MAIA/STARNBERG, October 16, 2026
The Maia Open singles draw has produced an intriguing semi-final line-up, with Zsombor Piros, Matej Dodig, Francesco Passaro and Alejo Sanchez Quilez securing their places in the last four. The ninth edition of the ATP Challenger 100 tournament, organised by the Portuguese Tennis Federation and Maia City Council, will conclude on Sunday.
Passaro rallies past top seed Trungelliti
Francesco Passaro (No. 229) delivered one of Friday’s standout performances, defeating top seed Marco Trungelliti (No. 90) in a thrilling encounter lasting two hours and 46 minutes. The Italian recovered from a set down to prevail 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(5), extending his winning streak to eight matches.
Pure passion 🦁
Francesco Passaro battles back to defeat Trungelliti 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) in Maia, reaching his second consecutive ATP Challenger semifinal
#ATPChallenger | @federtennis https://t.co/EI1boVvfWS
— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) October 16, 2026
Having lifted the Challenger 50 trophy in Palermo on Sunday, Passaro has carried his excellent form into Maia. The 25-year-old is back in the decisive stages of the Portuguese tournament, where he finished runner-up in 2024. That result subsequently played an important role in helping him break into the world’s Top 100 three months later.
His next challenge on Portuguese clay will be Matej Dodig (No. 174), who is also riding an eight-match winning streak. The Croatian, fresh from claiming the title at the Braga Open, defeated US-American Tristan Boyer (No. 209) 6-4, 7-6(4) in two hours and 10 minutes to record his eighth consecutive victory on Portuguese soil.
Piros and Sanchez Quilez set up other semi-final
The other semi-final, scheduled to open Saturday’s singles programme at 11:00 am, will feature Zsombor Piros (No. 114) and Alejo Sanchez Quilez (No. 375).
Piros started Friday by overcoming Lorenzo Giustino (No. 216) 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(5), becoming the highest-ranked player remaining in the draw. The 27-year-old Hungarian now has an opportunity to achieve his long-awaited Top 100 debut by winning the title in Maia, surpassing his previous career-high ranking of No. 106, reached in March 2024.
Piros claimed a Challenger title on the clay courts of Jamor less than a year later and has since returned to the venue for two more finals, both on hard courts in January 2025 and January 2026. With 11 titles from 17 finals on the ATP Challenger Tour, the Hungarian brings considerable experience into Saturday’s encounter.
His opponent, meanwhile, is still chasing a maiden appearance in a Challenger final. The 21-year-old Sanchez Quilez has made significant progress this season after starting the year outside the world’s Top 600. He secured his first semi-final appearance at this level with an emphatic 6-1, 6-4 victory over Luka Mikrut (No. 167), the Braga Open champion from a year ago. The Spaniard needed just 62 minutes to complete the job.
Pereira returns to doubles final
While his singles campaign did not go as planned, Tiago Pereira found success in the doubles competition. Partnering Benjamin Winter Lopez, the Portuguese player defeated Adam Heinonen and Michael Vrbensky 6-3, 6-4 to reach another final in Maia.
Pereira, who lifted his maiden ATP Challenger Tour trophy at this venue in November 2025, will return to court on Saturday afternoon, not before 3:00 pm, seeking his fifth Challenger doubles title.
