OEIRAS/STARNBERG, May 16, 2026
Qualifier Laslo Djere completed a superb week at the Jamor Tennis Complex by capturing the final Oeiras Open of the season, adding another ATP Challenger 100 title to a résumé that already includes three ATP Tour trophies and a career-high ranking inside the world’s top 30.
Saturday’s singles final promised a high-level battle on paper, but Djere – currently ranked No. 279 after an injury to his left leg forced him out of the top 100 – needed just 78 minutes to defeat Emilio Nava from the United States 6-3, 6-4.
Déjà vu: Laslo Djere becomes the second qualifier in a row to win an #ATPChallenger title in Oeiras, beating 2nd seed Emilio Nava 6-3, 6-4 to lift his first title since February 2025. Perfect week from the former top 30. pic.twitter.com/rtzNohg81n
— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) May 16, 2026
With a packed Central Court at the Jamor watching on, Djere successfully carried the momentum he gained earlier in the week when he ended Roman Safiullin’s 13-match winning streak at the venue. Safiullin had arrived in Oeiras after winning the previous Challenger event at the same location as well as the Danube Upper Austria Open in Mauthausen.
Across seven matches in Portugal – a country he had previously only visited as a 14-year-old to play a junior event in Maia – Djere dropped just one set. That came in the opening round against young Portuguese player Salvador Monteiro. From then on, the 30-year-old Serbian steadily powered through the draw, helped further by a shortened semifinal after Hugo Dellien retired after only 17 minutes.
By contrast, Nava arrived in the final after spending nearly three hours on court defeating Jaime Faria in a dramatic deciding-set tiebreak. The US-American briefly threatened a comeback in the championship match by winning 11 consecutive points to lead 4-1 in the second set, but a wave of errors quickly shifted momentum back to Djere, who closed out the victory comfortably.
“It means a lot. It’s a really great feeling, especially because I wasn’t expecting it,” Djere said after lifting the trophy. “I believed I could do it and beat anyone here, but at the same time I could also lose to anyone because the level on the Challenger Tour is extremely high.”
The Serbian added: “Coming from qualifying and winning the title makes it a huge week for me. It gives me confirmation that I probably still have the level to be where I want to be and hopefully have several more good years ahead.”
It was Djere’s third ATP Challenger title and his first since 2018. He earned € 23,750 in prize money as well as 100 ATP Ranking points. Earlier this year, he had played only five tournaments before arriving in Oeiras due to injury setbacks. His last title before this week came in March 2025, when he won in Santiago de Chile – the latest of his three ATP Tour trophies, which include two ATP 250 titles and one ATP 500 crown.
The title run in Portugal will move Djere up around 40 places in the ATP Rankings, bringing him close to securing direct entry into Wimbledon qualifying.
As for a possible return to Portugal, Djere smiled when discussing future plans.
“Probably only for Estoril,” he said, referencing the ATP Tour event where compatriot Novak Djokovic famously celebrated a title on the same courts back in 2007.
