The US Open qualifiers are truly heating up, and we’ve got some great news coming out of New York for Portuguese tennis. Jaime Faria just punched his ticket to the third and final qualifying round on Thursday. He earned his spot by defeating Italy’s Giulio Zeppieri in a tight two-set match.
This win came shortly after his countryman, Henrique Rocha, also advanced in the qualifying rounds. Rocha had earlier overcome Australia’s Bernard Tomic. Faria, currently ranked 118th globally, then joined Rocha in the last stage. He beat Zeppieri, who sits at 260th in the world, with scores of 7-6 (7-5) and 7-5. The entire battle unfolded over one hour and 53 minutes.
To finally make his debut in the main singles draw of this huge New York tournament, Faria must clear one more hurdle. He is set to face either France’s Ugo Blanchet, ranked 184th, or Dmitry Popko from Kazakhstan, who is 239th. Henrique Rocha also has his next challenge lined up. He will play against Italy’s Francesco Passaro, the world No. 121, or Mexico’s Rodrigo Pacheco Méndez, ranked 226th.
Meanwhile, some Portuguese players are already confirmed for the main event. Nuno Borges, Portugal’s top player and ATP world No. 42, received direct entry into the singles draw. Francisco Cabral is also ready to compete. He will be playing in the doubles, partnering with Austria’s Lucas Miedler. It’s shaping up to be a strong showing for the nation at the season’s final Grand Slam.