MAIA/STARNBERG, October 15, 2026
Tiago Torres was eliminated in the first round on Wednesday, leaving the Maia Open without any Portuguese players in the singles main draw. However, there was better news for Tiago Pereira, who celebrated a successful doubles debut and secured a place in the semi-finals of the ATP Challenger 100 event. Organised by the Portuguese Tennis Federation and Maia City Council, the tournament runs until Sunday at the Complexo Municipal de Tenis.
Torres (ATP No. 365) was the last Portuguese player to take to the court in singles action this week but suffered a heavy 6-3, 6-0 defeat against Italy’s Francesco Passaro (No. 229). He followed the same fate as compatriots Henrique Rocha, Francisco Rocha and Pereira, who had also been eliminated in the opening round.
The match lasted just 50 minutes and was largely controlled by Passaro, who finished runner-up at the Maia Open in November 2024, reached the world’s top 100 three months later and claimed a Challenger 50 title in Palermo last weekend.
For the first time since the tournament returned to the ATP Challenger Tour calendar in 2019, no Portuguese player has progressed to the second round of the singles competition.
Wednesday’s action also saw the elimination of Spain’s Pedro Martinez. The former world No. 40, currently ranked 130th, was unable to withstand the challenge of Croatia’s Matej Dodig (No. 174), who continued his successful run on Portuguese soil. Just three days after winning the Braga Open, Dodig recorded another convincing victory, defeating Martinez 6-2, 6-1 in just 71 minutes.
Dodig’s next opponent will be Lukas Neumayer (No. 180), who prevented a repeat of last weekend’s final by overcoming defending Maia Open champion Elmer Moller 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
Meanwhile, two quarterfinal match-ups have already been confirmed in the bottom half of the draw. Hungary’s Zsombor Piros (No. 114) will face Italy’s Lorenzo Giustino (No. 216), while Croatia’s Luka Mikrut (No. 167) takes on qualifier Alejo Sanchez Quilez (No. 322).
Pereira Moves Closer to Defending Doubles Crown
The first Portuguese victory of the week came in the doubles competition, where Tiago Pereira made a winning start and immediately booked his place in the semi-finals.
The 22-year-old from the Algarve, who lifted the doubles trophy in 2025 alongside Alexander Donski, returned to a venue full of good memories, this time partnering Spain’s Benjamin Winter Lopez. The duo produced an impressive performance to defeat third seeds Admir Kalender and Nino Serdarusic 6-3, 6-1 in the opening match of the day.
Although officially a first-round encounter, the victory also secured their place in the semi-finals, as their scheduled next opponents, Raul Brancaccio and Pedro Martinez, withdrew from the tournament due to an injury to the Italian’s right elbow. Brancaccio and Martinez had previously eliminated Joao Domingues and Tiago Torres on Monday.
Pereira and Winter Lopez will therefore return to action on Friday to compete for a place in the final. They will face the winners of the quarterfinal between Adam Heinonen/Michael Vrbensky, who caused an upset by eliminating the top seeds, and Sergio Martos Gornes/Szymon Walkow.
There was less success for the Rocha brothers in doubles. Henrique and Francisco made an early exit after losing 6-2, 3-6, 10-4 to Polish duo Karol Drzewiecki and Piotr Matuszewski in the final match of Wednesday’s programme.
