Portuguese tennis player Jaime Faria faces a sharp decline in his ATP ranking after an early exit from the Brest Challenger, while compatriot Frederico Silva secured a lengthy opening victory at the Suzhou Challenger.
Faria, currently ranked 127th globally, was eliminated in the first round of the tournament on Tuesday, despite successfully navigating the qualifying stages. He lost to Italian Francesco Passaro, ranked 139th, with scores of 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in a match lasting one hour and 46 minutes.
The 22-year-old from Lisbon was defending 100 crucial points from his Curitiba Challenger title win last season. His failure to advance means a significant drop in the rankings, placing his position within the top 150 at risk.
In contrast, Frederico Silva, 30, from Caldas, began his campaign at the Suzhou Challenger in China with a resilient win. Ranked 245th, Silva defeated Russia’s Maxim Zhukov, who is 488th in the world rankings.
Silva’s victory came after a grueling three hours and five minutes on court, with final scores of 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3.
Faria is scheduled to compete next week at the Bratislava Challenger.