Estoril Open News and Events

Former Finalist Blake To Return At 2010 Estoril Open
American James Blake, who won a memorable first round clash against Portuguese No. 1 Frederico Gil and went on to reach the final this year, has confirmed he will compete at the Estoril Open from 1-9 May 2010.

Federer To Compete At 2010 Estoril Open
ATP World Tour No. 1 and former champion Roger Federer has confirmed he will return to compete at the Estoril Open, an ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tournament, from 1-9 May 2010.

Montanes Saves 2 M.P. To Clinch Title
Seventh seed Albert Montanes became the first Spaniard since former ATP World Tour No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, the 2001 titlist, to capture the Estoril Open title.

Butorac-Lipsky Upset Fourth Seeds For Doubles Title
Americans Eric Butorac and Scott Lipsky won their maiden ATP World Tour doubles team title at their first ATP World Tour tournament as a team on Sunday. The pair defeated fourth seeds Martin Damm of the Czech Republic and Robert Lindstedt of Sweden 6-3, 6-2 in 54 minutes on Central Court.

Blake Reaches Second Clay-Court Final
American James Blake advanced to his first clay-court final on European soil on Sunday, after beating second seed and former Estoril Open champion Nikolay Davydenko 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 6-3 in a rain-interrupted semi-final that was carried over Saturday due to bad light.

Physio Has Fond Memories Of Estoril Open
ATP World Tour Physiotherapist Michal Novotny has a very special relationship with the Estoril Open, as the ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tennis tournament is where he met his wife four years ago.

Montanes Reaches Final; Blake-Davydenko Delayed
Seventh-seeded Spaniard Albert Montanes advanced to his sixth ATP World Tour final, after beating Paul Capdeville of Chile 6-3, 6-4 in a rain-interrupted semi-final on Centralito at the Estoril Open on Saturday.

Rain Falls For First Time; Delays Play
Rain delayed the start of play at the Estoril Open for the first time during the championships on Saturday.

Wickmayer Completes Surprise Run To Title
Unseeded Belgian Yanina Wickmayer captured her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title at the Estoril Open, the 13th Sony Ericsson WTA Tour International Series clay-court tournament of the year, on Saturday.

Kops-Jones, Spears Clinch Doubles Crown
Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears won their first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour team title at the Estoril Open on Saturday, when the third-seeded Americans beat Sharon Fichman of Canada and Hungarian Katalin Marosi 2-6, 6-3, 10-5 (Match TB) in 74 minutes.

Estoril Open: More Than Great Tennis
The Estoril Open, a combined ATP World Tour 250 and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour International Series clay-court tournament, is so much more than great tennis for visitors to the Estadio Nacional.

Montanes Upsets Simon, Davydenko To Meet Blake
Spaniard Albert Montanes recorded his first Top 10 win in 27 months at the Estoril Open on Friday, beating World No. 8 Gilles Simon of France 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(4) in two hours and 58 minutes for a place in the semi-finals against Chilean Paul Capdeville.

Makarova To Face Wickmayer In Women's Final
Sixth-seeded Russian Ekaterina Makarova will meet Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium in the Estoril Open final on Saturday.

Koehler, Salerni Get A Makeover
Maria João Koehler and Maria Emilia Salerni were invited by Estoril Open sponsors Davines and Comfort Zone, and Throttleman to a makeover and a chance to choose new clothes at the Throttleman store in the Cascais Shopping Centre on Thursday.

Simon Reaches Quarter-finals; Blake Finds Form
Top-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon beat Fabio Fognini for the second time in as many weeks on Thursday, defeating the No. 75-ranked Italian 6-0, 7-5 in 74 minutes at the Estoril Open.

Makarova Ends Kirilenko's Title Defence
Sixth-seeded Russian Ekaterina Makarova, who was expecting to rush to Madrid to sign in for the qualification for next week’s Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournament, booked herself in the Estoril Open semi-finals on Thursday after she beat second-seeded compatriot and defending Maria Kirilenko 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 in two hours and 23 minutes on Central Court.

Gil, Machado Go Off-Road
Portugal''s two highest-ranked men''s players Frederico Gil and Rui Machado left the Estadio Nacional, the venue of the Estoril Open, on Tuesday to go to a local off-road track where they drove a VW Touareg.

Davydenko To Meet Fish; Ferrer Upset
Second seed and former champion Nikolay Davydenko will meet sixth seed Mardy Fish for the third time on Friday in the Estoril Open quarter-finals. The pair has never met on a clay-court.

Blake Overcomes Spirited Portuguese Challenge
American James Blake recorded his first clay-court win of the 2009 ATP World Tour season, earning a confidence-boosting 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 win over Portugal’s highest-ever ranked player Frederico Gil on his Estoril Open debut Wednesday.

Top Seed Benesova Falls In Second Round
Slovakian World No. 73 Jarmilia Groth knocked out top seed and two-time runner-up Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic 7-5, 6-4 in one hour and 32 minutes on Wednesday for a place in the Estoril Open quarter-finals.

South Americans Visit Praia do Guincho
Juan Monaco, Maximo Gonzalez and Diego Junquiera visited Praia do Guincho, a well-known surfing spot located near to Cascais, on Monday afternoon.

Davydenko Safe, Ferrer Survives Fright
Nikolay Davydenko set up a second round clash against another former Estoril Open champion, Juan Carlos Ferrero, after defeating Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan 6-1, 7-6(4) in one hour and 36 minutes on Tuesday.

Defending Champion Kirileno Survives Scare
Defending champion Maria Kirilenko was one of five seeded players who won into the Estoril Open second round, on another hot day at the Estadio Nacional, on Tuesday.

Davydenko, Lisicki Visit Casa Pastéis de Belém
Former Estoril Open champion Nikolay Davydenko and Sabine Lisicki were taught how to cook the world famous Portuguese pastry ''Pasteis de Belém'' on Monday.

Benesova Spoils Wild Card's Big Day
Top-seeded Czech Iveta Benesova spoiled the 26th birthday celebrations of Portuguese wild card Neuza Silva, who tested the World No. 31 at the Estoril Open on Monday before falling 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in two hours and 25 minutes.

Nalbandian Wilts In Estoril's Heat
Chilean Paul Capdeville recorded one of the biggest wins of his eight-year professional career at the Estoril Open on Monday, defeating two-time former champion and No. 5 seed David Nalbandian 6-2, 6-2 in just 54 minutes.

Fish Tees Up Ahead Of First Match
Mardy Fish and his wife Stacey Gardner, a Californian attorney and model, played nine holes of golf at the Oitavos course on Sunday ahead of his first match at the Estoril Open.

Larcher de Brito Moves Closer To Qualification
Portuguese teenager Michelle Larcher de Brito booked her place in the qualifying round of the Estoril Open on Sunday. The 16 year old knocked out World No. 238 Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-5 in three hours and 42 minutes.

Maximo Gonzalez Snaps Losing Streak
Argentine World No. 74 Maximo Gonzalez beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, a Spanish right-hander ranked No. 70 in the South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings, 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 38 minutes at the Estoril Open on Sunday. It was the only main draw singles match on day one.

Portuguese Favourites Keep Hopes Alive
Six of the top eight men''s seeds successfully booked their places in the second round of the qualifying competition for the 20th edition of the Estoril Open at the Estadio Nacional on Saturday.

Five Top 20 Stars Feature At Estoril Open
Top-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon, currently No. 7 in the South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings, will begin his quest for a sixth ATP World Tour title against American Robert Kendrick at the 20th edition of the Estoril Open.

Simon Accepts Estoril Open Wild Card
World No. 7 Gilles Simon, a winner of five ATP World Tour titles, headlines a stellar field at the 20th Estoril Open that includes Nikolay Davydenko, David Ferrer, James Blake and David Nalbandian.

Frederico Gil made Rafael Nadal work hard
The Portuguese secured his place in main draw of the 20th Estoril Open. It was the first time, in the tournament's history, that a local tennis player achieved that mark. In Miami, Frederico Gil fought hard against Rafael Nadal in third round of the Sony Ericsson Open ATP World Tour Masters 1000.

Blake Heads To Portugal For First Time
João Lagos Sports, organizer of the Estoril Open, has announced a trio of stars that will highlight the 20th edition of its ATP Tour/Sony Ericsson WTA Tour event. James Blake, who will compete for the first time in Portugal, and past champions David Nalbandian and Nikolay Davydenko will participate in 2009.

Daily individual tickets now on sale
Buy your ticket now and celebrate two decades of the best of world tennis at the 20th anniversary edition of the Estoril Open - from 2-10 May 2009! Choose between the daily individual tickets or guarantee your weekly pass to the Complexo de Ténis do Estádio Nacional.