Tennis fans in Winston-Salem got a bit of an unexpected twist on Friday. Portugal’s own Francisco Cabral found himself moving straight into an ATP doubles final. This marks his seventh career final appearance. He didn’t even need to hit a single ball in the semifinals. His British opponents simply pulled out of the tournament.
Cabral, ranked 29th in doubles, partners with Austrian Lucas Miedler, ranked 28th. They’ve been a strong pair all year. In fact, they’re set to play together at the US Open next week. Their path to the Winston-Salem final opened up when top seeds Neal Skupski, ranked 10th, and Joe Salisbury, 15th, decided not to play. That quick exit sent Cabral and Miedler straight into the North Carolina championship match.
Now, the Portuguese-Austrian team is just waiting to see who they’ll face. The other semifinal features a battle between two pairs. On one side are Brazilians Rafael Matos, 51st, and Marcelo Melo, 62nd. On the other, Indian Yuki Bhambri, ranked 35th, teams up with New Zealander Michael Venus, 25th. That match will decide the final opponent.
This upcoming final marks Cabral’s seventh shot at an ATP doubles title. He’s had some good runs already. He’s won three of those previous finals. This year, he lifted the trophy in Gstaad, Switzerland, with Miedler. He also won in Gstaad back in 2022. That same year, he tasted victory at the Estoril Open alongside Nuno Borges. Three wins from six finals is a solid record.
But it hasn’t all been wins. In 2023, Cabral reached three more finals but didn’t take home the prize. He was runner-up in Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina. He also lost in Bastad, Sweden, and Chengdu, China. Interestingly, he played those last two finals with Rafael Matos. That’s the same Brazilian player he might face again in this Winston-Salem championship match.