MAIA/STARNBERG, October 11, 2026

The ninth edition of the Maia Open, organised by the Portuguese Tennis Federation and Maia City Council, gets underway this Sunday at the Maia Municipal Tennis Complex. Seven Portuguese players will be looking to secure their places in the main draw of the ATP Challenger 100 event, led by Henrique Rocha, who has the opportunity to achieve a historic milestone on home soil.

Joao Domingues (ATP 584), Goncalo Marques (594), Tiago Cacao (649), Joao Dinis Silva (1324), Diogo Marques (1362), Vasco Prata (1698) and Guilherme Valdoleiros (unranked) are the seven home representatives competing in the first of two qualifying rounds.

Henrique Rocha (ATP 106) returns to familiar surroundings with history within reach after celebrating another significant success in Portugal. The Porto native, who developed his game in Maia, recently captured the Eupago Porto Open title at Monte Aventino. That triumph lifted him to a career-high ranking of 106th in the world, leaving him on the brink of becoming the ninth Portuguese man to break into the ATP Top 100.

Rocha could achieve that milestone this week at the venue that played a crucial role in his development as a tennis player. He will also be aiming to join Pedro Sousa (2020) and Nuno Borges (2023) on the Maia Open roll of honour.

Seeded second behind Argentina’s Marco Trungelliti (ATP 90), the Portuguese No. 3 will begin his campaign against India’s Sumit Nagal (253). Should he progress, Rocha could face his friend and compatriot Tiago Pereira (339) in the second round.

Pereira enjoyed an encouraging week at the Braga Open, where he reached his first-ever Challenger quarter-final on Portuguese soil. He will open his campaign against Luka Mikrut (167), who relinquishes his status as defending champion in Braga this Sunday.

Also featuring in the bottom half of the draw is Francisco Rocha (901), Henrique’s older brother and another player who developed his game in Maia. He faces Spain’s Pol Martin Tiffon (215) in the opening round.

Tiago Torres (365) is the only Portuguese player drawn in the top half. The reigning Portuguese national champion will take on Italy’s Francesco Passaro (229), who reached a career-high ranking of 89th in February 2025 and finished runner-up at the Maia Open two months earlier.

The Maia Open enters its ninth edition in a new calendar slot, forming part of a four-week series of consecutive ATP Challenger tournaments in Portugal. Following Porto, the only outdoor hard-court event in the sequence, and Braga, the tour moves to Maia before concluding in Lisbon next week.