BRAGA/STARNBERG, September 25, 2022
Nicolas Moreno de Alboran has claimed his maiden trophy on the ATP Challenger Tour by winning the fourth edition of the €45,730 Braga Open.
The US-American qualifier defeated unseeded Brazilian Matheus Pucinelli de Almeida 6-2, 6-4 in Sunday’s singles final of the clay-court event in northern Portugal. Moreno de Alboran, a winner of three ITF World Tennis Tour tournaments, converted three of his five break-point chances to seal victory in one hour and 46 minutes.
Nicolas Moreno de Alboran is the #BragaOpen champion!
The 25-year-old defeats Matheus Pucinelli de Almeida 6-2, 6-4 to lift the first @ATPChallenger title of his career.
First non-Portuguese speaker to lift the title here in Braga (Sousa 2018, Domingues 2019, Monteiro 2021). pic.twitter.com/LLQH5T4WFY
— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) September 25, 2022
“I’m really happy. It was a very exciting week and this title is very special, because as it has been a difficult year because of two injuries,” said Moreno de Alboran. “Getting through the qualifying and being able to win the tournament means a lot to me. I worked hard to be here and I’m very happy to have won my first Challenger title. I want to keep working and learning to improve, but for now I’m going to enjoy the moment.”
The World No. 308 earned €6,190 in prize money and collected 80 ATP Ranking points.
Pucinelli de Almeida could also take some positives from his time at the Braga Open. “It was a positive week. I had very good victories and my tennis and mental level was good. I know I can trust my tennis and I can keep pace with every player in the Challengers,” he said.
