MAIA/STARNBERG, November 30, 2025
Elmer Moller celebrated his third career title on Portuguese soil after winning the eighth edition of the Maia Open, an ATP Challenger 100 indoor clay-court event organised by the Portuguese Tennis Federation and the Maia Municipality at the Complexo Municipal de Ténis da Maia from 23–30 November.
Champion of the Braga Open in September 2024 and the Oeiras Open 125 in April 2025, the 22-year-old Dane added another Portuguese trophy to his growing list with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Slovakian veteran Andrej Martin in Sunday’s showdown.
Season sealed in style
Elmer Moller with a sharp 6-4, 6-1 victory over Martin to lift the trophy in Maia! #ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/F0g3embolF
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 30, 2025
Seeded third thanks to his ATP Ranking of No. 147, Moller saved his best performance of the week for the final. The Aarhus native converted six of his 10 break-point chances and won 56 per cent of the total points played to succeed in one hour and 16 minutes.
“He started really well. He’s very experienced and has a great forehand, so I tried to stay aggressive and use my backhand down the line to keep him from taking full control. In the second set I found my rhythm and by the end I felt like I was playing really well,” Moller said after defeating Martin for the first time in his career.
Martin, meanwhile, became the oldest finalist in the history of the Maia Open. Having lost in the semifinals in all four of his previous appearances, the 36-year-old Slovak reached his second ATP Challenger final of the season and the 22nd of his career. Far from the No. 93 ranking he held in 2020, four years after contesting the ATP 250 final in Umag, he came close to snapping his long title drought. His last Challenger trophy dates back to June 2019, and he has now lost six finals in a row at this level.
For Moller, the brilliant week in Maia translated into his fourth ATP Challenger title in eight finals, his third of the season and third in Portugal, renewing a pattern of success in the country. “Last year I lost in the first round, and this year I wasn’t even sure I’d play. It was really good to take a break from tournaments and training to stay home for a bit [he didn’t compete between mid-October and mid-November]. I arrived here with fresh energy, something I hadn’t felt in a while, and I’m happy I made that decision. Tennis never stops, and if you’re not playing a tournament, someone else is taking that spot. So it can be stressful to step away, but in the end it was absolutely worth it. It’s an incredible feeling to finish the year with a trophy.”
As for his repeated success in Portugal, Moller insists it’s not entirely coincidental: “In some ways yes, in others no. I always love playing in Portugal – every event is very well organised and many of the people are the same, so you end up knowing almost everyone. I also like the cities, and when you feel good at a tournament you tend to play better. So it’s not 100% a coincidence. I love playing here.”
As a reward for his golden week in Maia, Moller pocketed €20,630 in prize money as well as 100 ATP Ranking points and will rise 26 spots on Monday, climbing to World No. 121.
