STARNBERG, July 9, 2021

The cities of Braga, Lisbon and Maia will once again be stops on the ATP Challenger Tour in Portugal to be held later this season. This means that the country will host at least eight Challenger events throughout the year, a historic number that confirms the confidence of the ATP in the work carried out by the Portuguese Tennis Federation and other partners.

Established in 2018, the Braga Open had crowned two Portuguese champions (Pedro Sousa that year and João Domingues in 2019) before the third edition had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The tournament will return from 19 to 26th of September hosted by the Braga Tennis Club.

The following week, the Lisboa Belém Open will celebrate its fifth edition at the clay courts of the historic CIF — Club Internacional de Foot-Ball, where Jaume Munar beat local favourite Pedro Sousa in the 2020 final.

Also confirmed is the third edition of the Maia Open, which will take place from 21 to 28 November at the Complexo Municipal de Ténis da Maia. In 2020, Pedro Sousa concluded the season by winning his eighth career title when he defeated Spaniard Carlos Taberner in the championship match.

“We are very happy to have the confirmation of three more ATP Challenger Tour tournaments in our country in 2021, after having already organized four competitions in Oeiras, one of them in the highest category, and one in Porto. The main objective of the Portuguese Tennis Federation is to provide the best opportunities for Portuguese tennis players so that they can compete in our country, earning more Ranking points and prize money,” said Vasco Costa, president of the Portuguese Tennis Federation.