Home » Portugal debuts in the World Veterans Championship with victories in the +35 age group

With victory for the men’s and women’s teams in the +35 age group on Sunday at the Jamor Tennis Complex, Portugal marked its home debut in the World Team Masters Championship.

Rui Machado, who formerly ranked 59th in the ATP rankings, successfully represented Portugal in senior tournaments early in the morning by defeating the Austrian Harald Schachinger by scores of 6-2 and 6-0.

Then, with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Martin Zehetner, Fred Gil (formerly ranked 62 in the ATP and already more experienced in senior events with two national champion titles and, most importantly, four medals in the World Masters 2021) officially declared the victory.

The victory of Fred Gil and Gonçalo Nicau in doubles, by 6-2 and 6-2 over Schachinger and Zehetner, brought the match between Portugal and Austria to a close. This ensured the national team’s top spot in Group A of the Italia Cup. After a day of relaxation on Monday, the home team will play Croatia for a chance to advance to the quarterfinals.

The women’s team also entered this World Team Championships with a victory to cap the day and in the same bracket.

In the Suzanne Lenglen Cup, Portugal defeated Poland by a score of 2-1. Rita Freitas defeated Olesja Szpak in the first match by a score of 6-0, 6-0, and then returned to the court with Neuza Silva (ex-133 WTA), defeating Szpak and Barbara Maciocha by a score of 6-3, 6-2. Between the two matches, Maciocha defeated Frederica Piedade (ex-142 WTA) 6-2, 6-0.

Both the men’s and women’s +40 teams at the Jamor Tennis Complex failed to win; in the women’s division, Portugal was defeated 3-0 by Argentina. Isaura Faria was the first player to be called up to Court 1 and was defeated by Maria Victoria Domina with a score of 6-3 and 6-0; next, captain Inês Moura failed to make an impression on Silvina Delgado, who defeated her by a score of 6-1 and 6-2; and finally, in the doubles, the same Portuguese players teamed up and fell victim to the same opponents. of the singles with more evenly distributed scores (6-2 and 7-5).

In the masters, the Portuguese team opened the Tony Trabert Cup with a victory by Mauri Brito Gomez over Tim Webster, 6-1 and 7-6(4). However, Great Britain matched that result through Anthony Perkins (6-3 and 6-2 to Matthieu Garcia), and they celebrated the turnabout in the doubles, where Perkins and Jim May defeated Garcia and Joao Marques by a score of 6-3 and 6-1.

Germany defeated the +45 men’s team 2-1 at Club Internacional de Foot-Ball. Both singles matches were won by the visiting team—Franz Stauder defeated António Moura 6-2, 7-6(1), and Christian Schaeffkes dominated David Coelho 6-2, 6-1—but the Portuguese team earned an important point in the doubles match thanks to Lourenço Santos Lima and Lus Sousa Pinto’s victory over Matthias Hahn and Dirk Stoebitsch 6-2, 0-6, 10-4.

The +45 women’s team, who will play their inaugural match against Sweden on Monday at the clay courts of the Clube de Ténis do Estoril, is the only Portuguese team that did not compete in this first round of the World Masters Championship.