MAIA/STARNBERG, October 13, 2026
The Portuguese campaign at the Maia Open suffered a setback on Monday as Henrique Rocha and Francisco Rocha both bowed out in the first round, leaving just two home players in the singles main draw. The ninth edition of the ATP Challenger event, organised by the Portuguese Tennis Federation and Maia City Council, is being held at the Maia Municipal Tennis Complex until 18 October.
Returning to the venue where he developed as a player, second seed Henrique Rocha (ATP No. 106) suffered a heartbreaking 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) defeat to India’s Sumit Nagal (No. 253) after two hours and 56 minutes of intense competition.
Just eight days after lifting the trophy at the Eupago Porto Open, the 22-year-old from Porto had been hoping to make another strong run on home soil. A successful campaign in Maia, including at least a quarter-final appearance, would have secured his maiden entry into the ATP Top 100.
Rocha came agonisingly close to victory, holding a break advantage at 3-2, 5-4 and 6-5 in the deciding set. However, he failed to serve out the match on two occasions before eventually surrendering the deciding tie-break. Despite recovering from a mini-break down to lead 5-4, he was unable to maintain his advantage.
I’m lost for words…
Eight days after winning his most special title in Porto, Henrique Rocha leaves Maia in the first round after serving for the match not once, but twice against Sumit Nagal.
3-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) in 2h56.
Needed at least two wins to dream with the top 100. https://t.co/Ut2Yl2VUW1
— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) October 12, 2026
“To be honest, it was an incredible match. We both played really well and I’m happy about that. I did the things I needed to do at the right moments, so although the result wasn’t what I wanted, I take away a level of tennis that may have been one of the best I’ve produced on court. Above all, it’s important to have that feeling that I’m on the right track.
“The only period when I wasn’t able to control the match as much was towards the end of the second set, when he started playing further inside the court and found my backhand. Apart from that, the match always depended largely on me, and that’s a positive sign,” Henrique Rocha said at the post-match press conference.
His older brother also brought his singles campaign to an end later in the day. Francisco Rocha (No. 901), who received a wildcard into the main draw, was unable to secure the biggest victory of his career. The Portuguese had previously recorded his best win against Riccardo Bonadio (then ranked No. 205) at the same venue in 2023, but this time went down 6-4, 6-2 to Pol Martin Tiffon (No. 215).
Both brothers will still feature in the doubles competition, which saw another dramatic Portuguese exit on Monday. Joao Domingues and Tiago Torres came within a single point of victory in the match tie-break, leading 10-9, but eventually lost 3-6, 6-2, 13-11 to Raul Brancaccio and Pedro Martinez.
In the singles competition, Domingues had already fallen in the first qualifying round, while Torres (No. 365) is scheduled to make his main-draw debut on Wednesday against 2024 runner-up Francesco Passaro. The Italian arrives in Maia fresh from winning a Challenger 50 title in Palermo on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Tiago Pereira will be the next Portuguese player in action, taking to the court on Tuesday. The Algarve native (No. 339) was the best-performing Portuguese player at last week’s Braga Open, reaching the quarter-finals. From 3 pm local time, he will face Croatia’s Luka Mikrut (No. 167) for a place in the second round.
