BRAGA/STARNBERG, October 4, 2025
The seventh edition of the ATP Challenger 75 Braga Open, organized by the Portuguese Tennis Federation and the City Council of Braga, will conclude this Sunday with an exciting singles final between Vilius Gaubas and Luka Mikrut. The tournament, held on the clay courts of the Clube de Tenis de Braga, has already crowned Marcelo Demoliner and Orlando Luz as doubles champions.
Currently enjoying the best spell of his career, World No. 143 Gaubas extended his winning streak to nine matches after defeating Czech Zdenek Kolar 6-4, 6-4 in Saturday’s semifinal. It was the smoothest victory of the week for the 21-year-old Lithuanian, who had previously survived three grueling three-set battles lasting more than three hours each. This time, Gaubas’s consistency was key—he was broken only once, in the opening game, and kept control throughout.
Vilius Gaubas just can’t stop winning!
Back-to-back #ATPChallenger finals in Portugal as he beats Zdenek Kolar 6-4, 6-4 here in Braga.
He will face Luka Mikrut on Sunday for a second title in a row after winning Lisbon last week. pic.twitter.com/rEd2FghIDU
— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) October 4, 2025
“He’s an excellent competitor, so it wasn’t easy at all,” Gaubas said afterward. “But today I managed to keep my level for almost the whole match. In previous rounds I played well but had many ups and downs. This time I was much more solid.”
Just a week after winning the Lisbon Challenger, the player from Siauliai has reached his second consecutive Challenger final and now aims to become the first since Gastao Elias (April 2022) to win two ATP Challenger titles in Portugal in back-to-back weeks. It will be his fourth final of the year and seventh overall on the Challenger circuit.
His opponent, World No. 239 Luka Mikrut reached the final after rallying past Spain’s Alejandro Moro Canas 4-6, 6-0, 6-3. The Croatian, who made his Challenger debut in Portugal just last week, showed remarkable composure by saving three break points early in the second set before taking full control of the match.
“After the match, I told my coach that Challengers are starting to feel like ITFs,” Mikrut said with a smile. “When you keep winning matches, you become more confident, and situations feel more familiar. Today, I wasn’t as nervous as before.”
Finalist in Zagreb last year and champion in Como earlier this season, Mikrut will fight for his second career Challenger title on Sunday. A win would also propel him into the Top 200 for the first time.
Sunday’s championship match will mark the first professional meeting between Gaubas and Mikrut. The winner will become the seventh different champion in seven editions of the Braga Open, joining a list that includes Pedro Sousa (2018), Joao Domingues (2019), Thiago Monteiro (2021), Nicolas Moreno de Alboran (2022), Oriol Roca Batalla (2023), and Elmer Moller (2024).
Demoliner/Luz triumph in doubles
Earlier on Saturday, Brazilian duo Marcelo Demoliner and Orlando Luz clinched the doubles crown after a hard-fought 7-5, 5-7, 10-7 win over Alexander Donski of Bulgaria and Serbian Stefan Latinovic.
Quatro anos depois de Thiago Monteiro em singulares, volta a haver festa brasileira no Braga Open: Marcelo Demoliner e Orlando Luz derrotam Alexander Donski e Stefan Latinovic por 7-5, 5-7 e 10-7 debaixo de alguma chuva e conquistam o título de pares. pic.twitter.com/M0YjmXF0z5
— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) October 4, 2025
For Orlando Luz, a former Junior World No. 1, the victory marks the 45th doubles title of his career and his 20th on the Challenger Tour, adding to his ATP 250 trophy from Bastad in 2023. Partnering again with the experienced Marcelo Demoliner, 36, they claimed their second title together, following a previous triumph in São Leopoldo, Brazil. Demoliner, a doubles specialist with five ATP titles and 47 career doubles trophies, continues to showcase his enduring class on the court.
