professional career with college tennis at Pepperdine University, where he represents the Waves.
The runner-up finish follows another strong campaign earlier this season, when Almeida also reached the final of the M15 Maringa. Coincidentally, he lost both finals to Alves, who now leads their head-to-head record 3-0.
“It was an excellent week. I’m happy with my performance and the way I competed in every match,” Almeida said. “Congratulations to Mateus. He has beaten me twice in a row now, but one day I’ll get you,” he joked.
The M15 Sao Paulo Paineiras concluded a three-week stretch of World Tennis Tour tournaments in the Brazilian capital, following an ITF W35 and an ITF M25 event. The series highlighted São Paulo’s importance as one of the key hubs on the World Tennis Tour calendar in Brazil, providing valuable opportunities for both emerging talents and experienced players from Brazil and across South America.
