PORTO/STARNBERG, August 29, 2025
Portuguese tennis fans enjoyed an interesting day at the CT Porto Cup, with Frederico Ferreira Silva booking his place in the singles quarterfinals while brothers Henrique and Francisco Rocha advanced to the doubles semifinals. The ATP Challenger 75 event, organized by the Portuguese Tennis Federation, runs through Sunday at the Clube de Ténis do Porto.
In the Thursday’s most anticipated encounter, World No. 255 Ferreira Silva got the better of rising compatriot Tiago Torres, sealing a 6-3, 6-3 victory to reach a Challenger quarterfinal for the fourth time this season. Experience proved decisive in the battle of left-handers, as the 30-year-old Caldas da Rainha native delivered a solid performance and capitalized on Torres’ mistakes to secure the win after 88 minutes.
Frederico Silva vence o encontro de esquerdinos portugueses com Tiago Torres por 6-3 e 6-3 e está nos quartos de final da CT Porto Cup. É o único resistente “da casa” e ainda procura as primeiras meias-finais Challenger do ano. pic.twitter.com/LsrWkNiMXH
— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) August 28, 2025
“Tiago has a very particular game style, varying the rhythm and height of the ball,” Ferreira Silva explained. “It was important to stick to my plan, to dictate the points and make him move. I managed to do that often and was rewarded.”
Torres, playing the second round of a Challenger for the first time, showed promise but struggled against another left-hander. After briefly recovering a break in the second set, the 20-year-old was broken again and saw his campaign end in Porto.
Ferreira Silva will now face Spain’s David Jorda Sanchis, who overcame Switzerland’s Mika Brunold 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to notch his fourth win of the week. The 31-year-old Spaniard, a former World No. 292, is rebuilding his career after a lengthy injury absence.
Earlier in the day, Francisco Rocha bowed out of singles following a 6-3, 6-4 loss to second seed Guy Den Ouden. Despite pushing the Dutchman in a contest lasting one hour 39 minutes, Rocha was unable to convert in the key moments.
However, the Porto native ended the evening on a high alongside his younger brother Henrique. The pair stunned top seeds Alexander Merino and Christoph Negritu with a 6-1, 7-5 victory, earning their first-ever joint appearance in a Challenger semifinal. They now face Serbian twins Ivan and Matej Sabanov, the fourth seeds, in an all-brothers semifinal clash.
