Portuguese tennis players Henrique Rocha and Frederico Silva battled through difficult opening matches Tuesday to secure their spots in the Round of 16 at the ATP Challenger Maia Open, even as other local contenders fell out of the tournament.
Rocha, ranked 155th globally at 21 years old, overcame his more experienced 35-year-old compatriot Gastão Elias, ranked 381st. Rocha won the three-set match 5-7, 6-3, 6-1.
Frederico Silva, ranked 253rd, also endured a demanding three-set contest. He defeated Italy’s Federico Bondioli (398th) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a duel lasting two hours and 59 minutes.
The Maia Open, an ATP Challenger 100 event, is being held on clay courts at the Maia Tennis Complex in Portugal. It marks the final Portuguese Challenger tournament of the season.
However, not all Portuguese hopefuls advanced. Tiago Pereira, also 21, was eliminated in the first round by Spanish qualifier Carlos Lopez Montagud (551st) with a score of 6-3, 6-2.
Later in the day, Pedro Araújo (594th ATP) exited the tournament. He lost in straight sets to third-seeded Austrian Elmer Moller (147th), 6-4, 6-4.
Rocha, the fourth seed in the tournament, is set to face Russian lucky loser Alexey Vatutin (413th) in the next round.
Silva will compete against Britain’s Jan Choinski, who is ranked 128th.