OEIRAS/STARNBERG, January 23, 2026

Francisco Rocha and Tiago Torres are making the opening week of the Portuguese tennis season increasingly unforgettable for the home fans. On Friday, the duo secured their place in their first-ever ATP Challenger Tour doubles final, celebrating a third consecutive victory together at the Indoor Oeiras Open. The tournament is organized by the Portuguese Tennis Federation and is being held until Sunday at the indoor courts of the Jamor Tennis Complex in Oeiras.

Their semifinal proved to be the most straightforward match of the week. Rocha and Torres were leading 6–4, 1–2 against Vilius Gaubas—also a singles semifinalist—and Francesco Passaro when the Italian was forced to retire due to a right wrist injury.

Competing as wild cards in the doubles draw, the 26-year-old from Porto and the 23-year-old from Lisbon will now contest their first Challenger final against Canadian Cleeve Harper and Britain’s David Stevenson. While Rocha had previously reached a Challenger semifinal alongside his younger brother, this marks completely new territory for Torres, for whom the Indoor Oeiras Open has already become a milestone event.

The final, scheduled for Saturday (not before 3:00 p.m. local time), offers Portuguese tennis the chance to claim its first title of the year.

“We didn’t want to win like this, but reaching the final is very special,” said Torres. “We’re extremely happy because we don’t often get to play Challengers. We’re very grateful to the Federation—without the wild card we wouldn’t be here, as we still don’t have a ranking. We’re making the most of this opportunity, and that feels great.”

Just a month ago, Torres experienced another career highlight on the same courts when he won the Portuguese national championships—defeating none other than his current doubles partner Rocha. Despite a disappointing doubles campaign together at that event, both players stressed the importance of moving on. “In tennis, you play every week, so you have to turn the page,” Rocha said. “It’s a bit like life—you can’t keep living in the past.”

Gaubas, Piros advance in singles

In the singles draw, Portuguese representation ended in the second round, but strong ties to Portugal remain among the semifinalists. Leading the last four is Lithuania’s Vilius Gaubas, who spent several years living and training in the Algarve. Currently ranked No. 129 in the world and the only remaining seed, Gaubas defeated former world No. 39 Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan 6–4, 6–3 and is chasing his third Challenger final on Portuguese soil.

Standing in his way is Luxembourg’s Chris Rodesch, ranked No. 209, who advanced with a 6–3, 7–6(3) win over Germany’s Mats Rosenkranz.

The other semifinal features Hungary’s Zsombor Piros, a familiar name in Oeiras after reaching the Indoor Oeiras Open final in 2025 and winning the Oeiras Open 125 in 2023. Piros progressed after Switzerland’s Leandro Riedi retired injured while trailing 6–3, 3–1. He will face Estonia’s Daniil Glinka, ranked No. 200, who produced an impressive 7–5, 6–4 victory over fourth seed Francesco Passaro without dropping serve.

After playing back-to-back #ATPChallenger finals in Portugal (1-1) in the last quarter of 2025, Vilius Gaubas headlines the Indoor Oeiras Open semi-finals:

Chris Rodesch vs. [3] Vilius Gaubas
Daniil Glinka vs. Zsombor Piros pic.twitter.com/6p5OSJ8xmX

— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) January 23, 2026